Microsoft is telling you that your Windows XP worths nothing.

Microsoft has listed 100 reasons to upgrade to Windows Vista and to leave Windows XP behind. Thanks Microsoft for the list. While reading the list, a Linux user will mark all those reasons and a few more others as “I already have that in my Linux installation“.

…and after marking them all, he/she will add:

“I have all that free of charge“
“I have that without upgrading my hardware and computer RAM memory“

I would add: “I have all that since 6 years ago when I migrated from Windows“.

ITWire’s David M Williams highlights in this article the reasons listed by Microsoft and shows that those reasons are in fact for upgrading to Ubuntu Linux.

Microsoft’s list is located here.

What are your reasons to leave WindowsXP ?
If you see no reason to abandon Windows XP - and I have no doubt there are many Windows XP happy users out there who payed money for it - then don’t do it. Even if you will face attempts from Microsoft to make you upgrade.

Many years ago, when I had Windows 3.11 installed, I delayed as much as I could the upgrade to Windows 95. Simply because my Windows 3.11 did everything I needed. I had my text processing editor, and I had a lot of other programs with which I was happy.

BUT: Windows 95 and 98 brought new versions of Word with different file formats. At some point everybody around me started using them and I could not even read their documents in my old MS-Word. This is why in the end I had to upgrade. I was forced against my will to do it. The sad thing is that I never needed the new features from the upgraded Word, I continued using the same basic features invented years ago.

Now it’s a different time. You have alternatives.
Microsoft cannot force you to upgrade anymore. At least not from the same reasons related to file formats as then.
MORE: If you give up Microsoft Office and use an alternative free and open source office suite based on Open Document Format (ODF) like OpenOffice.org (which runs on all major platforms - including your XP which now Microsoft tries to tell you that it is outdated and old and worthless after they convinced you to buy it) you will continue to be the master of your documents and you will be free from paying more money when you don’t want to.

Since the direct competition with OpenOffice.org is not that good because you find all the functions and features you use in the free OpenOffice.org suite, Microsoft struggles now on convincing people to upgrade their Windows. This opens their way to create new software versions for all the programs so far which will not work anymore on older versions of Windows and these will eventually force you to upgrade to stay compatible with the ones around you.

It’s an old trick used again. But now you have a way out. If you haven’t already started, start now investigating alternatives prior to giving money out of your pocket: Try OpenOffice.org. Try Linux operating system. Just try them. See if they work. Taste the fact that you don’t need to pay license fees and still be able to work. And keep them close just in case. One more thing: tell the others around you about these alternative programs and operating systems. It will help them save money and it will help you remain compatible with your friend’s documents.

Have fun!

Written by cdriga on October 21st, 2007 with no comments.
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