Microsoft counting down to the end of Windows XP

2014 !? I'm not sure if we'll be using PCs in the current form by then. Sticking to XP to its death ;-)

many poverties will replace their XP to linux based OS or iPad. it accelerates reducing MS domination.

many poverties will replace their XP to linux based OS or iPad.

Linux, yes.

iPad - "poverties" can't afford it.

XP will still continue to work - it just won't be updated no more.

codomo - Linux - yes, have a look at Fedora 16 with Gnome 3 - it is so much better and smoother than Windows 7 with Aqua.

iPad - nope - it costs more than low end netbooks which come with Win7 anyway. Cheap 7-10 inch, 150-200 USD Android pads (also a Linux) yes, those will take the job of "Internet Browsers"...

Sorry but I feel Windows should be put to rest all together. Nothing but a giant magnet for viruses and so forth. I'm a proud Apple user and have had no problems in the past 2 years.

it will no longer support the generations-old operating system that people have clung to despite the releases of successors Vista and Windows 7.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Perhaps they should consider why people are clinging to XP. It's a good OS. People are happy. Why force them to change if they don't want to? I think they should consider continuing to support and stand by their product until that support is no longer necessary.

Tom DeMicke.

Retire windows and the crackers will focus on the next platform that replaces it.

Reality is there is NO secure system it was just a matter of time and market-share before Apple got hit. The crackers and viruses won't go away when windows does. Windows goes and the focus changes to Apple, Linux, etc all of which are just as vulnerable and exploitable.

Little secret the biggest vulnerability is the software(Java, etc) and applications that connect to the Net, etc. Why because to share data and make all those nice apps work together you need to share info and whammy.

Connect an app/device to the online and it becomes vulnerable/exploitable as those connection protocols are public and well known.

thanks guys for correcting me. yes agree, the iPad is just wished to have.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Perhaps they should consider why people are clinging to XP. It's a good OS. People are happy. Why force them to change if they don't want to? I think they should consider continuing to support and stand by their product until that support is no longer necessary.

Yeah. I have it on one of my PCs. Works fine, I certainly don't want to fork over cash to upgrade. The difference is not worth it, for me at least.

As a net admin for a public school system, I've had 15 years of working with Windows in it's various forms. Every release has been an improvement over the previous one. WinXP was released in 2002 and for a decade has served our school division well. In the last couple of years we have been switching over to Win7 as new computers are purchased. By the time Microsoft stops supporting WinXP in 2014, the majority of our computers will already be Win7.

Yokatta WinXP. Hajimemashite Win7. Douzo yoroshiku.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Perhaps they should consider why people are clinging to XP. It's a good OS. People are happy. Why force them to change if they don't want to? I think they should consider continuing to support and stand by their product until that support is no longer necessary.

Microsoft isn't "forcing them to change". All they are doing is stopping the Windows Updates for WinXP. The software is a decade old and at some point you need to take your resources devoted to patches and security fixes and re-allocate them to your current products.

If you're perfectly happy with your current installation of WinXP, all you need to do is make an image of your hard drive (to guard against a future vulnerability) and continue to use WinXP for as long as you like.

A lot of businesses will be scrambling to convert over to a new system after all these years.

As much as I hate it I have to still run windows 2000 on a few old machines... budgets wont allow for a new PC so I have to keep it alive.

All points mentioned are valid. Although I'm OK with both Mac OS and Win7 as alternatives I still prefer WinXP. Anybody tell me why they (MS) changed the way Windows Explorer works? It is much more natural in XP - I press on a folder in the tree and it unfolds automatically. In 7 I have to click exactly the triangle which is not very natural every time. The list jumping to the bottom and the way libraries are organized is not my taste too. Actually you need more clicks to do the same things. And on top of it not showing how much space the folder has is another stripped of function. Yeah I'll follow your advise, Fadamor...

XP is a 10 year OS...move on folks...there is nothing more to see here!

bogva,

I agree. I prefer XP as well. With so many still using it, it would be nice if Microsoft continued to support. Who knows. If quite a number are still using it, they might put off ending support for it.

XP is a 10 year OS

So? I have shoes older than that. That doesn't mean they still aren't any good. If it's good, it's good.

It's ME

Linux is designed to be more secure than windows. It's not as easy to write viruses for Linux. If everyone used Linux, the hackers would develop more viruses for it but it wouldn't be as bad as windows.

So? I have shoes older than that. That doesn't mean they still aren't any good. If it's good, it's good.

Yeah, you're right. I think Steve Jobs should have stopped at the Apple II. It was so successful and it worked well. we really didn't need the Mac, or the iPads or iPhones.

All kidding aside, unless technology advances, developers won't have a proper platform to create new innovations that help people get things done more quickly and efficiently. I agree, XP was great for its time, but it doesn't provide a proper developing platform for today's technology. I am personally surprised that MS let it go as long as it has. They need to discourage companies from using it by charging expensive extended support fees, so that they can generate more revenue off of Windows 7 and 8 sales to keep advancing and offering newer and better innovations.

