Windows XP: Gone June 30th

Microsoft is ceasing sales of Windows XP and that's got some PC wonks in a dither.

Goodbye, Windows XP.

Microsoft, which released its latest operating system, Vista, last year, plans to stop selling Windows XP in stores and through its PC partners on June 30.

It's a typical move in the high-tech industry, as older models make way for new ones. But in this case, the shift has been met with some grumbling, given the criticism Windows Vista has received and reports that users were "upgrading" their Vista computers to XP.

InfoWorld, a site for information technology specialists, started a petition last month urging Microsoft to continue selling XP. So far, it has collected 80,000 signatures and impassioned pleas.

"It's a pretty strong response," said InfoWorld Executive Editor Galen Gruman. "Consumers are the most affected because they won't be able to buy XP themselves on a new computer and at stores. ... Consumers will be the ones caught unaware."

I'm hanging on to my XP as long as I can.