Windows XP to be phased out by year's end

[wilbertnl]

Computer makers have been told they'll no longer be able to get Windows XP OEM by the end of this year, despite consumer resistance to Vista and its compatibility problems.

Windows XP to be phased out by year's end despite customer demand

[chrome_sturmen]

thanks for that article wil, enjoyed the read- this is why i'm glad firstdefense now allows other bootloaders to control the mbr, so i can easily boot into (and thereby gradually learn) linux...

[Mrkvonic]

Hello,
You just need to buy it once...
And Linux is the right way to go...
Mrk

[ErikAlbert]

If average users, don't want to buy winVISTA, than you have to force them to buy winVISTA. This is abuse of power. Period.
Nothing changed since the Dark Ages, in those days the king told the slaves what to do.

[mercurie]

Originally Posted by ErikAlbert

If average users, don't want to buy winVISTA, than you have to force them to buy winVISTA. This is abuse of power. Period.
Nothing changed since the Dark Ages, in those days the king told the slaves what to do.

Here Here (clap clap).

However, consumers can and will turn into rebels. You can not ram a product down their throats even if you have a monopoly. The market will win out if there is an alternative of any size, even the smallest company. There is also government forces at work. They will not allow you to stop alternatives by what ever means the monopoly has. A good example is the EU. It is all over Micro$$.

Micro$$ fly right or your days are numbered. You are not so powerful that you can not fall.

[wilbertnl]

At first I thought that this is a good reason for 'build it yourself' systems without OEM OS, but...
At some point they probably disable the activation service for Windows XP.
Legitimate users of Windows XP are going to be locked out.

[Rico]

Hi Guys,

Seems a little unfair, should M$ still make, support, & offer as an OEM Windows98? M$ is making a business decision, that they deem best. You always have the right to vote with your $. Should enough, end users feel as you do, M$ dominance will diminish.

Take Care
Rico

[wilbertnl]

Audio CD's were introduced in 1982, but today I can still purchase a turn table.
With cable and satellite available, I'm still able to use an antenna.
Why is freedom of choice unfair?

[ThunderZ]

Maybe OT....maybe not. Little has been said about Bill Gates having retired from MS. Anyone, besides me, find the timing of it a little strange?
ThunderZ adding another layer of tin foil to his hat

[lodore]

well hopefullly vista will be compatible enough by then. if not alot of people will be really annoyed by MS.
will that force the prices of vista down thou?
if vista will be cheaper and have SP1 out by then it might not be to bad to get a new pc with vista.
lodore

[Rico]

Hi Guys

Turntables & antennas are orphan type products, in that they strive to serve a small market. M$'s OS is trying to appeal to everyone. Or trying to be ubiquitous! You can't please everyone all the time, in doing so flaws, become evident. Dis-satisfied individuals will exploit the dominate players, flaws. Free markets in action.

Take Care
Rico

PS I have a turntable & an antenna on my roof

[Firecat]

Originally Posted by ThunderZ

Maybe OT....maybe not. Little has been said about Bill Gates having retired from MS. Anyone, besides me, find the timing of it a little strange?
ThunderZ adding another layer of tin foil to his hat

He'll be around till the successor to Vista releases. So until then, good bye older OS

[ThunderZ]

Originally Posted by Rico

PS I have a turntable & an antenna on my roof

I know why you have an antenna on your roof, but why on earth would you have a turntable up there too?

[ThunderZ]

Originally Posted by Firecat

He'll be around till the successor to Vista releases. So until then, good bye older OS

According to this MS article that may not be very far from the truth.

[Rock Smasher]

I've been running the original install of XP
since I built this system back in 2003 but
I WILL NOT be "upgrading" to "Vista".

I've been playing with various flavors of "LINUX"
and will more than likely be going with
"PCLINUXOS".

BELIEVE IT!

[Mrkvonic]

Hello,

Windows XP sales might be phased out... but the official support goes till 2014, so there's plenty of time for heathens to switch to Linux ...

On a side note, XP and Vista are far more compatible than 98 and XP were, meaning that the level of suffering people experienced when they started cutting down on 98 is greater than users of the XP will experience in regard to Vista.

What more, a lot has changed in the open-source world in the last 6-7 years. It's so much friendlier and more appealing.

