June 30th has finally arrived, the day Microsoft said it would stop selling Windows XP as a retail packaged product and cease licensing it to major PC manufacturers. And if you were hoping for a last minute reprieve, Microsoft's Bill Veghte appeared to quell any doubts the software maker plans to march forward as planned. Is it truly too late to save XP? Or perhaps you should be asking yourself if there's any reason to.

In what will in all likelihood turn out to be a futile effort, InfoWorld devised an online petition collecting digital signatures demanding that Microsoft continue selling XP in its current form. SaveXP.com managed to solicit over 210,000 supporters which, along with a cover letter, was FedEx'd last Friday to Steve Ballmer. Though the petition's already been sent, you can still add your virtual John Hancock in a last ditch effort to grab Microsoft's attention, save Windows XP from extinction, and rejoice for a job well done

InfoWorld should be applauded for their efforts, but here's what's going to happen anyway:

• Windows XP will reach its 'end of life' as planned
• Eee PC and other Netbook and Nettop owners will continue to buy ultraportables and low power PCs with XP preinstalled
• Vista Ultimate and Business owners will continue to have the option to 'downgrade' to XP
• OEMs of all shapes and sizes will continue to buy XP through Authorized Distributors through January 31, 2009
• Existing and future XP owners will receive security updates and patches until April, 2014

Given that availability in a variety of forms will continue through the end of the year and just beyond, along with support all the way through to 2014, just what exactly is XP in need of saving from? If Mark Twain were a tech a journalist, he'd say "The reports of XP's death are greatly exaggerated." But he's not, so I'll say it instead.

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