[Offtopic] Windows XP versus Vista

[stephen at melbpc.org.au]

Why XP must be saved: The costs are too high and the benefits too low to 
be forced to switch to Vista

By Galen Gruman January 14, 2008   
<http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/01/14/02FE-why-save-xp_1.html>

The clock is ticking: Microsoft will end OEM and shrink-wrapped sales of 
Windows XP on June 30, 2008, forcing users to shift to Vista. (System 
builders, meaning those who do white-box PCs, can sell XP through December 
31.) Don't let that happen! 

Millions of us have grown comfortable with XP and don't see a need to 
change to Vista. It's like having a comfortable apartment that you've 
enjoyed coming home to for years, only to get an eviction notice. The 
thought of moving to a new place -- even with the stainless steel 
appliances, granite countertops, and maple cabinets (or is cherry in this 
year?) -- just doesn't sit right. Maybe it'll be more modern, but it will 
also cost more and likely not be as good a fit. And you don't have any 
other reason to move. That's exactly the conclusion people have come to 
with Vista. For most of us, there's really no reason to move to it -- yet 
we don't have a choice. When that strong desire to stick with XP became 
obvious in spring 2007, major computer makers such as Dell and Hewlett-
Packard quietly reintroduced new XP-based systems (but just to business 
customers, so as not to offend Microsoft). 

But come June 30, even that option goes away. (See InfoWorld's live XP 
countdown clock. To use this clock on your own Web site, please e-mail 
Executive Editor Galen Gruman for the code snippet.) 

So what to do? Let Microsoft decide where your personal and enterprise 
software "lives"? Or send a loud and clear message that you don't want to 
move? 

We're going for the loud-and-clear option. Join us, and tell Microsoft 
that you want to keep XP available indefinitely. Not for another six 
months or a year, but indefinitely. Sign InfoWorld's petition today. And 
consider submitting a "Save XP" video to our site to help spread the word. 

And ask your friends and colleagues to join in, too. Just point them to 
<http://www.SaveXP.com>

Don't think Microsoft will listen? Consider this: Although Microsoft 
denies that anything is wrong with Vista or that most people don't want 
it, the company has already postponed XP's demise by six months. That's a 
start, but it's not good enough. 

Microsoft doesn't have to admit failure; it can just say it will keep XP 
available indefinitely due to customer demand. It can take that 
opportunity to try again with a better Vista, or just move on to the next 
version that maybe this time we'll all actually want. 

There is a precedent for that, too: In many respects, Vista is like the 
Windows Millennium Edition that was meant to replace Windows 98 in 2000 
but caused more trouble than it was worth. At that time, Windows 2000 was 
promising but didn't support a lot of hardware, so users were stuck 
between two bad choices. Without admitting Millennium's failure, Microsoft 
quietly put Windows 98 back on the market until the fixed version of 
Windows 2000 (SP1) was available. Microsoft needs to do something like 
that again today. 

Make your voice heard to Microsoft. Sign our petition to save XP today. We 
will present it to Microsoft.

For more on why Vista isn't the right replacement for XP, check out 
InfoWorld's analyses:

The (post-SP1) Vista verdict: Wait for Windows 7

Randall Kennedy's assessment is that for the vast majority of enterprise 
IT shops, Vista is not -- and likely never will be -- the right choice for 
their immediate desktop computing needs. 

Service pack vs. service pack: XP SP3 beats Vista SP1
According to tests by Devil Mountain Software comparing the release 
candidates for the last Windows XP service pack and the first Vista 
service pack, XP SP3 performs twice as fast as Vista SP1 on the same 
machine -- and slower than the initial release of the Vista OS as well. 

Businesses having second thoughts about Vista
Fewer businesses are now planning to move to Windows Vista than seven 
months ago, according to a survey by patch management vendor PatchLink. 

Forrester: Businesses still saying no to Vista
An anticipated rush by businesses to adopt Windows Vista hasn't 
materialized as IT managers stick with familiar systems and wait for the 
release of Vista Service Pack 1. 

Microsoft: Vista follow-up likely in 2009
With Vista just out the door, Microsoft is now drawing up plans to deliver 
its follow-up client operating system by the end of 2009. 

Farewell Vista, hello XP
>From PCWorld.com: How to make the switch back and deal with the gnarly 
problem of transferring your Vista e-mail, contacts, and user data back to 
the old standby operating system. 

HP CEO: Vista never had its moment in 2007
>From CIO.com: Wondering what's happened to momentum for Microsoft's Vista 
operating system in corporate America? Fact is, enterprise IT has 
continued to decline the Vista plate like it's an undercooked holiday 
casserole. Listen to what Hewlett-Packard CEO Mark Hurd said: HP never saw 
a "Vista moment at any time over the past year." 

UK government report: Don’t upgrade to Vista
Report warns British schools not to upgrade to Microsoft's Vista OS and 
Office 2007 suite, and to avoid Microsoft's OOXML document format because 
of compatibility concerns. Galen Gruman is executive editor of InfoWorld. 
--

Cheers people
Stephen Loosley
Victoria, Australia