Good news for small businesses looking to buy more computers before the end of this year: Microsoft will allow vendors to sell XP rather than Vista pre-loaded on PCs for five more months. That means XP should be available through June 2008.
My guess? Microsoft will blink yet again and let vendors sell XP until the Vista Service Pack 1 comes out, which will probably be in about six or seven months. I doubt they will allow vendors to pre-install XP Service Pack 3, if and when that comes out, probably in the summer after Vista SP1 comes out in the spring.
Microsoft normally switches vendors over to their new operating system on a certain date and that's the end of discussion. Of course, Microsoft also used to threaten to withhold Windows completely from any vendor who so much as added a Netscape icon to the desktop (said court findings about Compaq during the Microsoft anti-trust trial). Could the recent move from Dell to sell Linux loaded onto computers be making the world a bit safer for operating system choice? I bet so.
Even if you've never looked at a Linux computer, but you still want to buy XP, thank the Linux community for at least part of Microsoft's continuing XP support for new PCs. And then go look at a Linux computer for at least a few jobs in your business. You will be surprised at how much software you get for how little money.
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