RSSMicrosoft Developing XP Client for Old PCs
By David Worthington | Published May 12, 2005, 5:21 PM
Thursday, Microsoft announced a slimmed down version of Windows XP for PCs with older hardware code-named "Eiger." Eiger blends together Windows XP and Windows Embedded to offer a thin client for terminal servers that provides the manageability and security enhancements of Windows XP.
With Eiger, the network is the computer. Eiger transforms desktops into terminals that run applications from servers such as Citrix's MetaFrame. Microsoft is positing Eiger as a migration path to the full-fledged version of Windows XP and as a stopping point on the way to its upcoming Longhorn operating system.
Customers can configure Eiger to run either: Microsoft terminal services, third-party terminal services, Internet Explorer, Windows Media Player, mainframe terminal emulation or management/security applications.
"Eiger is in the very early stages of product development and testing," a Microsoft spokesperson told BetaNews. "Microsoft believes that the best solution for customers with older hardware and an older operating system is to upgrade to the latest generation of hardware and to Windows XP.
"For those customers that are unable to do so, Microsoft is working to ensure they will have a good solution to incrementally improve their infrastructure."
Despite its instance that customers upgrade, Microsoft does have an audience for Eiger. Jupiter surveys has found that 35 percent of business with 10,000 employees or more continue to operate Windows NT Workstation and 31 percent still use Windows 98 on the desktop.
"Too many companies focus on cost containment rather than looking at technology as a means of improving productivity or operational efficiency. Then there is the old, 'If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,' attitude. I disagree and would strongly encourage every company running pre-Windows 2000 OSes to make the upgrade, whatever the cost," said Jupiter Research senior analyst Joe Wilcox, who first reported on Eiger.
"These customers' resistance is Microsoft's problem. Microsoft gets the blame for security breaches, even though these companies foolishly run operating systems with architectures predate the Internet. Then there is the secondary problem of greater resistance over time, as newer Windows versions make upgrades potentially all the more a burden for the organization."
Wilcox dismissed speculation that Redmond was reacting to the anxieties its faces from the competitive threat of Linux. Instead he reasoned that the change that Microsoft's image could be tarnished by security exploits targeting these older platforms was its primary motivation.
"The risk isn't so much that these businesses might soon switch to Linux as they would continue to do nothing at all," said Wilcox. "And if a big company won't spend $400 or $500 on a new managed computer and associated, additional deployment costs, why would it put in Linux and take on potentially greater costs associated with people; how are IT management and end-user training for starters?"
Microsoft has not said when it will ship Eiger.
Anybody able to find any estimated release dates on this?
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|This is exactly what MS needs. Why? Windows 98 and Windows NT. This is probably the smartest move MS has made regarding the legacy support issue. Heck if I were MS I'd be sick and tired of supporting Windows 98SE, yet they must, since it "still works, and if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it".
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|Good move by Microsoft. Though the view of security is being viewed in a crude manner like it's a product or something that has been refined in the computer industry and they suck at keeping up to par...which is far from the case and truth and anyone in the security bizz knows that is not what security is anyway.
I won't rant, but remember that if computer security was a product Bill Gates would be selling and would have the greater market share.
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|So is this just an OS for a thin client. As in I wouldn't be able to run my old pc at home on it? Surely if companies need to have a server at the centre to run lots of terminal service sessions it defeats the point as if they can't afford to update some pcs they aren't gonna be able to pay for something to sustain that many users?
I say use win2k!
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|This is designed more for systems with pre-Win2k OSes, read the article. I love Win2k, it's the best OS for any 5th or 6th generation PCs (meaning Pentium Classic and Pentium II or AMD K6/K6-II/K6-III). XP is still my choice for newer systems though (7th gen and above, Pentium III/4 and AMD Duron/Athlon/Semptron).
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|MS need to make Windows Xp more lighter too. now many people still choosing win 98 instead of XP. because they have old hardware.
if microsoft can make windows xp with SP3 run on older computer which running win 98 good, I believe many will buy this windows xp.
and also because they did not have any problems with activations problems. so they can use it , format it reinstall it many time without problems.
