" The demand was articulated through Dell's IdeaStorm site, where users post their suggestions and vote on the best ones. More than 11,000 votes not to eliminate XP made sentiments clear. "

" Earlier this month, Dell had reinstituted XP as an option on small business computers. "Dell recognizes the needs of small business customers and understands that more time is needed to transition to a new operating system," wrote Dell Small Business Marketing Director Tom West on a company blog at the time. "The plan is to continue offering Windows XP on select Dimension and Inspiron systems until later this summer." "

" But, he wrote, the company did not intend to provide XP for home users "as the preference and demand is for the 'latest and greatest' technology, which includes Windows Vista." "

" Apparently, not all home users agreed. Vista is "still a young operating system with its own problems," wrote a user named javaprog07 on February 17, in a posting that started the wave of requests. "I would like to see both Home and Business computers, especially notebooks have an XP Home and Pro option on top of Vista until it has at least been out for a year." "

" Javaprog07 said the request was "for those seasoned users like me, who just feel that you need to let a new OS mature before jumping right in. I am planning on buying a new "

", and I would like to insure I won't have to format it on arrival just to have XP." "

" Dell's response shows that the company is taking the feedback seriously, said John Spindler, an analyst at technology research firm Current Analysis. "It's a good idea for Dell," he said, "because it shows that they give customers a choice." "

" But he indicated that, in general, the Windows choices for consumers are quickly getting narrow. In the retail market, he said, "less than 2 percent of consumer machines being sold have XP as an option." "

" Vista apparently gave a small boost to general
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