Mrk

I completely concur and agree with all your sentiments, and maybe even more so then most. Herablist, like me even to this day and age of XP still remains steadfast to Win98SE irregardless of $M foolish and unwise business decision to run away from them instead of revisiting them with a full upgrade those customers really deserved. Yes, XP is an improvement in many respects over those O/S's but not so much in security as they would have us to believe. Case in point: System Safety Monitor for one outstanding example which supports the 98/Me platform to this very day. They have pioneered securing 98's when all microsoft did was high tail it and run away from them like a plague, and a plague of their own doing, not malware authors.

Microsoft had so very much to gain in reputation and grand loyal support had they rewrote 98/Me again with many suggested improvements brought to their attention worldwide, even after XP's release. That could have proven that they were indeed a technology leader in this field, instead of a buy it now, forget it soon type of mediocre company everyone views them as today.
How do you simply turn away from the very products & customers that made you so favorable in the first place as well as established both your revenue base and reputation at the start like they have done? What great loss of market would recreating 98/Me have done right after releasing XP?

I would give my hard earned dollars to attend but a single dinner with some of those influential $M executives just to measure their response to this simple little question of concern.

To run head-long into Longhorn/Vista without first addressing those most reasonable of concerns has left only a void of unfinished business to linger in those customers mind and an even bigger gap between an asset of trust easily for them exchanged for betrayal, and that same void is ever present with users of Vista & most have finally come to realize that, except the ones who,ve have the power to redeem that virtue. Now there folks is a true business model for all others to be measure by.

In short, XP rules! Hello Linux! and Lavasoft surely has positions available for those type board members to carry on their deaf-ear agendas.

[Peter2150]

Originally Posted by wilbertnl

At first I thought that this is a good reason for 'build it yourself' systems without OEM OS, but...
At some point they probably disable the activation service for Windows XP.
Legitimate users of Windows XP are going to be locked out.

They may have a hard time doing that. They are supporting XP for several more years(forgot the date) and while they support it they don't dare stop activation for reinstalls, etc.

Besides this is a clever plan really. Make OEM's put Vista on the machines, and then people will have to find and buy retail copies of XP. More money both ways.

[wilbertnl]

Maybe what bothers me the most is the impact of Microsoft's policy.
In fact they use the power to demand computer manufacturers to meet their minimum Vista requirements.
Apple has a limiting policy too, but as I understand it, Apple systems based on OS X work without flaws.

And speaking of Apple, I got a ancient Mac SE/30. I was surprised to find out that System 7.5.x is a FREE DOWNLOAD from apple.com!
Are you reading, Bill Gates?

[Pedro]

wilbertnl: i suppose that's the manufacturers fault for not looking for alternatives. Being multiplatform, means not so dependant on one supplier (who has THE bargaining power).
This is a predictable move by a monopolist. Sheep follow me.

[lucas1985]

Originally Posted by Pedro

i suppose that's the manufacturers fault for not looking for alternatives.

"cough" Advertising dollars "cough"
Also, don't forget about the costs of building a dedicated support team for alternative OSes. Apparently, Dell will outsource the support to the community of the chosen Linux flavour.

[Pedro]

Originally Posted by lucas1985

"cough" Advertising dollars "cough"
Also, don't forget about the costs of building a dedicated support team for alternative OSes. Apparently, Dell will outsource the support to the community of the chosen Linux flavour.

Re-think that. Read Michael Porter and the five competitive forces model.
Microsoft rules the market, that can't be good in the long run for the manufacturers. Those costs should not be regarded as only costs. They are investments.

[lucas1985]

Originally Posted by Pedro

Those costs should not be regarded as only costs. They are investments.

I agree with you. But hardware guys don't see beyond their nose
A classical example: IBM boycotting its own OS (OS/2) in favour of Microsoft's OS.

[mercurie]

Originally Posted by wilbertnl

Audio CD's were introduced in 1982, but today I can still purchase a turn table.
With cable and satellite available, I'm still able to use an antenna.
Why is freedom of choice unfair?

Ah yes the Turntable. I have an old direct drive Sanyo that works great. No activation code required.

[twl845]

Coincidently, a friend of mine had his Windows 98 computer implode on him yesterday. He went to a private dealer locally and bought a DELL today, and the dealer talked him into buying one with XP rather than Vista, because most of the files from his Win 98 computer are compatible with XP, and the dealer even moved everything over into his new computer free. If he had bought a computer with Vista he would have lost all his Win98 stuff.