Microsoft VP dangles possibility of XP availability past June 30

In an open letter to customers , Microsoft vice president Bill Veghte — who runs the Windows group — has dangled the possibility of continued Windows XP availability past June 30, while reiterating that Microsoft was committed to ending most licensing sales of XP on that date. [ It’s not too late! Help convince Microsoft to keep Windows XP widely available after June 30. Sign InfoWorld’s petition today! ] Most of the options Veghte described in that letter are old news: the “downgrade” option that lets Vista Business and Ultimate customers install XP over Vista using the Vista license, the ability of “white box” PC makers (usually mom-and-pop shops) to install XP until February 2009, and the capability of PC makers to install XP Home on sub-$600 PCs designed for poor countries (but also available in the United States) until January 2010. But he also wrote what seemed to be an escape hatch for major PC...