Comments on: Microsoft extends Windows XP's stay

Customers, not quite ready for Vista, persuade the company to allow PC makers to keep selling XP for an additional five months.

[ppgreat]

High Rejection Rate

This isn't an argument of Linux and Mac OS (although these are
your only real alternatives at this time), this is a comparison of
Windows XP vs. Vista.

Windows users are not jumping on the Vista bandwagon.

Windows OEMs are asking not to have to load Vista.

Windows OEM presidents are making public derogatoy
statements against Vista.

Windows users and competent IT people should be exploring
alternatives as part of their long term due diligence as their
upgrade cycles approach.

And that isn't fanboy talk. That's business. (Let me qualify that?
it's smart business.)

[Blulady]

Tech in the Field

My customers are at home businesses and home users. They do not have the inclination to go to Vista. If I switch my own software to Vista, I can't get a clear view on their software structure.

There are still people out there using Windows 98!
And ME!

I don't understand why Microsoft would want to actually DISCONTINUE Windows the way they are saying. It would be unfair to people who are already up and going on Windows. They should leave the program in place because the reason my customers won't switch is they don't trust Microsoft anymore.

They screwed up Windows with their upgrades so many times and so many people have lost data and have paid to recover from crashes that Microsoft never reinbursed. You see, Microsoft USES THE GENERAL PUBLIC as their laboratory. It's cheaper than having an R&D department.

Nobody wants Vista until it's been out there about 2 years and the kinks have been worked out.

That's what I am running into.

[ps2goat]

Poor customer service.

What I don't understand is why Microsoft doesn't know why we love XP.

If they only knew that "5 months more shelf life" really translates into "5 months more to buy the OS that's compatible with most everything, and if you have to buy a computer in 6 months your SOL," maybe they would understand.

The auto industry doesn't say "Get the hell out of your car, it's time to buy a new one." Instead, another market came forward and parts are generally available to fix up cars for 25 years or more.

What Microsoft *needs* to do is release the OS to the open source community after they abandon making profits on it. Sure, it may expose patented technology, but it isn't like they're using anything that works in Vista.

[Sumatra-Bosch]

When Will MSFT Start Disabling XP Through Windows Update ?

It's only a matter of time until Ballmer and the wrecking crew get restless and decide they have to mug the customers again. Easy to imagine waking up one morning and announcing, "Sell Vista! Make XP go bye-bye! Bye-bye!" and issuing an order to organize a forced migration plan through Windows Update. MSFT will use the security rationale, of course, like a mobster pistol-whipping a donut store owner for a little "protection premium" to make sure the business stays safe. . . Who knows. Maybe Ballmer already gave the order and is in a conference room right now, chuckling to himself, gnawing on the edge of a conference table, his eyes darting around the room wildly like a crazed hyena waiting for something to die so he can again feast.

[pstevek]

Mac OS X : The Way Forward

Same Here Mac Tiger is the way forward cant wait for Leopard !

[ramudd]

When they stop XP

When they stop supporting XP I will keep on using it and will never switch to Vista. It (Vista) sucks and I have XP finally working well. When that is over, I guess I will have to switch operating systems and try something else, but NEVER Vista. Microsoft has a long way to go to get Vista to work right and as well as XP.

[gsmiller88]

Oh yes Microsoft, it's strong...

I don't know a single person who has bought a new computer with
Vista and likes it more than they did XP. I even had one friend who,
until this month, was using Windows 95 and even preferred IT over
Vista! Another friend was going to buy a Mac but now isn't going
to now because someone told her "they suck." This is a girl who
has no luck with anything mechanical or technical, so how would
another sucky computer be any different from her current PC?
When she upgrades to Vista all I can say is "I told ya so!" and walk
away.

[pilaa]

Your Friend is not too bright...

Especially if she takes someone elses word for how good or how bad a Mac is instead of going to the Apple store and finding out for herself. I converted all my machines in my office to Mac and have never looked back. They are far and away the easiest computers to use and do not have the virus worries that Windows users have to deal with on a regular basis.

[Sumatra-Bosch]

Vista: The Larry Craig of Operating Systems

An embarrassment that people wish would go away.

[R.Jefferson]

Wheres the partisans and leftcoasters

to attack you for your gay slur. But since it involves a dig at a convservative it is perfectly acceptable to use gay slurs.

[chuck0052]

Windows XP

This always is going to be a problem with MS OS
I think that we would all be better off if we switched to Lindspire.
MS is going to always be in our pockets.
It would be nice if we all could break free of this strong hold that MS has on us.
We are being forced to upgrade and give MS more $$$ Will it ever end?

[conchchowder]

They finally got something right and then killed it

I've just re-installed my free evaluation copy of XP x64 for the third time. Can't beat free and legal and it has yet to give me a BSOD, I have had one adware get in (Spybot SD free)..no viruses (I use Avast!...also free). Ihave no Idea why Windows wont leave x64 alone. It is an unsung Microsoft victory and they refuse to blow their own horn...in fact, they are killing the bugler.

