> There's plenty of blame to go around, if you want to play blame games. The "free market" has no mechanism for 3rd parties to affect the decision making proces

> There's plenty of blame to go around, if you want to play blame games. The "free market" has no mechanism for 3rd parties to affect the decision making process. Microsoft has its policies, well known to the buyers, and the buyers accepted this as well as their own policy to delay recommended upgrades." Nobody forced people to purchase Microsoft software. There are other vendors (Apple, Linux based systems). But if they choose to purchase the software, they need to follow the vendors maintenance instructions if they want properly operating equipment. Does United Airlines ignore the maintenance instructions of Boeing or Airbus? If they even thought about it, the FAA would be all over them. In the case of hospitals in the US and the UK there are accrediting agencies. In the US it is The Joint Commission. In the UK it is Care Quality Commission. If the people running hospitals are irresponsible and choose not to follow manufacturers instructions for maintenace for any capital equipment, then the accrediting agencies should refused accreditation.