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April 29, 2008 | Comments: (0)

Steve Ballmer can't hear you, so let's turn up the volume

Last week we almost broke out the champagne. At an event in Belgium on Thursday, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said that the company might reconsider its decision to stop selling Windows XP on June 30. An Associated Press report quoted him as saying: "If customer feedback varies, we can always wake up smarter."

This news broke after we spent three months of campaigning for a stay of execution for XP, and we were elated. Microsoft was finally listening to the outcry over the unnecessarily disruptive effects of customers being pushed to upgrade to Vista. Victory was at hand.

Our joy lasted only a couple of hours. According to a subsequent report from Reuters, the second half of Ballmer's quote was: " ... but right now, we have a plan for end-of-life for new XP shipments." A Microsoft spokesperson later confirmed that (aside from already existing exceptions), the June 30 end-of-sale date was not going anywhere.

Ballmer tells users: "I can't hear you." So let's turn up the volume

Apparently, the 180,000-plus signatures collected for our Save XP campaign are not enough "customer feedback" to matter. The company says it's aware of InfoWorld's Save XP campaign, but we have been rebuffed in our attempts to deliver the petition -- so much for listening to customers.

Microsoft is content to ignore 180,000. But can it ignore 1 million? How about 10 million? With just two months to go before XP goes off the market, it's time to turn up the volume and get everyone you know to sign the petition.

And just to show we're not a bunch of drudges -- and to prove there are actual living and breathing human beings involved in the Save XP campaign -- how about uploading your own Save XP video plea to the InfoWorld section of FaceBook? You can also upload them directly to the InfoWorld site using our BrightCove player form. We'll show off the funniest, most creative appeals to save XP on our "Save XP" video home page.

Experience dictates that it's going to take everything we've got to get the message to Microsoft. Last week, a general manager for the Windows group looked me straight in the eye and said that Vista was the most successful Microsoft operating system ever released. What about the outcry over performance and compatibility problems, the likes of which is unprecedented in the history of IT? His stare grew harder. He was a true believer. To him, whatever negative reactions had occurred were overblown.

Dell shows another way, but how long will it be viable?

Meanwhile, Dell has already announced plans to offer Windows XP beyond June 30. Dell is ingeniously exploiting a licensing option in Vista Business and Vista Ultimate that lets computer vendors sell XP under the Vista license -- what Microsoft calls a "downgrade" license. Dell will basically do the "downgrade" for you.

Who knows how many other vendors may take that route -- or how long Microsoft will allow the "downgrade" option to be used in such a fashion. Are such licensing acrobatics really necessary? Maybe not. If millions of people sign up to Save XP, can Microsoft really afford to ignore us? Let's find out.

Posted by Eric Knorr on April 29, 2008 11:33 AM

April 13, 2008 | Comments: (0)

Save Windows XP! 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). Come June 30, however, even that option goes away.

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.

And ask your friends and colleagues to join in, too. Just point them to SaveXP.com for a quick link to this page. And if you'd like to publish our countdown animation on your Web site to help promote this petition, e-mail Executive Editor Galen Gruman for the code snippet.

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.

Posted by Galen Gruman on April 13, 2008 03:02 PM

April 13, 2008 | Comments: (0)

The "Save XP" petition count update

Join the 193,827 people so far (as of 9a PT on May 7) who have signed our online petition to demand that Microsoft not stop OEM and shrinkwrapped sales of Windows XP as planned on June 30, 2008, but instead keep it available indefinitely.

Posted by Galen Gruman on April 13, 2008 03:00 PM

April 13, 2008 | Comments: (0)

InfoWorld's other XP and Vista stories

Tech Watch blog:
The right Vista strategy: Do nothing
Most analyst firms were excited about Windows Vista in 2006, when it was on the verge of being released. But for several firms, that enthusiasm withered as it became clear that Vista is a flawed OS that few users actually want. ...

Editor's Blog:
Steve Ballmer wants your "feedback" -- so let's give it to him
Last week we almost broke out the champagne. At an event in Belgium on Thursday, Steve Ballmer said that the company might reconsider its decision to stop selling Windows XP on June 30. An Associated Press report quoted him as saying: "If customer feedback varies, we can always wake up smarter." ...

