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Does your application run on Windows Vista?

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Last week I blogged about "How Adobe Products (Not) Support Windows Vista". I posted this because I had some trouble installing an older version of Acrobat Reader on Windows Vista. But after a quick search I found out about this .pdf file where you can check if you're Adobe software is going to run on Windows Vista. Adobe posted some thoughts in the comments section of the post.

[Via Bink.nu] A couple of days after my blog post, Microsoft released a list of applications that have earned the "Certified for Windows Vista" logo or the "Works with Windows Vista" logo. These applications are officially supported on Windows Vista by our independent software vendor (ISV) partners.

The "Certified for Windows Vista" logo is a compatibility designation for applications and devices that have passed a rigorous testing program on computers that are running Windows Vista. The technical requirements for this designation target four core areas: reliability, security, compatibility with Windows Vista and future operating systems, and installation and removal.

The "Works with Windows Vista" logo is a compatibility designation that is designed to encourage Windows Vista compatibility for the current generation of Windows-based applications. To receive this designation, software companies test their applications to make sure that the applications meet the program's guidelines.

Interesting enough none of the applications of the big software houses like IBM, Adobe Systems, SAP or Apple have an application officially working on Windows Vista. At least not according to the logo programs listed above. I'm wondering if they are still in the progress of certification or if it's a strategic decision not to support Microsoft's new OS. It's true that Microsoft is competing with Adobe on the desktop. XPS, the new reader applications and the Expression Tools are some examples of this competition. Microsoft and Apple are competing on a number of fronts.

But Google and Microsoft are also competing. A couple of well-known examples are Google Docs & Spreadsheets. These are directly competing with Microsoft 2007 Office system on the desktop; search and gadgets from Google Desktop are competing with Windows Vista gadgets and Microsoft search strategy; etc. However Google has 3 applications (Google Toolbar for Internet Explorer, Google Desktop and Google Updater) that have earned the "Works with Windows Vista" logo.

As I said before, I don't know if the other SW vendors do plan to support Windows Vista. Therefore I would advice to check this list regularly as it will be updated weekly. But in the end if they decide not to the choice for the consumer will be far more limited. Even with the worst case scenario of Windows Vista adoption this decision will have a significant impact.

Take a look at your Windows XP machine and compare the software installed to this list. However do also keep in my that some ISVs can decide to support Windows Vista through Service Packs but are not (yet) on the list. A good example is one of my preferred software packages on the TabletPC Mindmanager. It has now support for 2007 Office System and Windows Vista after installing the MindManager 6 SP2a Release for build 6.2.399.

Are you ready - or better - is your software ready for moving to Windows Vista? If not advice your vendor to do so ...

Technorati tags: Certfied for Windows Vista, Works with Windows Vista, software for Windows Vista, Mindmanager SP2a

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