Windows XP SP1 Support Ends Tuesday
tophee writes "ZDNet reports that support for Windows XP SP1 and SP1a will be ending this coming Tuesday. From the article: 'Microsoft will end support for Windows XP Service Pack 1 and SP1a on Tuesday, leaving people no option but to upgrade to Service Pack 2 if they wish to continue to receive crucial components, including security software.' Colin Barker of ZDNet notes, 'There's little reason for anyone to still be running SP1; SP2 contained a range of improvements to XP's security.'"
These days, Ubuntu and SUSE provide a desktop environment that is far superior to that offered by Windows. Best of all, they don't have any WGA nonsense, and they're far easier to keep up-to-date and secure.
A lot of people will argue that if they can't run their Windows applications on Ubuntu or SUSE, then it's useless to them. But what they don't consider is that using Linux isn't about running Windows applications. It's about enjoying the benefits of the alternatives. In some cases, such as Firefox and OpenOffice.org, those very users are already using such alternatives. And if there is some odd Windows application that does not have an open source or Linux-compatible equivalent, then WINE is worth a try. It has really matured lately, and is suitable for running many of even the most complex of Windows applications. Cedega works wonders for games, even those that were just released.
With the quality of Ubuntu and SUSE today, there is no reason for any user to become a victim to Microsoft, whether it be in the form of WGA, or DRM, or even being denied critical updates.