News:
Dell to offer Windows XP past June 30 cutoff
InfoWorld has confirmed that Dell will sell and support Windows XP to consumers beyond the June 30 Microsoft sales cutoff date that Microsoft reaffirmed today, after earlier comments from CEO Steve Ballmer seemingly indicated it might reconsider that decision. ...

Tech Watch blog:
Microsoft's XP intransigence is simply mystifying; can Dell save the day?
You have to wonder what's going on a Microsoft when it comes to the issue of keeping XP available past the planned June 30 cutoff date. The company clearly knows that Vista was hardly its best moment, an ungainly OS forced out the door after years of delay so Microsoft would have something new to sell. A triumph of short-term thinking that is turning out to be a Pyrrhic victory. But Dell may offer the face-saving out for Microsoft that also saves XP. ...

News:
Windows is 'collapsing,' Gartner analysts warn
Calling the situation "untenable" and describing Windows as "collapsing," a pair of Gartner analysts Thursday said Microsoft must make radical changes to the operating system or risk becoming a has-been. ...

Notes from the Field blog:
Windows is falling -- run for your lives!
That creaking sound, the dust, that feeling of vague but imminent doom? It's not an earthquake. Your office isn't falling into a sink hole. It's the warning signs of Windows collapsing. ...

Tech Watch blog:
Struggling to find an XP PC? Consider these options
Here's a frustration we can all expect to see increase in the next three months: A reader, Brent Smithline, was trying to get a Windows XP-based PC before the June 30 date after which Microsoft will no longer provide new licenses to retailers and PC makers (white-box system builders have till Jan. 31, 2009 to offer XP). Let him tell the story. ...

Tech Watch blog:
Is Microsoft preparing us to move beyond Vista?
News reports suggest that Microsoft will ship its successor to the unloved Windows Vista "sometime" in 2009. Microsoft has been mum on Windows 7's plans, though late 2009 to late 2010 has been the release date the company has consistently hinted at. So those "Windows 7 in 2009" news reports may mean nothing. Or they may mean that Microsoft is quietly preparing people to move past Vista. ...

Tech Watch blog:
XP for cheap PCs: a second crack in the wall
Microsoft's announcement today that it would keep Windows XP (Home edition only) available until June 30, 2010 -- not June 30, 2008, as originally planned -- for the emerging class of ultra-low-cost PCs (ULCPCs) is the second crack in the wall in Microsoft's pig-headed insistence that it will stop selling Windows XP on June 30, 2008. ...

Enterprise Desktop blog:
Why we still need Windows XP
This week, the blogosphere has been chock full of ranting about Windows XP's impending demise. The confirmation by Microsoft that Windows XP will cease to exist as a commercial product at the end of June has triggered all kinds of commentary, including at least one exhortation to just "let XP die, already!" The problem with this logic is that it assumes there is a viable alternative. ...

News:
100,000 customers tell Microsoft to save XP
Executive Editor Galen Gruman explains the real intent of InfoWorld's Save Windows XP campaign and the stakes involved for business and home users. Will Microsoft listen to 100,000 customers? ...

Test Center analysis:
Death match: Windows Vista versus XP
Does Vista have what it takes to knock XP off the enterprise desktop? Not by our scorecard. Point by point and blow by blow, we offer 10 reasons enterprises can skip Windows Vista and stick with XP. ...

Enterprise Desktop blog
Despite SP1, Vista is still slower than XP
So here I am, sitting in the main terminal at Dubai International, killing time during my six-hour layover by sifting through the headlines surrounding the release Vista SP1. Over at a competitor's site, two prominent bloggers are really going at it, posting contradictory benchmark results that show Vista to be either a) on par with Windows XP or b) much slower than XP on the same hardware. ...

