New Delhi Times

Gaurav Bhatnagar reporting from New Delhi, India

Why was Windows Vista delayed again?

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Windows Vista has been delayed again. While delays are part of product development and are almost expected from Microsoft, something doesn’t sound right about yesterday’s announcement. In particular, the slip is only by 4 weeks. To predict a 4 week slip almost 8 months before the scheduled date makes no sense. Surely the Windows division could have squeezed in another 4 weeks of work between now and December. Besides, the first thing they teach at the Windows developer bootcamp (an excellent training program that all Windows devs must attend) is that if you must slip, slip big. It never helps to slip by just a few days or a couple of weeks. Why? Because when you slip by a few days, other teams who were done with what they had to suddenly find themselves with a little bit of extra time. The natural reaction is “Hey, we got another 2 weeks, lets add that feature we had to cut previously!”. Guess what happens next. Now we have many teams trying to squeeze in a few extra features in the last few weeks of development. That broadens the test matrix, breaks something else that was working before and before you know it, you have missed the new deadline as well. Hence the rule is that if you must slip, then slip big. So it makes me wonder why Vista has slipped by a measly 4 weeks. The official line is that they want to make it more secure. That also goes against common wisdom that security has to be built into the product from the ground up. You can’t possible patch it on in the last few weeks of a 6 year product cycle.

Well, whatever it is, I hope Vista ships soon and it really kicks ass! Many of my friends are burning the midnight oil trying to ship it. Delays are always most frustrating for the front line troops – the devs, testers and PMs! I know because I have been there and gone thru many a slips and resets!

Written by gaurav

March 23rd, 2006 at 10:39 pm

Posted in Microsoft

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  • Srini

    The very idea of slipping by just four weeks is to thwart teams from checking in new feature code. Four weeks is just about enough for teams to fix all the important bugs that would improve product quality quite a lot. At the same time, it is too short to even think about adding new features. 4 weeks == magic number, so to speak.

  • Srini

    The very idea of slipping by just four weeks is to thwart teams from checking in new feature code. Four weeks is just about enough for teams to fix all the important bugs that would improve product quality quite a lot. At the same time, it is too short to even think about adding new features. 4 weeks == magic number, so to speak.

  • http://www.krishworld.com Krish

    Hope you are following this
    http://minimsft.blogspot.com/

  • http://www.krishworld.com Krish

    Hope you are following this
    http://minimsft.blogspot.com/

  • http://www.newdelhitimes.org Gaurav

    Srini – 4 weeks still seems too short a time to me. Back in the days an RI to the VBL took a couple of weeks and another couple of weeks for a check in to reach Main. So by that measure, 4 weeks don’t add to much. But all the same, I have high hopes from Vista. 4 weeks late sure beats having to release a security fix immediately after RTM!
    Krish – yes I follow Mini MSFT blog but I think that it has just become a forum for endless Microsoft bashing. It is hardly helping Microsoft’s cause and presenting a overly gloomy view of Microsoft to the outside world.

  • http://www.newdelhitimes.org Gaurav

    Srini – 4 weeks still seems too short a time to me. Back in the days an RI to the VBL took a couple of weeks and another couple of weeks for a check in to reach Main. So by that measure, 4 weeks don’t add to much. But all the same, I have high hopes from Vista. 4 weeks late sure beats having to release a security fix immediately after RTM!
    Krish – yes I follow Mini MSFT blog but I think that it has just become a forum for endless Microsoft bashing. It is hardly helping Microsoft’s cause and presenting a overly gloomy view of Microsoft to the outside world.

  • Vishnu

    Things move at a very fast pace now…an RI from a VBL does not take “weeks”..instead its hours to reach Main and other VBL’s. Also there are not many breaking changes so things are smooth now.

  • Vishnu

    Things move at a very fast pace now…an RI from a VBL does not take “weeks”..instead its hours to reach Main and other VBL’s. Also there are not many breaking changes so things are smooth now.

  • modicr

    Hello!
    HP asked for Windows Vista delay, says New York Times:
    http://www.tgdaily.com/2006/03/27/hp_asked_for_vista_delay/

  • modicr

    Hello!
    HP asked for Windows Vista delay, says New York Times:
    http://www.tgdaily.com/2006/03/27/hp_asked_for_vista_delay/

  • http://www.newdelhitimes.org Gaurav

    Vishnu – hours to reach Main seems incredible! Looks like you really did an awesome job in the build lab ;)
    The news of HP influencing Vista schedule doesn’t sound unbelievable. But of course, we will know if it was indeed true or not!

  • http://www.newdelhitimes.org Gaurav

    Vishnu – hours to reach Main seems incredible! Looks like you really did an awesome job in the build lab ;)
    The news of HP influencing Vista schedule doesn’t sound unbelievable. But of course, we will know if it was indeed true or not!

  • http://www.twentyonwards.blogs.com Jatin

    I was reading a article about this delay in Business Week. Apparently, despite these delays no one in Msft management has been held accountable/fired. Though, the article said that they’re transferring the heads of Vista development and bringing in the head of Msft Office to run the operation.
    Hope the Vista is really good cuz i am planning to go back to PC from MAC. BUT, only because i want a Tablet PC, MAC OS still beats Windows as far as i am concerned.

  • http://www.twentyonwards.blogs.com Jatin

    I was reading a article about this delay in Business Week. Apparently, despite these delays no one in Msft management has been held accountable/fired. Though, the article said that they’re transferring the heads of Vista development and bringing in the head of Msft Office to run the operation.
    Hope the Vista is really good cuz i am planning to go back to PC from MAC. BUT, only because i want a Tablet PC, MAC OS still beats Windows as far as i am concerned.

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