China Has a Massive Windows XP Problem

An anonymous reader writes "The Chinese are going to have a very, very hard time kicking the Windows XP habit. The deadline for the retirement of Microsoft's most successful operating system ever is eight months from tomorrow: April 8, 2014. That's the day when the Redmond, Wash. company is to deliver the last XP security update. According to analytics company Net Applications, 37.2% of the globe's personal computers ran Windows XP last month. If Microsoft's estimate of 1.4 billion Windows PCs worldwide is accurate, XP's share translates into nearly 570 million machines. In the U.S., 16.4% of all personal computers ran Windows XP in July, or about one in six, Net Applications' data showed. But in China, 72.1% of the country's computers relied on the soon-to-retire operating system last month, or nearly three out of every four systems."

Comments

Math much?

[ArcherB]

But in China, 72.1% of the country's computers relied on the soon-to-retire operating system last month, or nearly three out of every four systems."

This is Slashdot. I think we can do the math on that one.

Re:Math much?

[dotancohen]

But in China, 72.1% of the country's computers relied on the soon-to-retire operating system last month, or nearly three out of every four systems."

This is Slashdot. I think we can do the math on that one.

I came for this. I do wonder, though, for how much of the general population does "72.1%" go in one ear and out the other, but "three out of every four" sticks.

Re:That will be a lot of spambots

[MurukeshM]

What makes you think that isn't happening already?

Microsoft will extend the deadline

[tuppe666]

Microsoft simply has no choice especially if it wants to protect its compatibility insurance with Windows Office. In reality its monopoly in Desktop Applications...Relies on on it being a Monopoly, and it has real competition. I have bought tablets, smartphones, rasberry pi, an Ouya replicating everything I do on a PC. At a fraction of the cost of a less desirable bottom end PC. Intel and Microsoft have been overcharging its hostages on massive gross profits of 70%(Its not working for Apple Macs either), and are finding it very difficult to adjust when its competitors with can produce devices like a Chromebook for $200 a Tablet for $100 a Smartphone for $100 a chromecast for $35. buying an *unpgrade* to the crippled version of Windows 8 at £99($150) is stupid.

The bottom line is any money they earn from cutting off their hostages from essential packages is a potential export to another platform.

Re:xp still works

[symbolset]

I have three xp units left. We will migrate to Linux.

LPT bit banging

[tepples]

Does that mean we should all be using DOS?

No, but it means that people with a need for DOS should still be using DOS. In a lot of cases, only DOS supports legacy or hobbyist hardware that bit-bangs the parallel port. Likewise, the AC that you replied to has a need for Windows XP for much the same reason: to use hardware that lacks an NT 6 driver.

Re:EOL a product to force new sales?

[Pinhedd]

That's a horrible example. Car manufacturers do stop making parts for old vehicles after a while. Fixing up old junkers can be expensive because the parts can be quite rare. Owners certainly have the option of buying aftermarket parts just as PC users have the option of third party software.

Whenever emissions or road standards change the car manufacturers don't retroactively update every previous production model to meet them. The owners either pay for a custom fix up, are SOL, or get grandfathered in.

Re:I think M$ will extend XP support

[mrbester]

No there aren't. Extended support began 5 years ago. 5 years is long enough for even monolithic dinosaurs like government and hospitals to get their shit together to prepare for the inevitable. Except they did nothing and still expect everything. Bollocks to the lot of them.

Re:xp still works

[RabidReindeer]

Linux might never see the sheer volume of malware that exists for Windows because it's "late in the game" and because simply put both the developers and the users have learnt quite a bit over the years making it harder for viruses etc to propagate.

Thank you for not saying "virii". You've actually used the correct plural.

The main reason why Linux is more secure is history. Linux is descended from Unix, and Unix spent its formative years in University labs where students would routinely prank each other. Of necessity, Unix grew up with security being an issue almost from Day 1.

In contrast, Windows grew out of DOS. Unlike Unix, where people were sharing a computer and had to play nice together, DOS was an environment where you owned everything, lock, stock and barrel. The thrust of the design was on usability, not on security. As a result, several fundamental system components were designed insecure and it was difficult-to-impossible to retrofit security on them.

Re:xp still works

[hairyfeet]

OMG are you REALLY gonna drag out the old "Its not the OS, its the kernel" bullshit? Really? because by that logic windows is 100% bug free as well since no bug that I know of attacks the WinNT kernel but the stuff above it as well.

I'm sorry dude but that bullshit won't fly, a kernel with nothing else is fricking worthless and every. single. mainstream. distro all come with the SAME APPS over and over AND OVER so that shit ain't gonna fly. Firefox, Chromium, Gimp, Libre office, you'll find those on pretty much every mainstream desktop distro there is so if any of those are pwned then yes Virginia Linux is pwned.