Vista Boomers - Microsoft's Power Failure

Whenever there has been a protracted power outage, it has often been followed by an upsurge in births nine months later. We all understand why: people are bored, stuck in the dark with nothing else to do.

We're having a bit of a Microsoft power outage right now. All but true Windows fans understand that Vista is awful. Windows Seven isn't ready yet (and frankly looks just as unappetizing as Vista) and although Microsoft has again extended XP's drop dead date to May 2009, everybody also understands that XP is showing its age - never mind that it began life with problems!

Oh sure, some will buy Vista. Total ignorance drives a lot of that: those are the people who haven't read anything about Vista except the fluff that Microsoft produces. For others, it's just desperation: they don't know what else to do.

Do you know that feeling you get when you come across someone running Microsoft ME? You think "Oh, you poor thing - you bought that and have been using it all this time? Such a shame.."

That will be Vista users five years from now. Forlorn orphans who foolishly bought the wrong OS at the wrong time.

For a lot of other people, the lights are still out. They know their XP machine is risky, but they don't want Vista. Can they hang on and wait for Windows Seven? Is there any point to waiting? It's dark, and it's getting cold..

It's baby making time.. or rather time to switch. The year 2009 could see the biggest market share losses that Microsoft has ever experienced. It's a "perfect storm" scenario: a bad economy where no one wants to spend money to start with makes Vista look like an even worse choice: Microsoft is already pushing Windows Seven to replace it. How comfortable can anyone feel about Vista when even Microsoft is plainly about to abandon it? XP is still possible until May (assuming Microsoft doesn't have to push that out farther again!) but its bones are creaking and every one knows its security problems will be even worse when Microsoft finally does pull the plug. What to do?

Well, we know the answer: buy a Mac or, if you are a little more techy and adventurous, install Linux right over that ancient XP. In a bad economy, Linux is a great choice: nothing new to buy at all!

Microsoft may never turn the lights back on. If they ever do, they may find it's too late: the world will have moved on. The "Vista boomers" may turn out to be Macs and Linux boxes. Too bad, Microsoft, but really: you deserve it.

Keep reminding your Windows friends and neighbors that the lights are out and that Microsoft isn't doing so well getting them back on. Show them that they do have better choices. Tell them you don't want to see them end up raising a Windows ME baby..