InfoWorld has been leading the charge to save Windows XP. And as Bill Snyder writes in today's Tech's Bottom Line blog, "I might well be inclined to tell InfoWorld to stuff it if I really thought there was a compelling business reason to toss XP overboard. ... But a legitimate business case for dropping XP doesn't exist.

"Even factoring out the copies preinstalled on consumer PCs (where XP has not been an option for a year), there's real Vista demand out there that will continue to enrich Microsoft, whether XP is supported or not."

Besides, Microsoft already has a way to get Vista revenues from XP sales. "The so-called downgrade option, which entails purchasing a Vista license to buy XP, clearly protects the company from revenue loss on the enterprise and small-business sides of the business. It's also worth noting that enterprise upgrades tend to be driven by hardware replacement cycles, not operating system changes," says analyst Matt Rosoff.

There you have it, Snyder says. "Microsoft can do both the right thing and the smart thing by saving XP. So don't be a cheapskate, Steve. Listen to your customers."

Help Ballmer decide to keep XP. Sign the "Save XP" petition!

Posted by Caroline Craig on May 1, 2008 06:41 AM