Anilrgowda

Yesterday, some chosen few got word they had been selected for the Windows Early Feedback program, over at Microsoft Connect. While the few offer advice about the future, judging from my inbox, the many have a whole lot more to say about the present.
Also yesterday, I invited users of Windows Vista "gold" code to tell Microsoft Watch what they thought about the software. Response has been quite good, with lots of people giving the operating system a thumbs up as a product, but many also giving it a thumbs down for experience. Applications or device driver incompatibilities are the most common problems in the present. Their concern is deploying Vista now, not some other Windows some day in the future.
Charles Wiltgen, founder of a startup operating in (sssshhh) stealth mode, expressed a common sentiment: "Vista effectively pulls the rug out from under some Windows software and hardware by changing some of the rules in the middle of the game. I can't blame Microsoft, but it's too bad that they weren't able to persuade software and hardware developers to have updates available by GM [gold master]."
I'll pull together many of the comments received so far for a forthcoming post. There is still opportunity to comment for the story by way of our Tips mailbox, by the way. Also, I assume there are people that would like to tell Microsoft what they want from Windows Vista, rather than its successors. Please send your comments on that topic, too, and we will publish them for the good folks at Microsoft to read.
Vista's successor isn't the only future product development getting some center stage treatment. This week, Microsoft released in new, limited betas: Windows Server "Longhorn" and "Centro," and Small Business Server "Cougar." The nearly simultaneous releases make sense, given the common Windows Server heritage the products share. Longhorn is successor to Windows Server 2003 R2. Cougar is the next SBS version, incorporating Exchange Server 2007 and Longhorn. Centro is Microsoft's brand, spanking new server software for the midmarket. Longhorn server is tracking for late 2007 release, while the other two products are expected to come six to 12 months later.
My question: Why bring these products to testers just days before Christmas and less than a month after Microsoft launched Exchange Server 2007, Office 2007, SharePoint Server 2007 and Windows Vista? Don't Microsoft customers have enough testing and deployment to do with shipping products--and during the holidays, no less--than wrangle around with future products 10-to-20 months from expected release?
Surely some commenter will fault me for nitpicking, but I don't think it is unreasonable to give people time to move into their new house before starting construction on their next domicile.
The number of just-released products is overwhelming enough.