I wonder how some of you MVP's got your status with these comments. What people are primarily upset about is that in spite of being a free service, it was taken away. The obvious reasons that we can all see here is that MS wants people to get with newer
operating systems. To the users and most others with any level of technical savvy, this a problem to those who have become dependent on it, or have older computers. It's entirely possible to simply leave the system in place that already worked for XP users.
The fact is you can still purchase new computers with XP installed, from major brands like HP and Dell and XP's support doesn't end until 2014.
Some of you really pull off this elitist attitude when you tow the line of get over it and upgrade. You act as if people should stop whining and go out and buy a new computer. The two truths here are that MS wants people to upgrade and that many people don't
have a compelling reason to do so, or they simply can't. What's caught in the middle is a feature that MS once offered for free, and then took away, simply because it's been re-branded and a check in place to make sure it doesn't install on XP. This was done
on purpose and is nothing new.
ms_mike, I'm not sure where you are seeing any "elitist attitude." I take offense at that charge.
Since we are in the Live Mesh beta forum, I'll focus on that. Live Mesh *beta* was never released. It has always been a beta. It was never a free offering for anyone, nor was it a paid offering. Support was handled through the forums and at an earlier time
via bug reports and email. When Microsoft released Windows Live Mesh, they could have immediately closed down Live Mesh beta - in fact they could have closed it down long before, since development was happening on the new version. To keep multiple services
operating in order to support XP would be very costly. The reality is that there are 3rd party products that can be used to perform remote access and file sync that will work with a variety of operating systems. They aren't free, though.
I am fully aware of the reason people are upset. I am fully aware that people cannot upgrade their computers or operating systems and cannot afford a new PC. I do not expect Microsoft to provide a free service or product to older operating systems. there
are people still running Windows 95 and Windows NT and Windows 2000. I would not be surprised to find someone happily running Windows 3.0. The fact that people continue to run unsupported operating systems doesn't mean the Microsoft should provide them with
the same additional services and programs being given to those using the latest 2 operating system versions. And, I expect that when Windows 8 is released, there will be perks for users of it or Windows 7 that will not be available to users of Vista.
Your final two sentences are speculation on motive. It isn't fact, but even if it were, that is Microsoft's right in a free market economy. Windows Live Mesh was called Windows Live Sync during the beta and it was an upgrade to the existing Windows
Live Sync - built on the architecture of live Mesh beta, but dependent on features not available in XP, to the best of my knowledge. It was rebranded as Windows Live Mesh at release. Windows Live Essentials 2009, with the exception of Windows Live Sync (and
perhaps Family Safety, though I am not sure), will continue to work on XP. The web services of Windows Live are available to all - even Mac and Linux users.
You are welcome to use Windows XP as long as you wish. Eventually, the benefits will dwindle more and more. It will be unsupported and new software and hardware will fail to work with it.
-steve
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