When I thought Microsoft was going to extend XP’s lifetime to better slug it out with Linux on Ultra Mobile PCs and Mobile Internet Devices, I was afraid Linux was going to have to fight hard for the low-end of the desktop.
Now that we know that only XP Home is going to have a longer life and Microsoft is going to have to contort itself over what systems can and what systems can’t get it, I’m much happier. XP Pro was much more troublesome in my mind.
You see while XP Home will keep, well, the home users happy, XP Home has always been useless for businesses. It all comes down to one simple fact. You can use XP Pro on a business network, but not XP Home.
As my colleague Joe Wilcox over at Microsoft-Watch put it: “Ultra low-cost PCs and MIDs aren’t Windows PC companions, they’re replacements—for many end users. And Linux will deliver the enterprise capabilities lacking in Windows XP Home.”
Exactly.