On July 1, 2008 the only copy of Windows XP you can legally purchase is one that is still lying on a shop shelf. On June 30, 2008 Microsoft will no longer provide OEM and shrink-wrapped versions of this operating system. Six months later, the Dells and Hewlett Packards as well as the lesser known setups of this world will not be able to bundle Windows XP with new computers. Officially the big guys have stopped pushing this operating system, but following the insistence of many of their larger accounts, they quietly succumbed to the pressure. As from January 1, 2009 they will no longer be able to sell a computer running Windows XP.

Windows XP is Microsoft's best operating system to date. It is stable, fast, nice and easy to use. Prior to Windows XP, Microsoft has relied on being able to engineer a better product than the previous one. In turn, users would willingly upgrade their operating systems to the benefit of both the user and Microsoft. This time round, many people feel that Vista is not an enhancement to the version it aims to supersede. In fact some have called Windows Vista an optional upgrade to Windows XP. If Windows Vista does not make it to the podium, Microsoft will earn a few billion less than what shareholders expect and this would not be good for Microsoft. The only way to get those dollars rolling would be to forcefully remove Windows XP and what better way to do it than to stop making it available?

Vista is already costing Microsoft on other fronts. A class-action lawsuit against Microsoft over the "Vista-capable" stickers is underway. The lawsuit claims that Microsoft had authorized OEM manufacturers to stick the "Vista-capable" stickers on their Windows XP machines before Vista was officially released. It transpired that these PCs did not have enough computing power to run Vista Premium and could only manage Vista Home. People liking their Windows XP computer is something Microsoft definitely does not want.

The reasons why I want to have the choice to purchase Windows XP legally are the following:
I consider Windows Vista to be the paranoid aunt who requires me to take an oath on the Bible, Koran or equivalent before doing many basic and frequently used tasks. Multiple prompts to do something simple is not OK with me. My Windows XP security solutions serve me well on this front and I don't need the operating system to mother me from security weaknesses it tolerated in the first place.
Windows XP is a hellishly reliable operating

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