Microsoft takes away XP

Today's IT Blogwatch may be the last from Windows XP. Whatever will we do without it? Not to mention cooling cows...

Gregg Keizer answers your FAQ:

Any sign that Microsoft will commute XP's death sentence? Absolutely not. In fact, the only word out of Redmond last week about Windows XP was the open letter to customers from Bill Veghte, the senior vice president who heads the Windows business marketing group, which nailed shut XP's coffin.
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Can I still get an XP PC from one of the name-brand makers? Only if you go the downgrade route. more

RLM says, Don't be dumb:

It makes no sense for consumers to be buying XP on new systems designed to run Vista. By the time those systems are retired they'll be working on a functionally obsolete operating system that's at least ten years old.
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Downgrade to XP on that new machine? Don't be a sucker. If you want a Windows PC get Vista. If you don't like it go to Linux or the Mac. But don't buy XP. more

SJVN says, "Is not":

Mitchell says that "Vista owners can find plenty of resources for hammering Vista into a very usable and customized form." He's right, but how many of you really want to 'hammer' on your PC to get it to be usable? I don't, and I'm the kind of person who does enjoy tinkering endlessly with computers and operating systems. more

RLM has a political reference:

Steven, Steven, Steven. I can understand the frustrations of working with Vista for 16 months. But isn't comparing Vista to a Yugo a *slight* exaggeration? I'm old enough to have seen the Yugo. I've driven a Yugo. Vista is no Yugo. Here's a better analogy: Running XP on state of the art PC hardware is like putting a Model T engine in a Ferrari. more

Eric is the eternal optimist:

Last Friday, we FedEx'd the Save Windows XP petition to Steve Ballmer. I have to say that sliding the memory stick into the envelope was an emotional experience: Over 210,000 users have made their voices heard to the world's largest software corporation. I think there's still a slim chance that Microsoft will change its mind about making XP available after today, particularly if we get more major media pickup and another wave of signatures today. more

Travis, the realist, says:

Of course, you could always sign a petition, but really, what good will that do? The demise of XP is one that is long overdue and despite what the Windows faithful may think, there's other options out there. Apple's OS X has proved itself as a worthy contender and Linux is always waiting in the wings as a solid choice. And let's not forget about Vista. more

Mary Jo is movin' on:

June 30 is the day that Microsoft begins phasing out Windows XP by no longer providing copies of the operating system to PC makers and retailers for preloading on new machines. It’s also a good day (thanks to a recent New York Times opinion piece) to start looking ahead to what comes next — after Windows. more

Nick is counting the coders:

But instead of moving on to Windows Vista, large corporate clients like General Motors intend to purchase Vista-loaded computers and "downgrade" them to XP. Meanwhile, only 8 percent of all software developers are working on applications for Vista, while 49 percent continue to develop for XP. more

John sees a pattern:

Microsoft (MSFT) has extended the availability of Windows XP nearly as many times as it has extended the ship dates of Windows Vista and Office 2007. The company had planned to cut off XP sales through the retail and original equipment manufacturer channels on Jan. 30, 2008, one year after Vista’s debut. But the poor reception given the new OS and “feedback” from XP advocates gave it pause to reconsider. So Microsoft adjusted the deadline to June 30. more

And finally...

• what we used to believe

Buffer overflow:

• Esther Schindler: Why Are We Still Using Business Cards?
• Mitchell Ashley: A Weekend With Hyper-V
• LewisC, ITtoolbox: Who's Who In Cloud Databases
• 9to5 Mac: 10.5.4 Leopard update brings fixes, prepares for MobileMe
• Techdirt: eBay Has To Pay $63m Because A French Court Doesn't Know A Platform From A User
• Data Center Knowledge: Data Center Knowledge
• Feld Thoughts: The Emergence of Defensive Patent Commons

Other Computerworld bloggers:

• Mike Barton: Mixx gets blend right with Communities
• Martin 'MC' Brown: Power to N Ratio
• Ken Gagne: The day the 2D died
• Mike Elgan: Why California's new cell phone law fails the logic test
• Robert L. Mitchell: Anything-but-Vista arguments are irrational
• Mark Hall: End IT's data deficit
• Shark Tank: Y2k+8.5 -- and counting
• Douglas Schweitzer: Blocking those Internet ads
• Shark Bait: Power Outage

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CW Blogs editor Joyce Carpenter typed up today's post on XP. Regular Blogwatcher, Richi Jennings, will be back tomorrow. Will he have Vista?

Previously in IT Blogwatch:

• E-mail giving way to Web 2.0
• ICANN starts domain name free-for-all
• Intel hates Vista