Joseph Hinkle at MyITForum.com

The official title is "Unfogging the future - Making Windows Vista application compatiblity, testing, mitigation, and packaging more predeictable with effective project management"

Presented by Chris Jackson and Jeremy Chapman

http://blogs.msdn.com/cjacks

• What is the end result? You are testing all applications at once. This is an opportunity to fix things. Get better at testing. Take notes so testing can be reproduced.
• Two things are usually changed: Testing procedures and lack of documentation
• Coordinated deployment: communicate so that testing is identical to production. Make sure corporate group policy matches testing.
• Application Compatibility Toolkit 5.0 for application data, can use SMS, but some detail is not discovered
• ACT data collection - deploy agent then have it capture inventory and other data
• ACT is made to run in a production environment, so it is at a high level. It is not a low level diagnostic.
• Inventory checklist: OS Version, Service Pack Level, etc. Want to capture where it is and what is it used for.
• Make deployment role-based so structured roles can be done quickly.
• Must have an agent to collect data.
• ACT can not import SMS data at this point. They're working on it.
• The MSI to install the agent disappears quickly. Don't use it for inventory.
• Objective 1: The list - get a list of applications.
  • Define standards and conflict resolution rules.
  • Find all of the application stakeholders.
  • Prioritize applications.
  • Identify dependencies.
  • Sharepoint Services site can help share the data.
  
  
• Analysis best practices
  • Define objective standards
  • Define categories that are business goal-oriented
  • Keep task of who is assigned to categorization
  • Accept that some things won't change
  • Filter the dupes and other unneeded data
  
  
• http://www.appreadiness.com for third-party software.
• Objective 2: The Real List
  • Testing - Can you do all of the work for me?
  • Build a test environment - can be pilot machines, labs, terminal services
  • Define mitigation strategy
  • Test and remediate - SME defines strategy and does test, store test library, automate
  • Leverage partners for investigation
  • Don't test what you're not going to fix
  • Give the user a "buddy" who will work with them through the process
  • Repackage
  
  
• Remediation
  • Acquire updated versions
  • Manage shims if using them to fix without changing code
  
  
• Objective 3: The Completed List
  • Goal is zero-touch
  • Repackage applications - make sure you are ready for a silent install
  • Integrate core applications into the standard OS image - if it is on all desktops
  • Test application installation - Test and retest
  • Test all roles and combinations of applications
  
  
• Train your users
• Things to remember
  • Microsoft is making big progress is app compatibility.
  • Application compatibility is not trivial. Be prepared.
  • Help can be found in Application Compatibility Toolkit and Microsoft Deployment Toolkit
  
  
• Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit for hardware compatibility
• http://www.technet.com/appcompat