XP Thrown Yet Another Lifeline
XP Thrown Yet Another Lifeline
June 26, 2008: It may sound like a bit of a broken record of an announcement, but Microsoft has this week once again extended support for Windows XP, proclaiming that it will not be switching the aging operating system’s life support off until 2014.
In a letter to its customers this week, Microsoft announced that it will provide critical updates and patches to the OS until April, 2014.
The move no doubt comes due to the lacklustre performance of Windows Vista, and the severe reluctance of businesses to take up the new OS due to its hefty system requirements and problems with software compatibility.
“Our ongoing support for Windows XP is the result of our recognition that people keep their Windows-based PCs for many years,” wrote Microsoft senior VP Bill Veghte in the letter.
Microsoft has already made moves to remove Windows XP from sale, as well as to halt OEM shipments – although it has had some difficulty with the latter, with firms such as Dell negotiating workarounds to continue selling PCs and notebooks with XP.
“It's true that we will stop selling Windows XP as a retail packaged product and stop licensing it directly to major PC manufacturers,” wrote Veghte. “But customers who still need Windows XP will be able to get it.”
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