It pays to read the whole headline. Yesterday I wrote about the expiration of automated Windows service pack blockers under the words, "Microsoft To Kill Vista, XP Upgrade Blockers". I think some people got the wrong idea.The story was featured high on Google News, a slot that usually guarantees a good 20,000 page views or so. This one pulled more than 100,000 hits. My editor, Alex Wolfe, and I surmised that readers only glancing at the hed believed (hoped?) that Microsoft had pulled the plug on the operating system everyone loves to hate and wanted all the gory details.

Sorry to disappoint. Vista is alive and well (Ok, it's alive), at least until Windows 7 ships later this year or early next. The story's online success got me thinking about some other juicy possibilities for Redmond-related news. "Microsoft Kills Linus Torvalds", "Microsoft Issues Steve Ballmer, SP2", "Gates Donates Remaining Fortune To Madoff Victims," all sprang to mind. If only they were true.

On a more realistic note, the fact that a headline that included the words "Vista" and "Kill" in the same sentence drew more than 100,000 readers highlights just how unpopular the OS has become. I've found, almost literally, only a handful of big businesses that are running Vista anywhere in their enterprise.

Vista's sluggishness, lack of compatibility with older applications, and intrusive security measures are the most frequently cited complaints by IT pros and everyday computer users alike.

The good news: Microsoft appears to be doing everything it can to get Windows 7 out the door as quickly as possible. 7 in 2009 would be a welcome development for the tech industry. If that happens, then I'll write the following hed: "Microsoft Kills Windows Vista. Period".