If you want last years model, you're going to end up paying market value for it. In this case, market value of XP after point of sale on a computer is some amount of money. It's not a fee, it's a price. If last years model is more in demand than this year's and their are associated costs with distributing and supporting it, then there will obviously be a price involved. Otherwise, Microsoft would not be a BUSINESS.

The product she bought had Vista preinstalled, thus she bought a license to use Vista. Since she did not pay for XP, so she must purchase XP in order to use it. If she wanted XP preinstalled in her computer, she should not have bought a computer with Vista preinstalled.

I would like to point out that this text could not have come from 400 BCE and contain the Gospel of Mark. Did the author intend to say 400 CE? I am curious about the errors made in this stub, as well as the reaction to it. This has helped me realize some of the shortcomings of the Slashdot perspective of the world.