Microsoft responds to "Save XP" petition

A Microsoft spokesperson today acknowledged InfoWorld's petition effort asking the company to keep Windows XP for sale indefinitely rather than drop the popular OS from most sales outlets on June 30 as planned.

"We're aware of it but are listening first and foremost to feedback we hear from partners and customers about what makes sense based on their needs," a spokesperson told Computerworld Australia.

The spokesperson noted that Microsoft had already delayed XP's demise by six months from its original Dec. 31, 2007, end-of-sales date, as software vendors, customers, and others complained that the deadline was too soon, coming less than a year after Windows Vista's release. "That's what informed our decision to extend the availability of XP initially and what will continue to guide us," she said.

Microsoft has not responded to InfoWorld's several requests for a comment on the petition effort, which has gathered more than 79,000 signatures as of this morning.