The letter (PDF) from Bill Veghte, senior vice president of the Online Services & Windows Business group, affirms that after June 30 Microsoft will suspend OEM distribution of Windows XP. The extension some people advocated isn't happening. Good. As I've expressed before, Microsoft can't get XP out of the OEM channel fast enough.
But vestiges of XP distribution will continue, since system builders can continue shipping the operating system through Jan. 31, 2009. They acquire the software from distributors. Now this is interesting: "All OEMs, including major OEMs, have this option."
As I previously explained and Bill affirms, businesses have two downgrade rights options, which work similarly with Windows Vista as they did with Windows XP. Volume licensing subscribers can "downgrade" from the Vista preinstalled on their PCs to XP. He also affirms something already announced by Dell and HP:
Some of our OEM partners are planning to offer services designed to help business customers that buy these versions of Windows Vista on new PCs to exercise their downgrade rights. This is a great value because it lets you use Windows XP on new PCs today if you need it and then make the move to take advantage of the additional capabilities of Windows Vista when you are ready, without having to pay for an upgrade.
Some IT managers might define that "great value" as "I don't want stinkin' Vista."
Bill answers the important question that many businesses are asking about XP: Will Microsoft continue support? He writes:
We will continue to provide security updates and other critical updates for Windows XP until April, 2014. Our ongoing support for Windows XP is the result of our recognition that people keep their Windows-based PCs for many years and a reflection of our commitment to provide the highest level of support for all our customers.
There's a saying that confession is good for the spirit. Bill confesses:
The architectural changes that improved security and resilience in Windows Vista led to compatibility issues with existing hardware and applications. Many hardware drivers and applications needed to be updated, and while the majority worked well when we launched Windows Vista, some key applications and drivers were not yet available.
Some businesses still have compatibility problems, which is good reason to use those downgrade rights. But there's hope:
Free downloads like Adobe Reader and iTunes have versions that are optimized for Windows Vista. With the exception of devices that are very old, the vast majority of compatibility and driver issues have been addressed and customers are seeing a much improved user experience.
Bill goes on to espouse Windows Vista Service Pack 1's benefits and say absolutely nothing new about successor Windows 7. It's not like he would give 7's release date, but I could hope.
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