HI, Guys,
This seems to be a new trend on the part of MicroSoft to stampede users,
especially corporate users, to upgrade to the newest and latest versions
of their software, whether they need or want to do so or not.  This may be
their response to the very lukewarm reception that Windows Millennium
Edition got from the business, government, and educational communities,
who mostly stayed with whatever version of Windows 98, or even Windows 95,
they were already using on the client workstations in their PC networks.
There was notification, but apparently not enough of an outcry when
MicroSoft announced that they were ending all support, free or otherwise
for Windows 95--all versions.  Because of this practice, you may see a
bigger, and earlier switch on the part of businesses and other large-user
entities to Windows XP for client workstations and standalone PC's in the
commercial, educational, and government environments.

Another tactic they are using in addition to ending free support, or
support altogether for older versions of software, is to let sellers and
dealers of systems know in no uncertain terms that older versions may not
even be installed on new systems offered for sale after a certain date, or
at least that MicroSoft will not license those versions, or offer any
support for them, either to the installing seller, or to the customer/end
user who buys such a machine.

HMMMMM!!!  Linux, any one?


Brent Reynolds
Random Access Internet Shell account
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