Topic: Microsoft Pledges Windows XP Support Through 2014

[Clive]

In an unprecedented move, Microsoft has committed to providing support services for its soon to be retired Windows XP through 2014 -- a full 13 years after the operating system was originally released.
In a letter sent to customers this week, Microsoft senior VP Bill Veghte said the software maker will provide security patches "and other critical updates" for Windows XP until April, 2014.

"Our ongoing support for Windows XP is the result of our recognition that people keep their Windows-based PCs for many years," Veghte wrote.
That may be, but Microsoft normally terminates support for an OS within ten years of its release -- at the latest. For instance, it plans to end support for Windows 2000 in 2010.

Microsoft may have little choice but to support Windows XP for an extended period, given that the majority of its large business customers have not upgraded their personal computers and laptops to the newer, Windows Vista operating system.

Many companies have balked at Vista's cost, resource requirements, and lack of compatibility with older applications.

Microsoft released Vista in January of last year. But the company has apparently accepted the fact that many of its largest customers will skip Vista altogether and will continue using XP at least until Windows 7 becomes available three years from now, and possibly longer.

In addition to supporting XP through 2014, Microsoft is now actively promoting a program that allows customers to downgrade Vista systems to XP through a loophole in the company's licensing terms. Microsoft's software license allows customers who purchase a copy of Windows to install and run a previous version of the OS at no additional cost.

"It's true that we will stop selling Windows XP as a retail packaged product and stop licensing it directly to major PC manufacturers [after June 30]," wrote Veghte. "But customers who still need Windows XP will be able to get it," he said.

Beyond the downgrade program, Microsoft will continue to make Windows XP available to manufacturers of low-cost PCs incapable of running Vista through June 2010. Low cost PCs, like the Asus Eee PC, are gaining popularity in fast growing emerging markets like India and China.

Without continued access XP, manufacturers of such systems would be forced to offer them with the rival Linux OS on board -- a situation Microsoft is hoping to preempt.


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[Simon]

 

[sam]

good move for them...they might just hold off the migration to linux... for some people anyway.. come join us on the light side...

[Rik]

If I could lose another 28kg, I would do, Sam.

[sam]

 

[Camstop]

Well it's all a business decision.

Their first thoughts were to fleece people by making them upgrade. 

Only thing was Dell were having problems with Vista and Asus Eee PC and the new small form desktop wouldn't run it easily either. 

Both massive customers and with more and more small form PC devices appearing all the time they would have been foolish to have persisted with plan A 

Also the first Eee PC came with Linux installed and when MS seen the number of units being shifted then they had to jump aboard 

[chorleydave]

Microsoft are retards.  Your average punter, be it business or home user, considers the operating system as an interface that allows them to choose the applications that they want to run within it.  Why in God's name would anybody want an operating system that is so demanding on resources that in order to run their favourite programs they either have to spend a small fortune on upgrading what they have, or buy a completely new system?  At least when they introduced the downgrade from 98SE to ME, punters could try it without having to spend on hardware and then revert when they realised it was s**te.  Just what the hell is Vista about?

Where are their heads?

 

[sam]

well there heads are probably in one of two places, I'm going for the clouds... I guess your not