I still know some people who love and are very happy with their Windows 98 and Windows ME computers. If you are still a user of Windows 98 or Windows ME, you fall under what I call the “Stubborn Donkey syndrome” – you know the operating system, you know what it looks like, where things go, where things should be, and resist change with every fiber of your being.

The operating system works for these people and they are happy. Not everyone wants to upgrade year after year after year. I hold a car 10 years; I don’t buy a new model every two years. Well, to you 98 and ME diehards, I am sorry to say that as of July 11, 2006, Microsoft will discontinue support for these operating systems thus forcing an upgrade to Windows Vista or Windows XP.

I think this is a mistake.

Microsoft, two things can happen with this foolish move:

1. You aggravate many people and they upgrade to Windows XP anyway because all they know is Microsoft.

2. You force these users to open their minds to open source software such as Xandros and Linspire. Some of these distributions can be made to look identical to Windows.

I say this is not the best way to retain marketshare or loyalty. What are your thoughts?