Microsoft may keep XP alive after all

April 24, 2008 —

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said Thursday that the company may reconsider its
decision to stop selling Windows
XP on June 30. At an event in Belgium, Ballmer told reporters, "If
customer feedback varies, we can always wake up smarter," according to
an Associated
Press report.

In January, InfoWorld launched a campaign to convince Microsoft to keep XP
available to customers June 30. More than 160,000 people have signed the Save
XP petition so far.

As have Microsoft execs before him, Ballmer strongly defended Windows Vista,
saying most customers wanted it and their purchasing actions demonstrate that
fact. Still, Vista's new user interface, its new approach to security and the
need for most users to get new hardware has caused
many to avoid Vista in favor of Windows XP or other operating systems.

Previously, Microsoft has decided to keep Windows
XP available for cheap PCs (US$400 and less), as well as for PCs in developing
nations, since Vista's hardware requirements were too high for such inexpensive
PCs.

InfoWorld