Microsoft move stuns nation

Microsoft's exciting announcement that Windows 7 will be able to downgrade to XP has sent a shock wave through the computer industry as both competitors and application providers absorb the news.

Reaction from Steve Jobs was immediate: "Not only will our upcoming Snow Leopard release be able to downgrade to Leopard, but you'll be able to downgrade Leopard to Tiger and follow that all the way back to Jaguar and even Puma and Cheetah! Further, starting next month, all Apple iMacs will be able to downgrade themselves to Apple II's".

IBM's Sam Palmisano said that he was studying the announcement closely but saw no reason why their Linux products couldn't match Windows features by being able to roll back to earlier kernel versions. "We can take you to OS/360 if that's where you want to go", he explained.

The ever flamboyant Larry Ellison of Oracle was not to be outdone. "We're skipping all the intermediate B.S.", he explained. "As of tomorrow, you can downgrade Oracle to DBase II in one step."

This reporter was surprised to learn that it's not just the computer industry that sees Microsoft's move as smart business. Ford Motor Company's Alan Mulally said that Ford was planning similar capabilities long before Microsoft made this announcement. "We had convertibles back in the twenties", he sniffed, "so this is nothing new. With our latest technology, you can downgrade to a gas-guzzling 70's muscle car at the flip of a switch."

However, not everyone is on-board with downgrades. Barack Obama, speaking to reporters who asked about the U.S. Government being run more like a business, had this to say: "While I certainly want to revert many Bush era actions, we're not going to take this too far. No Constitutional rollbacks and Hawaii remains a State as long as I'm in office!"

Analysts do insist that this trend won't be stopped. "It's simple nostalgia", explained one prominent psychologist who did not wish to be identified. "People long for a simpler time - Microsoft has its fingers on the pulse of the people, that's for sure."

But some caustic critics insist that Microsoft can't be trusted. An anonymous trader on Wall Street says he never believes anything Microsoft says: "Sure, they let you downgrade to XP. But then every Tuesday another so-called 'patch' comes out and in a few months you'll be right back to Windows 7. That's how they get you."