# Windows XP... the 20-year OS?



## ToeClaws (Jul 13, 2010)

Oi... this just hurts the head:

http://money.cnn.com/2010/07/13/technology/windows_xp/index.htm?source=cnn_bin&hpt=Sbin

Now... this raises the interesting question: If they're extending the "downgrade" support until 2020, does that mean they'll be extended the security update support well past the current cut off of April 2014?

It's just shocking that 20 years after the RC of XP, it'll still be an install option.  The big downside here for companies, schools and such is that it'll force support of XP to continue for a long, long time.  Crazy.


----------



## CaptainCool (Jul 13, 2010)

thats insane...
but i suppose that they will extend the update support for XP in this case. they cant just give their customers the finger and say "well, you could have bought windows 7 (or windows 8/9 by that time ) instead! :V". maybe they hope that people will upgrade to a different OS afterwards? i dunno...


----------



## Pliio8 (Jul 13, 2010)

Could be a good thing. 7 requires alot of resources to run, my computer can't run it, and everyone pretty much knows how XP works. Now for schools and offices, they should just suck it up and pay the 80 for the OS and get better computers, but for homes, especially lower income ones, this is a very, very good thing.


----------



## net-cat (Jul 13, 2010)

ToeClaws said:


> Now... this raises the interesting question: If they're extending the "downgrade" support until 2020, does that mean they'll be extended the security update support well past the current cut off of April 2014?


No, they won't. What this is is a way to reduce confusion. It's to prevent this situation:

"This Windows 7 license that we purchased in 2010 is eligible for a Windows XP downgrade but this otherwise identical in every other way including visual appearance Windows 7 license that we purchased in 2012 is not."

I'd imagine the same applies to XP Mode.

Windows XP is still dead in 2014, though.



ToeClaws said:


> It's just shocking that 20 years after the RC of XP, it'll still be an install option.  The big downside here for companies, schools and such is that it'll force support of XP to continue for a long, long time.  Crazy.


No, it won't. XP's availability won't force companies or schools to support it any more than it requires them to support Linux 2.0 or Windows 3.1.


----------



## Adaquin (Jul 13, 2010)

If your not an idiot and know how to use a computer properly XP is a fantastic Os. I have Xp running on my gaming rig and it is stable as all get out. I love it and will not upgrade it until a comparable OS finally comes out.


----------



## Syradact (Jul 13, 2010)

I don't game anymore, and as a result there seems to be no reason for me to "upgrade" my XP SP3. As long as the open source developers keep supporting XP, things are golden.


----------



## Runefox (Jul 13, 2010)

For a lot of cases, Windows XP is already dead, as far as hardware driver support and so on goes. Some things can still be jury-rigged via the Vista counterparts, but for many OEM PC's, especially laptops, even as of two years ago there were already driver problems in downgrading from Vista to XP.


----------



## Aden (Jul 13, 2010)

My school is still using XP on their Windows boxes because everyone knows how to use it, literally. They'll probably keep it on there for a few more years.



Adaquin said:


> If *your* not an idiot


 
|3


----------



## Bambi (Jul 13, 2010)

Same here.

XP's stable, no reason to change it unless newer OS's can provide a much better service.


----------



## Runefox (Jul 13, 2010)

Bambi said:


> XP's stable, no reason to change it unless newer OS's can provide a much better service.


It doesn't feel like all that long ago that I was saying the same about Windows 98...


----------



## Captain Howdy (Jul 13, 2010)

I still have a copy of Win7 Pro, and I'm not going to use it until functionality starts to become limited.


----------



## Ames (Jul 14, 2010)

I STILL can't get used to windows 7... T_T


----------



## Rakuen Growlithe (Jul 14, 2010)

How can people who can use XP not use Vista or 7? I've used all three and never found the change to be a problem. They aren't hugely different in the way they work. The inside might have changed but the outside is pretty much the same and easily navigable for anyone who can read the name of an icon and figure out what is likely to be inside it.

Even changing my laptop to Ubuntu wasn't a huge change. While the way programmes work is different and fairly confusing navigating through the OS is easy. If you want to change a setting just look at the menus. Applications, Places and System. Obviously go to system. Duh.


