"I am not at all sure why Microsoft (or any other company) should be forced or expected to keep old and out of date software available. For that matter, MS has a really good track record of supplying support for discontinued software well past any reasonable time frame." Sounds good soulhuntre, even reasonable at first glance. The problem is we are not talking software applications like Poser or PhotoShop here. We are talking about the engine, the OS, and people have very different considerations when choosing it like: Most software applications are backwardly compatible and will work on more-recent previous versions of the OS systems and there is often a competitive choice of software applications to do a given job. However, not all the software that currently works on your machine is guaranteed to work on XP, despite the hype, and there is a big difference in price between e.g. your copy of Maya (if one were so lucky) and XP. In those circumstances I would want a proven OS. Remember the half a million+ bugs in Win 98. Look around the forums here, one of the most frequently asked questions has been the compatibility of Poser with Win 2000pro. That is what most people are concerned about here and throughout the computing world. "Are people upset Ford doesn't still sell a 1995 model pick up truck in 2000? No. A product moves on and the old stuff stops being sold. That's life." Bad analogy, when you sell your Ford and replace it, it is a total solution, the equivalent of a new OS and new software applications in one go. You do not have to carry over a large investment in components like you do with existing software and PC hardware. Replacing your OS is equivalent to replacing your Ford's engine and possibly finding out later that the brakes, steering, gearbox etc. also have to be replaced in order to work with it. Sorry, but I view Microsoft's "initiative" as a cynical attempt to exercise control over what we use, how we use it and the frequency we have to shell out our hard earned dollars to them and their industry partners. If Microsoft were Ford they would simply not be able to get away with this because of the serious competition from other manufacturers. Unfortunately they have been allowed and encouraged to dominate the world market and attempts to curb the monster have failed in the courts (and therein lies a story!) and now it is pay-back time. "There has NEVER been any lack of pirate trading in the Windows systems - how in the world would the discontinuation of Windows2000 make it more available when it is already completely universal?" It will because of the demand from people who would have normally and willingly paid for the OS, but now have to turn to the Pirates to get it. That is what Ironbear means. And when previously honest people are forced to go this route it is likely that they will begin to source all their other software requirements in this way as well. Bottom line Microsoft is not like any other software manufacturer. It is crucial to the majority of us because it has connived to create a situation where we have to use the Windows product in order to run the software and hardware we use to earn a living, to communicate and to have fun. That is why so many people get so angry about the issue. Abusing that monopolistic dominance on a global scale is what this is about. It is for this very reason that so many people are so anti-Microsoft. If they extend the Irish retail policy worldwide watch the anger and outcry. Regards STORM