Microsoft in time warp backtracking to XP from Vista
By Mike Ferro
Today Microsoft announced that it will be extending XP licensing to Nettop devices, which are essentially low powered desktops. This is a surprising move leaving many scratching their collective heads.
Microsoft not too long ago made the decision to announce plans to terminate retail sales of Windows XP licensing by June 30, 2008. In the preceding months Microsoft faced competition they were unprepared for from Linux in the subnotebook market, and thus had to rethink their tactics with EOL’ing (End of life) XP. Basically Microsoft ended up making an exception for this set of products.
Today, Microsoft made another exception with the announcement of using XP in Nettops. Nettops are your very basic desktop for the average consumer that only want something to surf the Web with, send emails, and type up basic documents. Nettops are very practical devices that could cost you from $100 - $300.
Potentially there could be millions of these desktops sold along with brand spanking new licenses generated for these PCs, post XP expiration date. Many publications ranging from the New York Times to Ars Technica are scratching their heads questioning Microsoft’s decision to do this. Adversely this could impact Vista licensing sales on PCs that could be running Vista.
However at the end of the day, Vista is too much of a resource hog to run on Nettops. Which begs the question, do we need resource hungry operating systems increasing exponentially with every iteration of Windows? Linux has shown us you don’t necessarily need a beefy OS to run high end games or applications.
Instead of this Vista or Windows 7 silliness, how about taking XP and fine tuning it to run more efficiently along with more features and sticking with that?
Unlike others, I applaud Microsoft’s decision to try to tap into more on streamlined, efficient aspect of XP for use with these PCs. If they continue this path maybe they can learn a lesson or two that you don’t need Aero graphics to write a Word Document, surf the Internet, or to play games.
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June 3rd, 2008
Microsoft is extending XP’s life for these reasons.
1. Vista is way too bloated to run on these computers.
2. Microsoft is scared of Linux and does not want to give away the tiny PC and now the low cost desktop market all to Linux.
3. Microsoft painted themselves in the corner with Vista and have no way out, except of course using XP to keep its dwindling market share going.
My predictions, XP will end up saving Microsoft in the long run. However expect stockholders and investors calling for Steve Ballmer’s resignation.
Especially after word gets around how he basically gave away XP to these markets for as little as $16 per machine (with that $10 “discount”) all the while taking XP Home and XP Pro off the retail market at $99 to $299.
MSFT is trying to save face by saying XP Home is needed for these niche markets. But what they are really saying “we really messed up, we made Vista too large and too demanding, and now we are paying for it”.
But also this reveals another fact. That no one at MSFT could see or anticipate a need for a light weight operating system.
With all the money that the company has at its disposal to buy the best minds, developers, market analysts, programmers, sales people….. No one saw a looming tiny PC market on the horizon?
I wonder if the stockholders and investors are asking the same questions…and…maybe a change in leadership is warranted.
June 3rd, 2008
I’m puzzled and kinda happy, My Acer 5315 runs saddly on Vista basic. On Power adaptor it’s fine, then on battery it’s slower than a PC filled with all the trogans and spyware that mankind has created.
June 4th, 2008
When Nicholas Negroponte announced the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project –which launched the sub-notebook market– Microsoft’s founder, Bill Gates, scorned the idea. Caught napping, MSFT must now respond to a market burgeoning beyond its control, and it must fight the unstoppable rise of Linux and the sub-notebook. Microsoft, I feel, has been sidelined. And, by the way, Aero is not an original idea of Microsoft: I have transparent menus in an old Knoppix Linux running on an old Pentium II PC.