News Feature:
Keep Windows XP until 2009, analysts tell Microsoft
Microsoft should keep Windows XP available until at least 2009, not end the majority of sales on June 30 as currently planned, said analysts at Gartner and The Burton Group. “A good rule of thumb in any OS transition is that you have to have the original and new products available for at least two years to handle customer [migration] needs,” said Richard Jones, a Burton Group vice president and service director. But Microsoft gave customers just 11 months in its original plan, in which new XP licenses would have ended on Dec. 31, and even the additional six months that Microsoft granted when it changed the date to June 30 is not enough, he said. ...

News:
Microsoft responds to "Save XP" petition
A Microsoft spokesperson today acknowledged InfoWorld's petition effort asking the company to keep Windows XP for sale indefinitely rather than drop the popular OS from most sales outlets on June 30 as planned. ...

News:
75,000 demand Microsoft keep Windows XP going
More than 75,000 people have signed InfoWorld’s “Save XP” petition in the three weeks since it was launched — many with passionate, often emotional pleas to not be forced to make a change. On June 30, Microsoft plans to stop making new licenses to Windows XP available through most outlets, though business users and some consumers will be able to “downgrade” to XP after that date under certain circumstances. InfoWorld expects to present the petition to Microsoft when it has collected 100,000 signatures. ...

Test Center analysis:
Vista adoption secrets
Vista adoption in business has been slow (and at this writing more than 75,000 people have signed InfoWorld’s petition asking Microsoft to keep Windows XP available indefinitely). Nonetheless, thousands of businesses worldwide have already adopted Vista. ...

News Feature:
Why people hate Vista
You rarely hear about a new OS causing people to panic. But IT consultant Scott Pam says that's exactly what his small-business clients are doing when they install Windows Vista on new PCs and run smack into compatibility or usability roadblocks. ...

Enterprise Windows blog:
Save XP? Why bother?
I'd love to defend Microsoft Vista against Mac, Linux, or some obscure OS -- but instead, I find myself defending it against Windows XP. That's because all I hear is warring from within the Microsoft community about how unfair it is that they will one day have to stop using XP -- a sentiment perpetuated by InfoWorld's Save Windows XP campaign. First off, no one is forcing you to do anything. ...
» Follow-up blog on readers' response

Notes from the Field blog:
Happy birthday, Vista?
It hardly seems possible, but it was one year ago today that Microsoft foisted Windows Vista onto a wary world. (OK -- OEMs and enterprises had Vista foisted on them in November 2006, but January was the "big launch" for most of us). But instead of the "Wow Starts Now," Jan. 30, 2007 was more like the "When Started Then": When will drivers be available for legacy hardware? When will compatible software show up? ...

News Feature:
How to get Windows XP after June 30
If new Windows XP licenses come to a screeching halt after June 30 as currently planned, what can IT do to get more XP seats? The answer depends on your licensing arrangement with Microsoft. The short answer for most users, though, is that Microsoft will let people with Vista Business or Ultimate "downgrade" to Windows XP Pro under specific circumstances. Here is InfoWorld's guide to how you can get new XP licenses after Microsoft officially pulls the plug. ...

News Feature:
Why save XP? Readers speak out
InfoWorld's petition asking Microsoft not to discontinue Windows XP after June 30 has garnered more than 65,000 signatures since Jan. 14. And with those signatures have come thousands of reader comments that reveal why many IT organizations are up in arms about the June 30 deadline to retire XP. ...

InfoWorld Daily Podcast:
Save XP petition drive (MP3)
Special Edition: InfoWorld kicks off its Save XP campaign. IT, thus far, has been underwhelmed by Windows Vista, citing a lack of benefits to upgrading. So join the fight to keep XP alive beyond Microsoft's stated June 30 timeframe for ceasing shrinkwrap and OEM sales. ...

Sustainable IT blog:
Linux a greener alternative to a forced Vista move?
If you read my blog yesterday, you noticed my entry about Microsoft's move to retire XP and effectively force Windows shops into a wasteful migration to Vista. ...

Sustainable IT blog:
Retiring XP means wasteful upgrades to Vista-capable PCs
Every so often, an organization has to refresh some or all of its users' PCs. Perhaps the sales team's laptops are suffering from wear and tear and need replacing. Maybe the finance department requires more powerful desktops to run a newly purchased, resource-intensive, business-critical app. ...

