Lucid
InfoWorld has been running a “Save Windows XP” petition campaign for a little while now. Judging by the date of the oldest posts (January 14th?), looks like they’ve been running it since the beginning of the year. In that time they’ve gathered over 84,000 signatures for their petition. That’s a staggering number.
A recent Computerworld AU article noted that “a survey of 961 IT professionals conducted by King Research found 90 per cent of respondents had concerns about migrating to Vista”. What’s interesting is that 44% said they would consider non-Windows operating systems to avoid potential problems, with ease of virtualization being a factor as well.
So what’s Microsoft’s response to the “Save Windows XP” petition?
“We’re aware of it, but are listening first and foremost to feedback we hear from partners and customers about what makes sense based on their needs. That’s what informed our decision to extend the availability of XP initially, and what will continue to guide us.”
Soooo….does that mean you’re gonna listen to the 84,000 customers who want to continue using Windows XP?
“Therefore OEMs will continue to sell XP through June 30th 2008 and system builders will be able to sell XP through January 2009 as they cater to the small business markets. In emerging markets where XP Starter Edition is sold, it will still be available through June 30th, 2010.”
Ok, let me get this straight. System builders will be able to sell XP till the end of the year…but they’re not the same as OEMs….so what version of XP will they be selling? Is there a special “system builder” version of XP I’m not aware of? My guess is that they’re referring to the standard retail versions of XP and they’re allowing system builders to sell through them in a time when retailers can’t.
Problem is that it’s not just the system builders who are complaining. Most companies, including many small businesses, buy their computers from OEMs. So what Microsoft is saying is that they’re not changing the June 30th cutoff for these businesses, the very customers who need “a little more time” to migrate to Vista. Remember, Vista has only been out for a year now. Most businesses follow a 2-2 1/2 year cycle for software migrations in relation to their business continuity. For Microsoft to say that businesses only have a year and a half to migrate is insane!
Meanwhile, you got Steve Ballmer thinking that aquiring Yahoo! is a grand idea and Bill Gates saying, “Screw you guys! I’m goin’ home!”. Microsoft is lucid…they’re just not the same company anymore!
February 11th, 2008 at 8:03 am
I don’t know if they are doing Vista & XP the same disc wise, but I purchased a “System Builders” copy of Vista Ultimate and it was essentially an OEM with the disc, a serial code sticker for the unit and no manual.
The vista migration thing is a load of dung, but if a business IT administrator properly sets up the vista computer, I don’t see why business’ couldn’t perform the transition by the year and a half point. Though I do agree, it is ludicrous that microblows is pulling this little number.