[ShadowAce]

[GermanBusiness]

On another topic, my XP keeps trying to update me to Service Pack 3 but I don't have the disk. How can I stop it from trying to do something it cannot do?

[Billthedrill]

Home's a POS anyway. And the upgrade from it to Pro can toast your existing apps and data (thank God I had backup!) even if you don't make any mistakes on your own.

That said, there are advantages to a subscription licensing architecture but you're completely at the mercy of a marketeer who decides it's time to jack up the prices. I run both Microsoft and Red Hat at home and am in a position to say "no" to Bill's boys. Not everyone is.

[null and void]

Ping the penguins!

[RedBloodedAmerican]

XP Home is closer to Me.
XP Pro is closer to 2000.

Companies like Best Buy, Dell, Hp etc have been making a killing off selling Home knowing people would want to buy the Pro upgrade.

[goodnesswins]

OKAY....so we have XP Home on a laptop here at home....what should we do....our desktop has XP Pro......any suggestions out there? (And, I'm not looking for smart a** remarks/suggestions.)

[HairOfTheDog]

While I am currently happy with XP Home, I don't know why I would expect to be in 2 more years. This system is going on 7 years old, been upgraded a couple times, but will not last forever.

I happen to not expect computer hardware or software to have a long life. Computers and computing will likely always be changing. To me it only makes sense for MS to focus on development of new products, rather than being required or expected to continue to support old and outdated ones in perpetuity.

[Cicero]

I've always gotten XP Pro on all my computers, because XP Home lacks some important security features.

But I would guess they will probably keep updating Home. I'm not sure how many extra man hours that would involve on their part, but I should think it would be fairly simple to do, and therefore worth the effort for the good will.

[DJ MacWoW]

ping

[The KG9 Kid]

Unfortunately, Microsoft is still the only viable PC desktop OS for consumers.

If some permutation of Linux would have ever entered the mainstream in a serious manner to capture the consumer market, it would have already happened.

For those who can't stand Microsoft, get a Mac. It's your only serious alternative.

[atomicpossum]

Linux looks more likely every day...

[Mannaggia l'America]

When that day comes, XP Home users may feel left out in the cold, because they will no longer qualify for security updates, and will not be able to purchase support from Microsoft.

How many people with XP Home actually call and pay Microsoft for support? My bet is "not many".

Also expect that MS will extend availability of security updates for XP Home. They almost always extend the end of support dates.

[dennisw]

BTTTT

[Behind Liberal Lines]

I'm really starting to think of getting a mac.

[VOA]

bump

[csvset]

bump

[mysterio]

Let them cut support off. I think it's great. It means lazy people might eventually get pissed and create a demand for another OS. Maybe the $200 google computers will fill it.

Probably not, though. People will buy what looks cool and costs less at best buy.

[tutstar]

ping...

[Bones75]

Some friends of mine are already running the new Windows "Longhorn" version. (What will eventually be called "Vista")

Looks alot like XP but I have not had a chance to play with it much. I may install it on ald old spare laptop I have, so I can poke around a bit and check it out. Not sure how much like the beta the final version will be. /shrug

[Dont Mention the War]

Can Microsoft get away with this sort of thing much longer? Linux still isn't ready for the average home user, but it will be eventually. And there are still rumors out there that Steve Jobs is planning to eventually allow the Intel-based OS X run on non-Apple machines, after he moves more of Apple's revenue stream into iPod/consumer electronics-related stuff. Even Google is rumored to be working on some sort of weird OS.

In any case, the day where your Intel-based PC will only run Windows is rapidly coming to a close. And when that happens, people aren't going to just upgrade because Bill Gates orders them to do so.