----------



## ArielMT (Jul 14, 2010)

Runefox said:


> It doesn't feel like all that long ago that I was saying the same about Windows 98...


 
That's because 98SE fixed a lot of bugs, and the only upgrade options were an upgrade to ME or fresh-install of 2K.  XP was very immature at release (and in many ways it stayed so until SP2), and since 2K was a no-go on most home systems, 98SE was the best version of Windows until a few years after XP's release.

The difference this time is that Vista was too ambitious as well as too immature, and the only major thing separating Seven from Vista is maturity; not much was done to justify the code bloat and resource bloat inherited from Vista's long-abandoned ambitions.  XP spent that time becoming a well-understood and well-supported system.

On the original topic, does this mean we're eventually going to see a Service Pack 6 for this fifth iteration of Windows NT?


----------



## ToeClaws (Jul 14, 2010)

net-cat said:


> No, it won't. XP's availability won't force companies or schools to support it any more than it requires them to support Linux 2.0 or Windows 3.1.



Don't be so sure there - I know here at the university, there are people that cling to obsolete crap like you would not believe.  As long as it is officially supported or released by the company that made it, they will keep it because it's what they want or what they're used to.  We had people clinging to Windows 95/98 machines here even past when all official support was dropped.  We still have people using NT 4.0 machines despite it being unsupported.  We find them only when they get horribly compromised and are locked off the network.  We then refuse to unlock the systems until they are updated to modern OS's.  If by some faint chance Microsoft does decided to extend security updates for XP past 2014, I can all but guarantee there will be people at the campus using it as long and late as they possibly can.

This is why I wish owning and operating a computer required a license. 



ArielMT said:


> On the original topic, does this mean we're eventually going to see a Service Pack 6 for this fifth iteration of Windows NT?



Doubt it - they were quite adamant that Sp3 would be the last one.  Honestly, what will be XP's undoing is simply support for continually advancing hardware (or rather, lack-thereof).  On my current PC, I have a quad core with 8g of RAM, and though it runs 64 bit Linux primarily, it does have XP on it for the sake of video games.  XP knows its got more than one core, but can barely make proper use of them, and it can only see 3.25g of the RAM.  Finding drivers to build the XP install was hell, and also involved slipstreming them into a disk to support the SATA.  Now... give it another couple years and XP's primitive understanding of modern hardware will be an even larger gap.


----------



## net-cat (Jul 14, 2010)

ToeClaws said:


> Don't be so sure there - I know here at the university, there are people that cling to obsolete crap like you would not believe.  As long as it is officially supported or released by the company that made it, they will keep it because it's what they want or what they're used to.  We had people clinging to Windows 95/98 machines here even past when all official support was dropped.  We still have people using NT 4.0 machines despite it being unsupported.  We find them only when they get horribly compromised and are locked off the network.  We then refuse to unlock the systems until they are updated to modern OS's.  If by some faint chance Microsoft does decided to extend security updates for XP past 2014, I can all but guarantee there will be people at the campus using it as long and late as they possibly can.


Of course they will. People fear change. That's why they keep electing career politicians who never actually change anything. Up until a couple of years ago, my school had an IRIX 6.5 lab. I would imagine that, like 95, 98, NT4 and as of yesterday, 2000, Windows XP will be supported until it can no longer be kept secure. Of course people will keep using it. And they will get compromised. And they will get kicked off the network. And they will whine, balk, complain and carry on because the evil, horrible IT person is making them *gasp* learn something new.



ToeClaws said:


> Doubt it - they were quite adamant that Sp3 would be the last one.  Honestly, what will be XP's undoing is simply support for continually advancing hardware (or rather, lack-thereof).  On my current PC, I have a quad core with 8g of RAM, and though it runs 64 bit Linux primarily, it does have XP on it for the sake of video games.  XP knows its got more than one core, but can barely make proper use of them, and it can only see 3.25g of the RAM.  Finding drivers to build the XP install was hell, and also involved slipstreming them into a disk to support the SATA.  Now... give it another couple years and XP's primitive understanding of modern hardware will be an even larger gap.


Windows XP Professional x64 Edition.

