Should Linux be used to replace Windows XP on older hardware?

I’m all for keeping those millions of machines out of the scrap heaps, but I don’t know how I feel about the Linux community crying out for everyone to use their out-of-date hardware for Linux. The success of Linux as a legitimate desktop operating system cannot, in any way, hinge on dumpster diving in Microsoft’s garbage. In fact, winning the desktop war — on any front — cannot (and will not) be had by picking up any of the slack that smacks of the past. Success must begin in the present and quickly move into the future.