Editor's blog:
Save Windows XP
I vividly remember the first time I used Windows XP. My first reaction: Ugh, these primary colors make Windows look like kid's software. Then I started using it. ...

Posted by Galen Gruman on April 13, 2008 02:50 PM

April 13, 2008 | Comments: (0)

What others say: Articles and podcasts on the "Save XP" campaign

USA Today:
Vista struggles to bust out as business customers snub it
Will Weider is just the kind of customer Microsoft (MSFT) needs to keep its Windows computer operating system franchise growing. He oversees tech for a chain of Wisconsin hospitals -- 14,000 computers' worth. But Weider has no desire to upgrade to Vista, the latest version of Windows. "I wouldn't put on Vista if it was free," says Weider, chief information officer for Ministry Health Care. ...

New York Times:
Microsoft’s Vista problem
Microsoft keeps insisting that Windows Vista is a winner, but the questions keep mounting -- and Thursday’s quarterly report only added to the doubts. ...

Top Tech News:
Microsoft insists XP death date firm despite Ballmer
Despite CEO Steve Ballmer's comments, Microsoft has no plans to continue selling Windows XP after June 30, the company said Thursday. It added, "Our plan for Windows XP availability is unchanged. We're confident that's the right thing to do based on the feedback we've heard from our customers and partners." ...

Christan Science Monitor:
Windows Vista: The 'New Coke' of the PC age
It was supposed to be a great leap forward for computing. Windows Vista would dazzle users with its sleek interface, protect data with unparalleled security, and eclipse Windows XP as the worldwide standard in computer operating systems. But with each passing day, it looks more and more like Vista is the "New Coke" of the PC generation. The demand of XP users to keep using their trusty operating system continues to grow. ...

Associated Press:
Users fight to save Windows XP
Microsoft Corp.'s operating systems run most personal computers around the globe and are a cash cow for the world's largest software maker. But you'd never confuse a Windows user with the passionate fans of Mac OS X or even the free Linux operating system. Unless it's someone running Windows XP, a version Microsoft wants to retire. ...

MSNBC.com:
Windows XP fans don't want it to XPire
A petition to “Save Windows XP” has drawn more than 111,000 supporters — and continued shots across the Microsoft XP vs. Vista bow, a battle that began with Vista’s release last year. ...

Seattle Post-Intelligencer:
Microsoft extends life of XP -- at the low end
Microsoft Corp., trying to secure its place in an emerging area of the PC market, is extending the life of its Windows XP operating system -- but in a limited way that doesn't promise to satisfy people who still prefer XP over its successor, Windows Vista. ...

CIO.com:
Should Microsoft throw away Vista?
Throw Vista away. That's what my colleagues at our fellow IDG publication InfoWorld have now argued that Microsoft should do. Give it a dignified resting place, as a stepping-stone OS, and come up with a replacement that's more sensible for enterprise IT. There is historical precedent in the consumer OS space for such a move; look at Windows ME and how it became a footnote in Microsoft history. ...

PCWorld.com:
PCWorld.com users say: Save Windows XP!
Back on January 30th, I wrote about our sister site InfoWorld's SaveXP.com campaign, formed to give people who aren't happy about Microsoft's plans to discontinue most sales of Windows XP after June 30th. I also included a silly little survey about XP and Vista. Much to my surprise, more than 3500 folks took it. It wasn't the least bit scientific, but the results make for fascinating reading...and if you've already guessed that the sentiment ran strongly pro-XP and anti-Vista, you've got a good gut for this kind of stuff. ...

La Repubblica (in Italian):
Vista, online il primo Service pack Ma in migliaia dicono "Save XP" (Vista, the first online service pack, but thousands say "Save XP")
Ecco il primo Service pack per Vista. Presentato alla fine dello scorso gennaio, è arrivato sul mercato il pacchetto di aggiornamento del sistema operativo più controverso del colosso informatico. ...

