[citation][nom]malphas[/nom]It's a reasonable timeframe but no-one realises that because of the massive delay between XP and 7 (Vista was - rightly or wrongly - considered a failure and so didn't really count). Microsoft used to release new OS versions every couple years, 95 to 98 to Me to XP, all just a few years apart. Just because a new version comes out doesn't mean everyone has to migrate from the previous version to that one, it is possible to skip a version or two.What does need to change is Microsoft's pricing to retail customers though.[/citation]
Agree! People jumpt OS versions all the time, just as they do with CPU's and GPU's. Only a minority has the money, enthusiasm and need to swap OS, GPU and CPU every year.
Most people kept XP during Vista's lifespan and they didn't lose any critical functionality (at least 90% didn't as all software ran, and still mostly runs, on XP), Some people jumped from a single core Pentium 4 to a Core 2 Duo, and then jumped the Core 2 Quad straight to a Core i5 or i7; the same with GPU's: some people jumped the GTX 2xx series from a 8800GT/9800GT/GTX to a GTX 460.
It happens all the time, and it works.