BUSINESSES are avoiding [1, 2] Vista 7 not just because of bugs (many wait for Service Pack) but also because of compatibility issues, which sometimes require buying new hardware and software. Here is the latest such example, courtesy of LifeHacker: "How Microsoft Conspires To Anger Paying Office Customers"

My main reason for writing this post is that Microsoft has managed to conjure up a scenario for new Windows 7 users which makes Outlook all but unusable for Office 2003 users, and which can only be fixed with a bizarre combination of freeware tools, including a Linux boot CD. I spent an inordinate amount of time over the weekend trying to fix the problem on a friend’s new Acer notebook, so I figure it’s worth sharing.

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Fixing the problem is one thing, but the question of why Microsoft wants to force people with perfectly valid software to go through ridiculous hoops on a brand-new system remains. The cynical reaction is to assume that Microsoft would rather you purchased an Office 2007 upgrade, so the company doesn’t care if it wrecks your existing Outlook 2003 install. After all, you’ve already paid for a new copy of Windows 7 (and a new PC) in this case.