New York Times:
They criticized Vista. And they should know.
One year after the birth of Windows Vista, why do so many Windows XP users still decline to “upgrade”? Microsoft says high prices have been the deterrent. Last month, the company trimmed prices on retail packages of Vista, trying to entice consumers to overcome their reluctance. In the United States, an XP user can now buy Vista Home Premium for $129.95, instead of $159.95. An alternative theory, however, is that Vista’s reputation precedes it. ...

San Francisco Chronicle:
Fans protest Microsoft's plan to dump XP
Goodbye, Windows XP. Microsoft, which released its latest operating system, Vista, last year, plans to stop selling Windows XP in stores and through its PC partners on June 30. It's a typical move in the high-tech industry, as older models make way for new ones. But in this case, the shift has been met with some grumbling, ...

Business Week Tech & You column:
Vista's Upgrade: Not Worth the Wait
There is a broad consensus among corporate technology managers—shared by many consumers—that new Microsoft (MSFT) products should never be installed until they have had their first major upgrade. Windows Vista, Microsoft's flagship operating system, is about to reach that happy landmark with an upgrade called Service Pack 1. But will it win the hearts of consumers, corporations, and computer manufacturers, who so far have largely snubbed Vista? I doubt it. ...

Wall Street Journal's Business Technology blog:
Techies to Microsoft: Save Windows XP
Microsoft plans to discontinue sales of its Windows XP operating system on June 30, meaning businesses that purchase a copy of Windows after that date will be forced to buy Vista, Microsoft's new operating system. That decision is proving unpopular with techies – so far, most businesses have resisted switching to Vista – and now one tech magazine is tapping into the discontent by launching a campaign to delay XP's execution. ...

Federal News Radio's Federal Drive show:
Campaign season (WMA)
It might not be getting as much press as the presidential primaries, but there's a current campaign called Save Windows XP. InfoWorld Executive Editor Galen Gruman tells us more about it. ... FNR site

American Public Media's Future Tense show:
Magazine campaigns to save Windows XP (MP3)
The not-so-beloved Windows Vista is set to be the only Windows option later this year when Microsoft retires Windows XP. InfoWorld, a publication aimed at technology professionals, has begun a campaign to persuade Microsoft to keep XP around. ... Future Tense site

ZDnet UK's Open Sauce Software blog:
Do we need a campaign to save XP?
I see that InfoWorld has started a campaign to save XP. I'm sure the Linux world will feel a little wry about that one. The XP-to-Vista transition is a pretty clear example of the way proprietary operating systems fail users. Everyone is happy with XP, says InfoWorld, and it's got plenty of life in it. ...

New York Times' Pogue's Posts blog:
The "Save XP" campaign
The blog reprints InfoWorld Executive Editor's note on the "Save XP" campaign and is followed by user comments on it.

Posted by Galen Gruman on April 13, 2008 02:40 PM

April 13, 2008 | Comments: (0)

Learn more on why XP should be saved

There are many reasons businesses and individuals want to stick with XP, rather than replace it with Vista. Check out some of the reasons from InfoWorld's analyses and other sources:

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.

From Computerworld.com: Vista's biggest problem remains Windows XP, survey says
Microsoft Corp.'s biggest worry over Windows Vista shouldn't be rival operating systems from Apple Inc. or Red Hat Inc., but remains competition from its own Windows XP, an analyst said.

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."

Posted by Galen Gruman on April 13, 2008 01:44 PM

January 14, 2008 | Comments: (0)

Submit your own "Save XP" video

Submit Your "Save XP" Video
InfoWorld encourages you to contribute your own videos on why XP should be saved. (Although our plea is serious, why not have some fun at the same time, right?) To help meet the goal of spreading the word about the "Save XP" petition effort, we do ask that each video show the www.SaveXP.com URL. We'll post the best entries in our site's video library through June 30, but if you get yours in by May 15 and we deem it one of the top three submissions we receive, we’ll give you a Windows XP upgrade license. Videos must be in Flash, QuickTime, or AVI formats, at 320-by-240-pixel size. E-mail a link to your video to Executive Editor Galen Gruman.

Posted by Galen Gruman on January 14, 2008 01:32 PM

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