Several news magazines (ComputerWorld, ZDNet and others) are reporting a news about Microsoft moves in Windows Vista license for virtualization scenarios.
After a private pre-announcement to extend rights to virtualize all Vista editions, Microsoft changed its mind again saying wouldn’t make the change.
So at the end of the day nothing happended: Windows Vista cannot be virtualized if you have Home Basic or Home Premium editions.
This episode and other decisions taken so far reflect inner conflicts about how to execute virtualization strategy, and huge political pressure coming from several Microsoft departments.
Virtualization impacts Redmond giant on at least four critical points: licensing schemes, support policies, anti-piracy technologies and operating system architecture. So focusing on virtualization means reconsider the overall plan and investment made so far in all these areas.