Speaking as the software was launched in London yesterday, the Green Party claimed that the new system would require more powerful computers to run, forcing “expensive and environmentally damaging” upgrades.
 Microsoft insists “nearly all PCs” will be able to run its new software |
However, speaking to letsrecycle.com last night, software-producing giant Microsoft defended its environmental credentials, arguing that “nearly all” PCs on the market were compatible with Windows Vista. The company also said it was supporting the re-use of old machines through its low-cost licensing scheme for refurbishers.
According to the Green Party, the new program will lead to an “enormous” amount of hardware, including monitors and sound cards, being sent to landfill because they cannot use Blu-Ray or high-definition DVD discs.
It also suggested that the way Microsoft's software “looks around the computer every few milliseconds” to check for viruses meant it would not work on some PCs.
Sian Berry, Green Party female principal speaker, said: “There will be thousands of tonnes of dumped monitors, video cards and whole computers that are perfectly capable of running on Vista – except for the fact that they lack the paranoid lock down mechanisms Vista forces you to use. That's an offensive cost to the environment.”
She added: “Future archaeologists will be able to identify a 'Vista Upgrade Layer' when they go through our landfill sites.”
Microsoft
However, Microsoft responded to the claims by quoting a report from Gartner in 2006 which the company said stated that “nearly all PCs on the market today will run on Windows Vista.”
The software giant said that PCs designated as Windows Vista-ready were “already” on the market from last year, and listed shipping systems from hardware distributor Dell as an example which claimed on its website to run close to 100% of the “core systems” of Windows Vista.
A spokeswoman said: “For users going through the upgrade process, this means more of their existing hardware and devices and applications will work automatically after the upgrade.”
Microsoft added that, for the first time it was offering a downloadable Windows Upgrade Advisor to help consumers determine whether their Windows XP-based PCs could be upgraded to Vista.
Landfill
Matt Lambert, director of government affairs at Microsoft UK, agreed that e-waste was an increasing problem, and that is should not be necessary to enjoy the benefits of technology at the cost of the environment. He said that at present, Microsoft estimated that 55% of old computers were sent to landfill, while 45% were recycled.
Yet he claimed that through its Microsoft Authorised Refurbisher (MAR) and Digital Pipeline (DP) programmes, the company was working to extend the lives of old computers.
He said: “While we are not a PC manufacturer, Microsoft addresses the PC obsolescence issues through its MAR and DP programs. With these programs, we extend the life of older retired computers by offering low cost licenses for Microsoft software so that the computers destined for land-filling can continue to be used. ”
Mr Lambert added that Microsoft would be keen to have the opportunity to meet Sian and other members of the Green party to address their concerns.
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