Top 10 software stories of the year

With the arrival of Microsoft's long awaited Windows Vista operating system and Apple's Leopard, 2007 was a big year for launches.

As well as Apple and Microsoft, other major industry players such as Oracle and SAP, were busy with acquisitions and new product launches.

And, ironically, with several big OS launches in 2007, the issue of naked PCs (those without a pre-installed OS) and open source software were hot topics.

Here's the top 10 software stories of 2007:

1. Naked PCs: The naked truth
Following a European think tank's recommendation that PCs should be sold without a pre-installed OS, silicon.com readers made their point on so-called 'naked PCs'.

The general consensus was the average PC user wouldn't be interested in or capable of understanding how their computers work, meaning a pre-installed OS is a must.

But not everyone was happy with the Windows-dominated status quo, which some said has reduced the ability of consumers to make an informed choice.

Agenda Setters 2007

Find out who made this year's Agenda Setters list of the top technology movers and shakers.

If you disagree with our list then on each of the 50 individual biographies you'll find voting buttons to allow you to rank the personality in questions as well as in depth analysis and a list of long-running achievers.

2. Poll: Vista gets vote of no confidence
A year after Microsoft's Windows Vista was launched, a silicon.com poll found that almost two-thirds of readers said their company has no plans to ever migrate to the new OS.

Vista also lost out in a battle of the operating systems with another silicon.com poll suggesting not only do people prefer Vista's predecessor XP, but also Apple's OS X and Linux, over Microsoft's latest OS.

3. Five questions to ask before moving to Vista
But for those thinking about taking the plunge with Vista, silicon.com suggested five questions people should ask before committing to Microsoft's new OS.

Compatibility was one of the main themes that emerged, as was how companies should go about migration - a task that needs extensive planning and a lot of hard work.

4. Leopard users get 'blue screen of death'
The other big OS release of the year was Apple's Mac OS X Leopard which experienced some teething troubles after its launch in October. Early users found they suffered from the dreaded "blue screen" error when trying to install the OS on their computers.

Apple quickly posted a fix for the problem on its support website but the issue was the top search term on the site as users encountered the problem.

And according to silicon.com columnist, Seb Janacek, the problems significantly damaged Apple's image and credibility.

5. Photos: Microsoft Surface in depth
As well as Vista, Microsoft also had high hopes for its Surface technology which it showed off to silicon.com in October.

Currently in the form of a table-like device, Surface uses touchscreen technology in some interesting and innovative ways - from using a real paint brush to create art, to paying for your evening meal simply by putting your card on the table.

Microsoft is currently trialling the tech in the US and hopes to roll it out further in 2008.

6. Dell CEO: Linux server sales increasing
Reflecting the growing number of software options, Dell's CEO, Michael Dell, said in October that sales of the company's Linux-based servers have increased faster than those with Microsoft's Windows server systems.

This was despite claims made by Microsoft in May that Linux and open source software violates 230 of its software patents.

Dell said there are "certainly mechanisms if customers are concerned about patents" should these claims come to anything.

7. UK 'a closed shop for open source'
Sticking with open source, industry experts expressed concerns that the UK public sector is failing to make proper use of the software, with more work "being done in Guatemala" according to one Linux developer.

The problem was blamed on the government and civil servants being averse to risk, while a software vendor CEO said there isn't an open market for open source software in the UK.

8. Cheat Sheet: Social networking
In a year where social networking continued its inexorable rise, silicon.com decided it was time to look at how businesses could take advantage of the ubiquitous web 2.0 phenomenon.

And as our cheat sheet explains, there are quite a few uses - from marketing to networking tools and from generating new business to virtual worlds.

9. Businesses cool on software as a service
Software as a service (SaaS) was a hot topic in 2007 with businesses increasingly wondering whether it's something they need to get involved with.

Despite the hype, silicon.com's CIO jury concluded that SaaS remains a low priority for businesses.

But with another big vendor in the shape of SAP unveiling its range of business management apps in September it seems SaaS is will continue to be on the agenda in 2008.

10. Oracle users demand better support
The UK Oracle User Group said there is room for improvement in Oracle's product support with users grumbling about new call centres in Egypt and complex product support departments.

The chairman of the UK Oracle User Group, Ronan Miles, told silicon.com some of this is down to the flurry of acquisitions made by Oracle - which, in 2007, included Agile and Hyperion as well as the bid for BEA.