“With all the hype over Bill Gates’ retirement from Microsoft, gossip about Windows XP will start to fade out this week, when Microsoft stops selling the seven-year-old operating system to retailers and major PC makers.”
Redmond, Wash. — As of close of business this afternoon, Microsoft Corp. is scheduled to stop selling its Windows XP operating system to retailers and major computer makers Monday, regardless of protests from a swathe of PC users who do not want to be forced into using XP’s successor, Vista…
From June 30, 2008, Microsoft will officially discontinue producing Windows XP. What that indicates is that computer manufacturers and software suppliers will no longer be able to buy XP from Microsoft.
“What does that mean to those of us who are still running XP?”
Well, the world is not come to an end, at least on your computers anyway. You will still be able to get updates, and all of your applications will continue to work just fine.
In addition to that, Microsoft will keep on supporting XP until 2014. See The facts about the future at Microsoft.com for detailed information.
Once computers bundled with XP have been cleared from the inventory of PC makers such as Dell Inc. and Hewlett-Packard Co., those consumers who want to keep using the old operating system will have to buy Vista Ultimate or Vista Business and then legally “downgrade” to XP.
In reality, this was believed to come into effect last year, but the cry from the masses delayed the executioner to holdup the imminent death of XP for one year.
This is not something new, this has happened before. It happened to Windows 95, it happened to Windows 98, Windows 2000, ME, and now XP. In fact Windows 98 just stopped getting update support 2 years ago.
However, Microsoft says it will continue to allow smaller PC vendors to buy XP for resale through the end of January 2009 and a version of XP will also remain available for ultra-low-cost PCs such as the Asus Eee PC.
“It is the moment Galen Gruman wished would not arrive.”
Gruman, an executive editor at the InfoWorld online tech site in San Francisco, is one of the influential people of a movement seeking to save Windows XP from extinction. Under different circumstances, a company might welcome such an expression of devotion.
“Last week, Microsoft stated that it would offer full technical support for six-year-old Windows XP through 2009, and limited support through 2014.”
The end of mainstream Windows XP sales happens to correspond with Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates’ departure from day-to-day duties at the company. In that way, Gates might be leaving “on the expiration of the last real major desktop operating success for Microsoft,” said Michael Gartenberg, a Jupiter Research analyst, adding that one of the major challenges for CEO Steve Ballmer will be to restore the luster to the Windows brand.
First, Ballmer will be getting a little something in the mail. As of last week, InfoWorld’s Gruman was planning to print out the Save XP petition and signatures for delivery to Ballmer’s office Monday.
“Maybe the big stack of paper will drive it home,” Gruman said.