Around the Web - MLK Weekend Edition

Want to Save Windows XP? Sign Here, Please...

While XP's already gotten a reprieve until June 30, 2008 (OEM/retail sales) and December 31, 2008 (sales through "white-box" system builders), InfoWorld's not satisfied with a stay of execution. If you're not ready to give up Windows XP yet, sign its Save Windows XP! petition.

Should you sign? ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley doesn't see the point. She reminds us that Microsoft's already promising mainstream (free) support until April 2009, and free security fixes and paid support until 2014 - about 13 years after Windows XP was first introduced!

To put a 13-year effective lifespan into perspective, that's about the distance between the original MS-DOS 1.0 and MS-DOS 6.22! It will be interesting to see how many signatures InfoWorld's online petition garners - and whether it matters at all.

...But Before You Do, Check Out These Cool Windows Vista Secrets

If you're a fan of Windows XP's PowerToys, you've probably been bemoaning the lack of PowerToys for Vista. One reason they're "missing" is because some are built into Vista!

MSDNer Tim Sneath provides two secrets that are revealed if you hold down the shift key when you right-click a folder:

• You can open a command prompt at the folder location (just like the Windows XP Command Prompt Here PowerToy)
• You can copy the path to the folder ("C:\Users\Marcus\Blogs\MaxPC"), a trick that normally requires opening a command-prompt window and fiddling around with selecting text, copying it, and pasting it to Notepad.

If you're looking for downloadable Vista applications deserving the title "PowerToy" (even if unofficially), check out the following:

• Brandon Paddock's amazing Start ++, which supercharges the Start,Run, and command line interfaces with shortcuts, adding easy ways to run a program with elevated privileges, and more. It's been called "the first great Windows Vista PowerToy."
• Michael Murgolo's collection of scripting tools that make it easier to run in elevated privilege level when needed.
• My personal favorite (and a rarity, an official Windows XP PowerToy that also works in Vista), SyncToy.

USB 3.0? Asus's M50 Gives a Glimpse of the Future - Today

The Register website reports that the forthcoming Asus M50 laptop's USB ports have gone through a redesign that makes them ready for the extra connections in the forthcoming USB 3.0 specification. USB 3.0 will transfer data at speeds in excess of 1Gbps, but will retain backwards-compatibility with USB 1.1 and USB 2.0 devices.