[CyberWoLfman]

Micro$haft's failures.

Windows has never seemed stable. Even in the old 3.1 days they'd have the white rectangular box come up. Then, they'd do the BSOD (Blue Screen Of Death). To those new users of micro$haft's operating systems who've not experienced it, it's when you'd get your entire screen filed with a blue background and an error message in white text. In the late 1990's, I went to the Windows98 extreme live show they had in movie theaters. During it, they were going to boot up a computer with windows95 on it and one running the (then) new windows98. It crashed on boot-up. LOL

A lot of people I know won't buy one of micro$haft's operating systems until they release the first service pack. Many of them are installing one flavor or another of Linux, instead, getting set up with them at Linux install parties. Frankly, I don't blame them. Been fed up with micro$haft's products for some time, now. Even have a fake bill gates roasting on a spit in my 3D world in the underground bar: cyberwolfman.com/thisisit_bill_gates.jpg (not a real commercial site, not a single ad on any page, just my personal site.)

On the wall to the left that's left out of the picture, is a large penguin that some will recognize, watching over the 'meat'. ;-)

Better to find harmless ways of dealing with your frustrations than the alternative . . .

- Cyberwolfman

[ghostridermn1]

Windows: It just (Barely) works Vs Linux (getting better)

There are many very valid points for why there are so many end users and apps on M$ Windows machines, many and mainly because the the M$ advertising departments are paying OEMs HUGE money to stay alive, and why many of the tier 1 OEMS like Dell, Lenovo, down to the still barely staying alive Gateway. Software companies design apps for M$ because it has the greatest market share, even though it just (Barely) works,and is(just barely) good enough. M$ does what it wants because of its own bottom line. M$ and its "True Windows Advantage" allows it to control what it's users do, including i suspect a way to break previously working programs so that users will either have to pay for support or for creating a way to necessitate users to have to be coerced/forced in 'upgrading' to Vista. Vista and Windows Media Player 11 with their heavy DRM integration, just like Apple with all their i-'whatever' technology is done to force people using their products to be forced further/coerced to using exclusively their own services and other i-Apple products, like iPhone with iTunes and iPod to exclusively use iTunes. These companies are all exclusively about their own bottom line, and which they have learned over the years that in their minds, it is a VERY bad business idea to let people/customers make up their own minds, so must be led to where M$ and Apple wants them to go. Companies like Linspire (Linspire& FreeSpire)and Redhat (RHEL)and Novell through its SuSE Linux (SLED & SLES) or Canonical (Ubuntu/Kubuntu/Xubuntu offer support, but don't force people to stay with them. The ROI for a change from Win XP to a linux platform is comparable to XP to Vista in terms of retraining office personnel or even home customers. Some linux brands like Linspire or which can be configured to an appearance very similar to XP, but without the coercion and forced upgrades, that M$ and Apple believe in. Most users are business users, so use only just email and browser and an office productivity suite for 95% of their computer needs. 90% of market is window$ BECAUSE of the fact that M$ pays Tier1 OEMs to install and recommend latest MS flagship OS on new machines. Linux software does all that windows does, though many argue that its not as polished yet. In the past 7 years M$ has come to change its thinking from linux of being a fad to a genuine threat to itself and its bottom line making them to use unsubstantiated threats (Fear,Uncertainty,Doubt -"FUD") of supposedly linux infringing on its own patents but Micro$haft is the king of patent infringement on others-43 examples over past 10 yrs. M$ will never show its proof of linux infringing on Windows OS because not only is there none, but there is more profit for itself to just threaten it, and let CEO execs of companies run from the potential threat of M$ legal dept. gorillas coming after them instead of adopting linux. Something to think about.

[ncftech]

And in the same breath...

they talk about Vista sales????? Vista, a.k.a ME 2.0, is so terribly bad, it is almost unreal. It is an absolute Joke, except not being real funny to the consumers. I will stay with XP until Linux and/or OS X finally get their acts together. Please hurry, do not let M$ unleash another disaster upon society....

[fred dunn]

Agree...

MS released what is now commonly referred to as a second generation Windows ME or even MS Bob.

They really need to do the same thing they did with ME, get a decent follow-up version out.

As an IT Analyst that supports >5000 Windows systems and has been testing Vista Enterprise I will not recommend a migration. Rather I recommended we stay with XP SP2-SP3(when it's out) until Windows 7 is released and hope they don't screw it up as badly as Vista is.

[papasquee]

XP OVER VISTA

I tried the BETA version of VISTA when it was offered to me by MS......many of my existing (and expensive)programs would not work with VISTA. I have no intention of discarding or replacing my current collection of software.
Unless Microsoft made VISTA 100% compatible with XP and Win98 programs, I will NEVER purchase it!!

[Alanaielentari]

I love my XP!
I have used Vista, but I missed the beauty of XP.
B. Love

[idamomma]

I am just a 53 year old woman that loves her comp! I am on it everyday doing more than games. I HATE VISTA!
Thank u very much...I feel better now.....