Eleventh in a series. Our celebration of Windows XP's 10th anniversary continues with a contest! You give us reasons to quit XP for Windows 7, and we could give you a prize. Right now we've got five Microsoft mice to give away. But I'm hoping that some other Microsoft group will see the Entertainment & Devices division's generosity and throw more prizes your way. For a contest like this, a few copies of Window 7 would be appropriate. We thank E&D PR for providing: Arch Mouse (two), Explorer Touch Mouse (two) and Touch Mouse (one).
The rules are simple: Submit your reasons in comments below or (if you want to keep your ideas secret from others) email joe at betanews dot com. You can submit up to five reasons, and we will choose five from all submissions -- more if we add to the prize list. Your reasons must be why give up Windows XP for 7. Sorry, but this is a Linux- and Mac-free contest. Reasons can be serious or funny, but they will need some originality or pizzazz to beat out others. For example, "security is better" won't win anything, unless all the submissions are godawful. But "my mother-in-law is a botnet herder" has potential. Our panel of editors will pick the winners. The contest is open from now until 11:59 pm ET on October 29. We'll announce prize winners the first week of November 2011.
Meanwhile, have a look at our "Windows XP turns 10" series -- stories and comments -- for inspiration. Then give us your reasons to quit XP for Windows 7.
1. "Remembering Windows XP" -- Joe Wilcox
2. "What Windows XP's Launch Meant to Me" -- Andre Da Costa
3. "You can pry Windows XP from my cold, dead hands" -- Chris Boss
4. "Windows XP was two products worth of development" -- Larry Seltzer
5. "Where did Windows XP codename 'Whistler' come from?" -- Roland Hofmann
6. "Windows XP made me a chain smoker" -- Robbie Jardine
7. "Windows XP changed my life" -- James Ward
8. "Celebrate XP's anniversary -- switch to Windows 7" -- Joe Wilcox
9. "Happy Birthday! Windows XP turns 10" -- Joe Wilcox
10. "10 years of Windows XP [slideshow]" -- Joe Wilcox
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