... just sayin'.


----------



## ToeClaws (Jul 14, 2010)

net-cat said:


> Of course they will. People fear change. That's why they keep electing career politicians who never actually change anything. Up until a couple of years ago, my school had an IRIX 6.5 lab. I would imagine that, like 95, 98, NT4 and as of yesterday, 2000, Windows XP will be supported until it can no longer be kept secure. Of course people will keep using it. And they will get compromised. And they will get kicked off the network. And they will whine, balk, complain and carry on because the evil, horrible IT person is making them *gasp* learn something new.



*chuckles* Yep.  In preparation for such up-and-surely-coming user requests, I already suggested a new uniform for the NOC:

http://www.thinkgeek.com/tshirts-apparel/unisex/frustrations/c2dd/



net-cat said:


> Windows XP Professional x64 Edition.
> 
> ... just sayin'.


 
Heh, yeah really.  Well with most users the moment one thing doesn't work under the 64 bit XP, they scream bloody murder, uninstall it and proceed to tall all family and friends how awful 64 bit is.  For me... I just didn't have a copy of 64 bit.


----------



## WolvesSoulZ (Jul 14, 2010)

I'll just stick to XP for as long as I can, it's the best OS I've ever used.
Vista? Everyone knows it, it was a big fail of microsoft. Everyone who use it just make me laugh.
Seven? It's okay, but I preffer my good ol' XP.


----------



## net-cat (Jul 14, 2010)

ToeClaws said:


> *chuckles* Yep.  In preparation for such up-and-surely-coming user requests, I already suggested a new uniform for the NOC:
> 
> http://www.thinkgeek.com/tshirts-apparel/unisex/frustrations/c2dd/


Heh. I can just see it now. Sometime in 2015...

"How come my XP isn't connecting?"
"Because XP isn't allowed on out network anymore."
"Why? There's nothing wrong with it."
"Because it's obsolete and no longer maintained. As a result, it's a security risk."
"You're a tech guy, can't you override it?"
"No."



ToeClaws said:


> Heh, yeah really.  Well with most users the moment one thing doesn't work under the 64 bit XP, they scream bloody murder, uninstall it and proceed to tall all family and friends how awful 64 bit is.  For me... I just didn't have a copy of 64 bit.


I think x64's compatibility problems are largely overblown. (Especially with Microsoft forcing hardware manufacturers to support it if they want a "Designed for Windows Vista/7" sticker.)

That said, yeah. There's a lot of "WORD PERFECT 6 FOR WINDOWS 3.1 WON'T RUN. THIS OPERATING SYSTEM SUCKS." Fortunately, those people are going away.


----------



## ToeClaws (Jul 14, 2010)

net-cat said:


> Heh. I can just see it now. Sometime in 2015...
> 
> "How come my XP isn't connecting?"
> "Because XP isn't allowed on out network anymore."
> ...



Pretty much, though the last bit would likely go more like this:

"You're a tech-guy, can't you override it?"
"Technically, yes."
"Cool - so you will?"
"No."



net-cat said:


> I think x64's compatibility problems are largely overblown. (Especially with Microsoft forcing hardware manufacturers to support it if they want a "Designed for Windows Vista/7" sticker.)
> 
> That said, yeah. There's a lot of "WORD PERFECT 6 FOR WINDOWS 3.1 WON'T RUN. THIS OPERATING SYSTEM SUCKS." Fortunately, those people are going away.



Of course the complaints are overblown - folks have always done that with Windows, computers in general or hell... life in general.  It all comes down to what you said before - people fear change, and whatever excuse they can throw up in defense of returning to their self-begotten norm, they'll use.


----------



## net-cat (Jul 14, 2010)

ToeClaws said:


> "You're a tech-guy, can't you override it?"
> "Technically, yes."
> "Cool - so you will?"
> "No."


I get that for FA bans.


----------



## ToeClaws (Jul 14, 2010)

net-cat said:


> I get that for FA bans.


 
Heh, I bet.  See - the "no" shirt has universal usefulness as an FA admin staff shirt too.


----------



## net-cat (Jul 14, 2010)

Yes! This should happen.


----------