Linux is designed to be more secure than windows. It's not as easy to write viruses for Linux. If everyone used Linux, the hackers would develop more viruses for it but it wouldn't be as bad as windows.

Linux has its place...most OSs inside of home appliances like DVRs, TVs, home routers, video camera, etc..are Linux based and work really well for that purpose. But in reality, there is no place for it in a real business environment. There isn't as many software available for it as Windows, its open sourced, so its too easily manipulated, not very user friendly for a lot of people. Additionally, despite popular belief, Linux is not as secured and since its x86 based, viruses can easily be developed for it.

Yeah, you're right. I think Steve Jobs should have stopped at the Apple II.

Nothing wrong with advances in tech. I think the point here is, and this is mentioned in the article, that people aren't going for the advances that have been offered in place of XP and people are still clinging to it. It works well. Other posters have also pointed out that they like it or even prefer it to 7, etc.

With all this talk of eco this and eco that, why should we throw out stuff that works to buy more stuff, especially if we like that stuff that is working just fine for us? Obviously Microsoft knows approximately how many people are using XP based on downloaded and installed updates and patches. I think you are probably going to see them extend this for some time.

The problems I've had with my laptops running XP are due to the computers being so old that they're slow and can't run anything without me wanting to strangle them. Technology moves with time. I'm more satisfied with Windows 7, although sometimes software still freezes.

I think you are probably going to see them extend this for some time.

definitely not for free though...those patches and fixes are only going to be available for those who purchase the extended support. They did the same with NT4.0 when companies were unwilling to upgrade. Extended support was so expensive that it didn't make economic sense to stick with the older OS. And soon after that, software manufactures will stop supporting installations on XP, and you'll have no choice but to upgrade

People cling to XP because it was the first really good consumer OS from Microsoft. Stable, easy to use, few problems. We tend to stay with what we know, as long as it's doing the job for us.

@JohnBecker

I beg to differ....having been in the IT field for the last 16 years, and having seen companies stick with old technology on numerous occasion, I can say that the main underlying reason is cost and the fear of the unknown.

In many cases, a new operating system means expensive hardware upgrades or even replacement. People and some businesses don't want to have to go out and buy new hardware just to accommodate the features in the newer operating system. But nowadays, MS is pretty good about giving options on selecting or not selecting features to be able accommodate the lack of horsepower in older machines.

Some people ..and business, see the new technology as a threat and fear it because its not what they are use to using. IMO, the longer you stick to older technology like XP, the more you have a hard time adjust when it eventually does go away. If your company still uses XP, I would definitely urge your IT department into upgrading soon. Windows 8 will be launched soon and it is VERY different from any of the Windows versions in the past. If you are on XP, then you will definitely have a hard time transitioning to 8, so I would get on 7 at least, as soon as possible.

Mirai Hiyashi

Not true. A lot of business and government organizations are switching over to Linux both for cost and security. Viruses can't do a lot of damage on a Linux platform because root access is required to manipulate system files. While this does not leave linux completely secure, it's much more so than windows. And the myth about programs not running on Linux is overstated. Just about any work application can made to run on Linux but why would you want to pay $500 for Microsoft office when you can use lined office for free? Open source is an advantage, not a disadvantage. It allows users to change the code and get what they want instead of being at the mercy of corporations. It gives users options and customization. If they don't like one desktop environment, there are tons of others. I urge you to switch to Linux and be free.

why would you want to pay $500 for Microsoft office when you can use lined office for free?

Whoops! I meant libre office. Damn iPhone...

Sorry but I feel Windows should be put to rest all together.

Windows is almost 3 decades old and eventually has to (or should) be re-written from scratch, like what happened when Apple scrapped Mac OS Classic (which at the end of its life was quite crappy) and re-started with OS X based on Unix just over a decade ago.

Obviously Microsoft knows approximately how many people are using XP based on downloaded and installed updates and patches. I think you are probably going to see them extend this for some time.

WinXP support was already extended once before. Its support was originally supposed to end IIRC 2009, but Vista did not take off (and doesn't work with netbooks which thus have to still use WinXP), so Microsoft extended WinXP support 5 more years to 2014.

Wiki can give some idea/estimates of worldwide OS usage. From recent accounts, seems Win7 just surpassed WinXP usage:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usage_share_of_operating_systems

People cling to XP because it was the first really good consumer OS from Microsoft.

WinXP had an unusually longer life for an OS, since Vista kept getting delayed for years. As such, WinXP had years and years of extra refinement, so it became better and better. Though one could question, why new OSes have to pop up sooner rather than later?

(BTW, Apple is known to drop support for older stuff even quicker than Microsoft. So Mac users actually have to upgrade more often than Windows users.)