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An era ended Monday. The first day of Steve Ballmer's occupation of the corner office at Microsoft's headquarters in Redmond, WA., also marked the last day for Windows XP.

June 30 was the "end of sales" deadline for the venerable version of the Windows operating system, which Microsoft is trying to replace with Windows Vista. But in a letter to customers, Bill Veghte, a senior vice president at Microsoft, emphasized three options for customers who "need" Windows XP on new boxes.

First and foremost are the so-called "downgrade rights" available to Vista Business and Vista Ultimate customers. In addition, business customers that license Windows through Microsoft's volume licensing programs can get downgrade rights.

Downgrade Rights

Computer sellers like Dell, Hewlett Packard and Lenovo are offering downgrade rights on their PCs. "This is a great value because it lets you use Windows XP on new PCs today if you need it, and then make the move to take advantage of the additional capabilities of Windows Vista when you are ready, without having to pay for an upgrade," Veghte wrote.

The problem for Microsoft is that many enterprises will never be ready, given the concerns businesses have with the stability and reliability of Vista, plus the fact that much of the hardware that businesses own need upgrades to run Vista.

The opposition to Vista fueled a campaign to get Microsoft to extend XP sales. At InfoWorld, Executive Editor Galen Gruman created an online petition drive to "Save XP" and the tech newsweekly last week sent Microsoft the petition with more than 200,000 signatures.

Waiting for Windows 7?

"The typical interval from the introduction of a new version of Windows to the end-sale date for the previous version is two years. Given the disruptive nature of many Vista upgrades, we feel that Microsoft should continue to make Windows XP available...

Yahoo Inc. began pressing a case to major shareholders Monday that its board and management deserve a chance to prove they made the right move when they rejected a $47.5 billion takeover offer from Microsoft Corp.

The missed opportunity to sell to Microsoft infuriated many Yahoo shareholders, prompting activist investor Carl Icahn to agitate for replacing Yahoo's nine directors and reviving negotiations with Microsoft. If he gains control of the board, Icahn intends to fire Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang as chief executive.

In response, Yahoo has assembled a 32-page shareholder presentation to elaborate on the points it has been emphasizing since Microsoft withdrew its bid May 3.

Investors will decide the dustup in a vote scheduled Aug. 1 at Yahoo's annual meeting. That leaves another month for the Sunnyvale, California-based company and Icahn to disparage each other.

And with Yahoo shares sliding back toward $19.18 -- their value before Microsoft's bid -- Yahoo's management is facing even more pressure to end the financial malaise that triggered the takeover bid in the first place. Yahoo shares fell 44 cents to $20.89 in Monday's afternoon trading.

Icahn didn't respond to a request for comment Monday, but he wrote on his blog last week that he would share his latest opinions on Yahoo "shortly."

Yahoo argues that entrusting the company's fate to Icahn would be foolhardy because his strategy centers on resurrecting a dead deal.

Its breaking point came after Yang and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer couldn't agree on a price. Ballmer had orally offered $33 per share, but Yang wanted $37 per share -- a price that Yahoo's stock hasn't reached in nearly 2 1/2 years.

Since Microsoft walked away, Yahoo said it tried to reopen sales negotiations in meetings on May 17 and June 8, only to be told "unequivocally" that the software maker no longer is interested in...

To Celeste Tyler and her teenage friends, text-messaging is as effortless as tying their shoes.

The high school senior can text without looking, sending messages on her red Samsung "slider" while it's behind her back, in her purse or under her desk at school, where cell phones are banned.

So why not do it while driving?

Well, now the law. A state rule that takes effect Tuesday prohibits 16- and 17-year-olds from using any device to talk or text while driving, except in an emergency.

A companion law allows adults to continue chatting away, but says they must use a hands-free device while driving.

And that's just not fair, Tyler said.

"I've seen a lot of adult drivers that are way more irresponsible than my friends with licenses," said the 17-year-old, who is studying for her license. "People over 28 don't know how to use their phones very well."

Most teenagers rarely talk on their cell phones, she said, preferring text and instant messaging instead.

Texting is not specifically prohibited in the law for those 18 and older, but law enforcement officials say it's generally covered under statutes aimed at distracted drivers.

California's crackdown is part of a nationwide movement to get drivers' attention focused on the road rather than their conversations and their gadgets.

Lawmakers in 33 states have introduced 127 bills related to driver distraction this year alone, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

"Ten years ago, there were very few people with cell phones," said Matt Sundeen, the organization's transportation expert. "That's obviously changed."

New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and Utah are among the states with laws requiring hands-free use of cell phones. A Washington state law takes effect at the same time as California's.

Some cities also have passed restrictions, including Chicago and Santa Fe, N.M., as has the District of Columbia.

In California, more than 4,000 people...