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Microsoft Ending Mainstream Support For XP

Posted by kdawson on from the population-inversion dept.

Slatterz writes "Come next week, Microsoft will be in the unusual position of no longer offering mainstream support for its most widely used product. Windows XP will pass another milestone next week on the road to retirement when mainstream support ends on 14 April 2009, over seven years after the OS originally shipped. While the company said that it will continue to provide free security fixes for XP until 2014, any future bugs found in the platform will not be fixed unless customers pay. Windows XP accounts for about 63 percent of all Internet-connected computers, according to March 2009 statistics from Hitslink, while Windows Vista makes up about 24 percent."

9 of 580 comments (clear)

  1. Wow I'm First by sonicmerlin · · Score: -1, Troll

    Sounds like a way for MS to make even more money.

    1. Re:Wow I'm First by jsoderba · · Score: 0, Troll

      It is your IT dept that is crazy. The XP life-cycle was announced when it was released so they had to know this would happen. They should have switched to Vista.

  2. Re:Why not open it up by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    Except they are still supporting it, via Vista & Windows 7. The later products are not new, just graphic updates.

  3. So what? by gelfling · · Score: 0, Troll

    It works as well or as poorly as it ever did and it ever will. Only MS will kill it with Multimedia formats, add-ons and such. I still run one old Win-2000 SP5 machine.

  4. Windows != the default operating system by levicivita · · Score: 0, Troll

    I just bought $2000+ worth of computer components that I will use to build my own high end desktop (i7 920 / 6gb ddr3 1600 ram / 300gb velociraptor / 1tb hdd / ati 4890 / 2 x 24'' samsung lcds). Do you know how much I spent on software for it? $0. And I am actually better off - no MSFT bloatware for me, thank you. This is a great opportunity for people to reexamine their long held beliefs, e.g. when you buy a new computer you _must_ get Windows.

  5. Boo by Drumforyourlife · · Score: -1, Troll

    Vista is too fancy to run on my computer. XP is just right... and I wouldn't touch windows 7 with a ten foot pole. not happening. if M$ doesn't want to support me, fine. But they better not expect me to $upport them.

  6. Wait... by kitsunewarlock · · Score: 0, Troll

    So windows doesn't support any Operating Systems now?

    --
    Ginga no Rekshiya Mata Each page.
  7. who cares by bigdrf · · Score: 0, Troll

    XP never worked anyways, so who cares.

  8. Re:Why all the Vista bashing in here? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

    I run Vista on a powerful machine...

    Yup thats where i stopped reading. What can Vista do that XP cant? So i upgrade to same funcionality nicer eyecandy and have to buy hardware for it?