yes, and that's why it is very very interesting what will happen in future. I know a LOT of people who use XP and deny to use Vista, so either MS will have to support XP for a very long time (and they have to communicate that soon) or these people will have to look for alternatives... To some of them i gave a Ubuntu (or Knoppix, which is only well-known in Germany) Live CD and they were very surprised how nice it looks like and how good it works, and it's a operating system plus all relevant applications for many purposes .... and its legal and free ... and stable and secure ... and will be supported or updateable (free of charge) to newer version ....
Mircosoft will never loss because computers are sold with Vista in them, computers are sold with Xp in them, hell there is a whole prosesor range the Athlon 1800Xp wich solely drives on windows XP
you can only break the power of microsoft when you walk into a shop and have a choise to buy:
A) Computer with vista
B) Computer with linux
C) Computer wich has no OS
then and ONLY THEN will you be able to break the power microsift has..
now here is a other side to the story, many people have illegal copies of XP, a friend of min has one too this is what he did.
1) he formatted hes hard drive
2) he removes internet connection
3) installed illigal windows version
4) turned off automatic updates
5) he went online installed games, msn etc etc etc
after a few weeks hes windows started to show errors, wich it normally hadt, then all of a sudden hes windows began to say: this is a illigal copy of windows blah blah blah.... How does Microsoft know this?? he thinks becayse MSN probably has some sort of spyware wich alerts microsoft when it detects a computer wich hasnt had any updates or when the serie number is aleady used..
think about that!
MS must change their strategy or they will slowly loose the fight to linux.
There are so many linux users who develope the linux product ( useing and compatibility to other programs ) that in few years if Ms go on like this Windows start to fade away to backround and i dont think that Bill is so stupid that let this happen.
First thing MS need to do is to try to keep xp users pleased, then face the fact Vista is not ready and develope it or make new operating system that for sure works
Second thing to do is to realize that they dont rule the world
MS has lost its statue at server users...at least i have heard that there are more linux systems in servers and routers etc.
And that MS is selling the server applications really cheep.
Monopoly is finally starting to fall down !!
but nothing...normal upload and installed the pack and still that copy xp worked fine