GrinchyNet

It appears that the end is near for Windows XP. Next week Microsoft is ending its support of the most popular of its operating systems. April 14th marks the end of its mainstream support. I think this is a very bad move.

Windows XP and Office 2003 will enter into what is known as extended support. What this means to you is that any bugs that are not security related will remain unless you feel like paying Microsoft to fix it. XP will only get security related hotfixes from Windows Update.

You can still get non-security related fixes if you join Microsoft's extended hotfix support program. You must enroll within 90 days after ending mainstream support.

The April 14th date also ends mainstream support for Windows 2003 Server Service Pack 1. So if you haven't done so, you need to upgrade to SP2 to continue receiving mainstream support. Extended support for Office 2000 ends on this date as well. If you are still using Office 2000 then you either need to upgrade to 2003 or 2007 or deal with whatever happens.

Windows XP still remains the favorite out of all the operating systems Microsoft has. It accounts for 63% of all internet connected computers as of March 2009. Most people hate Vista and are probably a little wary of Windows 7. So what is a person to do? Not sure what to tell you. Eventually all support for XP will end leaving a lot of users with a decision to make. Either upgrade to whatever is out there or switch to Linux or Mac. Not a very smart move by Microsoft but they are following the same pattern they have with all of their software.

One can only hope Windows 7 can be the next XP as far as popularity. I know I am looking forward to it.