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InfoWorld has started an online petition and campaign to "save" Windows XP from Microsoft's planned obsolescence at the end of the year. In the first 36 hours of the campaign, over 12,500 people had signed the petition and added comments to the Save XP Blog.

Do you want to “save” Windows XP?

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Do you want to “save” Windows XP?

InfoWorld has started an online petition and campaign to "save" Windows XP from Microsoft's planned obsolescence at the end of the year. In the first 36 hours of the campaign, over 12,500 people had signed the petition and added comments to the Save XP Blog.

InfoWorld has started an online petition and campaign to “save” Windows XP from Microsoft’s planned obsolescence at the end of the year. In the first 36 hours of the campaign, over 12,500 people had signed the petition and added comments to the Save XP Blog.

From Infoworld:

The vast majority of comments supported the petition drive, providing a variety of reasons that both individuals and companies do not want to lose the option to keep new XP licenses available after June 30. Lack of compelling benefits in Vista, coupled with the training, support, and other costs of upgrading was the most cited reason. Some cited compatibility concerns.

An IT strategist with the Burton Group, Ken Anderson, came up with an apt analogy of XP’s impending demise.

Anderson likened the reaction to XP’s impending demise to what happened in the 1980s when Coca-Cola replaced its classic Coke soda formula with New Coke, causing massive protests and forcing the company to bring back the now-rechristened Coke Classic. “XP has come to the point of being Coke Classic,” he said.

Save Windows XP (InfoWorld)

12,500 sign ‘Save XP’ petition (InfoWorld)

This campaign comes on the heels of reports that Vista shipped on only 39% of all PCs shipped in 2007, with small businesses choosing XP by a 2 to 1 margin. Many businesses don’t want to go through an expensive upgrade cycle, which would be required for many older PCs, as the hardware requirements for Vista are far higher than those for XP. Another big issue for businesses is training, as retooling users on a new operating system can be an expensive proposition. At least one writer has called for Microsoft to build a business model for XP that “delivers what users want, at a level of cost and disruption they are prepared to accept.”

Vista Still Trails Windows XP In Shipments — And Performance (bMighty)

Do we need a campaign to save XP? (ZDNet UK)

I have an XP desktop at work along with a tablet running Vista. Personally, I am perfectly happy with XP, but I am not turned off by my Vista machine, because it has the hardware to run the new OS pretty well. However, we have nearly 300 computers deployed that will not meet the hardware requirements for Vista. In my opinion, upgrading the RAM for all of those machines is a project that we will not engage in. Do you think XP needs to be “saved”?

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By andy j. moon
I have been working full time in the IT field since 1996, when I worked a dual role as a salesman and technician. I moved into the technical realm completely in 1997 as a consultant, where I worked contracts for the City of Houston, Exxon, and Metro. \ \ \ In 1997, I also began training and developed a love for education, particularly post-secondary education. I really enjoyed teaching people that weren't forced by law to be in my classroom. I taught as my primary job responsibility for four years, and I had never felt more at home than I did in front of a class full of students. \ \ \ In 2001, I began working in the IT department for a community college just south of Houston and was their Server Support Specialist for seven years, during which I completed my Associate's degree from the same institution. In 2008, I moved to a four year University in Houston, where I am the IT Manager for a department. I completed my BS in Management of Information Systems in May of 2009 and began an MBA program with a global specialty the following fall. \ \ \ My most likely path will have me complete my MBA in 2011, after which I will start work on my doctoral degree, specializing in Educational Leadership.

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