The new waiting game Comment Vista is a step forward in security, but many businesses will be stuck with Windows XP for years to come, due to the cost of upgrading, the value of existing assets, and compatibility issues that trump security features. As I write this, Microsoft is launching the consumer version of Vista in New York, apparently with dancers in tights scaling the side of an office building to form a human billboard. It sounds like the highlight of the launch, which reads in many news reports as a real yawner. It's too bad in a way, because Vista's security architecture makes it a much better product. But there aren't too many consumers lined up to buy Vista. I think Vista is a great advancement in safety and security for consumers, but most of those folks don't know what the real differences are. Consumers will just end up with Vista (or perhaps OS X, or even the long shot, Linux) the next time they buy a computer. They'll still need anti-virus, anti-spyware, and all the rest. Consumers who do understand what Vista offers aren't exactly lining up either, because they also know about the heavy hardware requirements, the lack of drivers, no gaming need for DirectX 10 (yet), which is exclusive to Vista, and some of the questionable product activation decisions made by Microsoft. For businesses it's another story. They do know and care about Vista's security improvements. It really is better. It's a big step forward from