An Open Letter to Microsoft: Re-Release Windows XP

Dear Mr. Gates, Mr. Ballmer, and the many good folks at Microsoft Corp.,

It's time to sober up on Windows Vista. This just isn't working out, and your users are getting frustrated to the point where they're souring on Windows altogether. In case you haven't seen some of the more noteworthy blog posts on this topic, I refer you to Chris Pirillo, Scot's Newsletter, or Spend Matters. Or check out the recent bug reports regarding product activation and security flaws. This is all stuff I managed to dredge up that was written yesterday.

People are unhappy with Vista. Really unhappy. And though I know Microsoft has its own form of Steve Jobs' reality distortion field, it certainly can't keep you from seeing at least some of the sobering sales figures and the crush of disappointing reviews of Vista. I don't want to dredge up all the reasons people are unhappy with Vista in this letter. I want to talk about what you ought to do stop a mass migration to Linux and the Mac.

You've actually been in this situation before, and not long ago. The OS was Windows Millennium Edition, which had the same fanfare as Vista and the same DOA response. But Millennium didn't kill Microsoft. In fact, few computer users probably remember it at all. Why? Because you gave them an alternative:  Windows 2000, which had come out earlier that year and which you had positioned for higher-end users. (There was only one desktop version of 2000: "Professional.") But within months, every user, whether an IT pro or a home tinkerer, was running Win2K.

This time you don't have an escape clause: You can get a new PC with Vista Home Basic, Vista Home Premium, Vista Business, or Vista Ultimate. But it's all Vista, and it's all got the same problems. Only some versions have more of them.

So here's the solution. Reintroduce Windows XP.

Think of it as what happened with New Coke. When that tanked, Coca-Cola Classic hit the shelves and it became bigger than ever. Maybe you could freshen up XP with some of Vista's visuals, but leave intact its menus and control panels, its functional networking, and its broad hardware and software support. You know, the things that people actually need to get their work done. Call it "Windows XP Reloaded" or something clever like that, and tack on $30 to the price tag for your trouble. And more importantly: Allow OEMs to install XP instead of Vista, giving new PC buyers a choice. XP is easy to come by as shrinkwrapped software, but getting it preloaded on a PC is tough. (Update: Actually I just heard from a manufacturer that they are still allowed to preinstall XP, but it seems many vendors shy away from it for fear of looking outdated... I guess encouraging them to use XP is too much to ask?)

Still, I do have some hope for Vista. It's running on one machine on my network, and I really like that Flip3D business. But its shocking lack of hardware support and aggravating bugs mean I could never use it in a production setting. Then again, by the time it's ready, you'll probably be on to the next OS. And maybe that's for the best.

Good luck.

Christopher Null
Yahoo! Tech

Y!Tech readers: Please add a comment to this post if you'd like to add your "virtual signature" to this letter to Microsoft asking for XP's return to the market.