Microsoft Set to Retire Windows XP

After several false alarms, software giant Microsoft is claiming that the end of Windows XP is finally on its way, and customers now have 1,000 days until the company stops supporting Windows XP.   The purpose of the decision is to start encouraging more Windows users to upgrade to Windows 7, which may not be so much of an issue for individual users, but may cause significant problems for businesses with extensive XP networks.  Many companies are hesitant to upgrade, especially when they have systems that work well for them, but if firms on XP networks want to continue to have technical support for their systems, they will need to switch before the deadline.

Microsoft says it hopes that the announcement will encourage Windows users to upgrade to more recent operating systems that it claims are faster and better than XP.  Die-hard XP users have argued that Microsoft has failed to make its newer products as stable as XP, but Windows IT community manager Stephen Rose claims that users who continue to stick with XP after the deadline will be leaving themselves open to security risks, making it more likely that their computers will contract viruses or other security-related problems.

With Windows PC still boasting a 51 percent market share and Windows 7 trailing at a mere 27 percent, Microsoft have a tough task ahead of them despite the generous 1,000-day deadline before the support cutoff for XP.  With the Windows 8 release coming up in 2012, users will be left to decide whether to take an intermediate step to Windows 7, or to take the plunge and go straight for Windows 8, which many say will make Windows 7 obsolete.