Opinion: Steam-powered computing

And yes, you can downgrade to XP from your new Vista purchase, but even that option will expire pretty soon. But is this really such a problem? Microsoft might not offer you any support, but it's not like it's actually broken.

In fact, after SP3 shipped it pretty much works as advertised so, why worry?

I've got a 40-year old Land Rover in the garage and you can't exactly call the dealer and expect to get it serviced right away either. Sure you can still buy bits for it, since there were so many of them made for so many years and they were nearly all identical – just like Windows XP.

And there are plenty of people who know how to fix the thing. So why worry? Why not just keep using it until it just won't go any more? I'm sure the world's oil supply will run out before it dies anyway. Just like Windows XP.

OK, so yes, I do have another much newer car for every day use – it's not like I'm going to drive the old banger to Brisbane, but hey, if there was no other option it would get me there. A tad slower and a tad louder than the newer toy, but it would get me there.

And so will Windows XP. Sure your new Vista laptop goes like the clappers and looks ickle-pretty. But your WinXP box still surfs the net when required – so why not let it keep doing its thing?

There's nothing quite like driving around in a 40-year old four-wheel-drive, with manual gears and no synchro on first gear. Or second gear. And the overdrive whines something dreadful. And it rattles and shakes like Mick Jagger. And if it rains you get wet no matter where you sit.

But this is motoring nostalgia. People used to cross continents in these things and you still wonder how they did it. But then, if you wanted to get the job done, there wasn't much choice really. A bit like Windows XP.