According to this story, there’s no direct upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7.  Given all the stories of people “downgrading” from Vista to XP, or not upgrading at all, it seemed obvious to me that Microsoft should make upgrading as smooth as possible.  Instead, XP users will have to backup data, re-install programs, and restore data.

Having used the Windows 7 beta on a spare laptop for awhile, I can say it’s a distinct improvement over Vista.  It’s just a shame that Microsoft has decided to make the upgrade experience more difficult for XP users.