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|I agree with you 101% that they need to make XP lighter. There are many people still using 98se precisely because XP slows down an older pc. And that's basically because XP requires more memory to run. I'm writing this from work now and I work for one of the big banks in the UK. It has to be said that they're STILL using NT!! And I imagine they'll continue to do so for some considerable time, unless there's any incentive to change.
It's in Microsoft's interest to develop this to encourage the transition to XP. This has got to be one of the best ideas I've heard coming from Microsoft this year - if not for the last two years. I wonder whether this has been inspired by an awareness of nLite?
Minimum System Requirements
___________________________
64MB RAM (128MB Recommended)
Pentium class processor
500 MB HD (1GB recommended)
800x600 graphics or higher
Network Interface Card
Hardware Support
________________
Standard & ACPI Chipsets
ISA, PCI, AGP, USB, ATA/IDE, SCSI, AC'97, Smartcards
Support for most standard components in legacy PCs
Deployment Methods
__________________
Setup wizard
Unattended setup
Remote Installation Server (PXE/RIS)
Systems Management Server
Boot Methods
Hard Disk, Flash
PXE/RIS
User Feature Set
________________
Remote desktop connection client
Shutdown, restart, standby
Accessibility features
Internet Explorer
Local & Network Printing
Basic Control Panel
Office Viewers
Servicing
Windows Update Services
Systems Management Server
Management
__________
Standard Microsoft management technologies (WMI, MMC...)
Not supported
_____________
Windows image acquisition (WIA)
Telephony, VPN & Dial-up
Wireless networking (802.11)
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|why not do this from the start, id still have my nice 200mhz pc if xp worked on it
why does windows always require a super computer to run, dammit
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|Eiger, Tiger? Me thinks that they are making fun of Apple's newer OS. :)
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|Ummm. Eiger is a mountain in Switzerland. THey are simply sticking with their current code name scheme of using the names of mountains.
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|Eiger, Longhorn, Whistler... okay... but Chicago???
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|Chicago = flat like the os was :)
The size of the mountain must mean how they predict the o/s will become. I do know, Chicago is Win95, but maybe they didnt expect it to be such a groundbreaker at first. It just caught on and boom, they took over.
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|i thought Chicago was Windows 98?
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|98 was Memphis.
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|Chicago was win 2000 I thought
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|Hahahaha
it does sound like tiger
either way...
"it's grrreeaaat!
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|If I wanted a lighter version of XP, I'd install Windows 2000. An awesome OS in my personal opinion :)
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|Well I install on my pc at home that is runing windows XP.. as long as it can run all the programs and games i will get it..
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|Chicago was Windows 95. Funny how their code-name for that OS was the main font in use by MacOS.
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|Let's see, Microsoft is in Washington State, not far from Whistler, a popular ski location, and home of the Blackcomb ski lodge. Say, didja notice it's not far from the Yukon, which is one of Canada's northernmost provinces? While in Whistler, why not check out the Longhorn Saloon?
Maybe, if you want some privacy, you'll stay at the Avalon Inn, or tour scenic Whidbey Island.
Codenames are generally not for show, they're just names used around campus to refer to products INTERNALLY. People catch on and use them, but almost no one ever hears about them outside IT folk. Official product names used for marketing are generally reserved for final releases. Linux developers do it too.
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|MS apparently doesn't want that. Yes as stated earlier MS is doing this because of win98 and nt 4 companies, but they also want to prevent people from buying a NEW copy of a legacy OS as well (I agree with your statement about win2k on older systems though, read my comment above.).
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|This sounds really good, Im thinking some people will actually downgrade from WinXP pro/home. More memory/cpu for games/apps :)
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|First: The Yukon is not a province! It is a "territory". Just like Puerto Rico is not a state.
It is about time that MS realises that a lot of people do not "update" their PC hardware reqularly. Hundreds of them always try to "milk-out" the most of their "outdated" PC hardware. Hopefully, MS gets it right (and not like Windows ME.)
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