Of course, they can't leave WinUpdate on because they did not legally purchase Windows :p
Nevermind the fact that nearly all proprietary software on a system may or may not function correctly with the release of a service pack or a new browser, testing should always be done before hand which is why auto updates are turned OFF.
on the IE6 front i completely agree, i have a redirect page setup with a link to IE 7 for our company website.. IE7 isnt the newest and greatest thing by any means but its a whole lot better than its predecessor.
Perhaps "please upgrade your browser" messages should also instruct users to look for an alternative browser which may already be available. That said, I still think showing such messages to potential customers is categorically stupid.
As for the article, I did find it insightful in as far as I did not know before why people continue using ie6. I thought the idea to ask them upgrade was quite a logical one. However, although it might work in forcing my university to upgrade, I am not too sure as I suppose the IT department has a lot on its plate and perhaps upgrading their browser is not as important as say upgrading the online learning environment.