Why Windows XP will never die
By Dave Parrack
There’s currently a huge battle going on in the technology marketplace. This one isn’t between companies, although Microsoft and Apple are still constantly trying to outdo each other. This one is between a company and its loyal customers, with Microsoft trying to persuade its user base to switch from Windows XP to Vista. Unfortunately for Microsoft, XP simply refuses to die.
Windows XP was released in 2001 and was almost universally loved by all users who made the switch from Windows 98, Me, or 2000. And lots of people made the switch because XP was a significant improvement on all the Microsoft Operating Systems (OS) that had gone before.
The graphical interface was improved, user-friendliness had been upped, security was increased (although Windows itself was still highly susceptible to malware and viruses) and the whole thing felt altogether more solid and reliable. The only problem was the initial backwards compatibility issues, with software often not working with the new OS until new drivers were downloaded.
Microsoft realized how popular XP was and so waited a full five years before releasing its successor in the form of Vista. The problem was that five years just wasn’t long enough, and most people still don’t want to upgrade to the new OS, partly because they don’t feel the need to, and partly because of the bad press Vista has received for being an overblown, unnecessary upgrade.
Despite continual attempts to force people over to Vista by forcing it on all new PCs, Microsoft has extended its support for the OS and Dell is now offering downgrades to XP for a price. And even though it will cost a hefty $150 for that downgrade, people are taking the company up on the offer.
Windows XP advocates are a vocal bunch and began a petition back in April to try and stop Microsoft forcing Vista on to all buyers of new PCs. Petitions never work but it did at least show the company the depth of feeling involved in this fight for a product millions of people are content with.
In many ways, Microsoft is a victim of its own success. Windows XP is such a good product that any successor had to be many times better to get mainstream support. Unfortunately, Vista isn’t any better and in many ways worse than its older brother. So where is the benefit in upgrading when it could be seen as a backwards step?
Windows 7 is due out in January, 2010, and Microsoft is hoping the new OS will put an end to its customers love affair with XP. But there is no guarantee of this seeing as 7 is based on the Vista kernel and has a lot of the same architecture as Vista. Could it be that demand for XP will outlast another new Operating System? Only time will tell.
[Via PC World]
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December 15th, 2008
A bit of revisionist history there. It took longer to release Vista because Bill Gates put out his initiative for TrustWorthy Computing in January 2002 when he ordered all development stopped for 10 weeks while training went on, followed by revisions of work in progress. Server 2003 was supposed to be Server 2002.
The first brush with it most folks saw was XP SP2, in late 2004. The results of his order can be debated, but it improved XP immensely and is the reason a huge number of drivers and software require it be installed.
It could have easily been released as a new OS and in hindsight it would have killed a lot of the bitching about the length of time to get Vista to market in 2006.
There is going to be no more development of 64 bit XP and XP will go away as more software gets optimized to use it. I’ve been running 64 bit Linux for a year and the difference in performance is very evident in video and sound conversions as well as editing. XP will never go away like people still use win98se.
December 15th, 2008
XP is the greatest OS released and this is coming from a Linux fan. I run Ubuntu on my main laptop and other Linux distros on my desktops. I still use XP on my desktops, and one other laptop.
XP is still considered the industry standard and will continue for some time. Sorry, but Vista didn’t cut it for me and I don’t believe I am alone.
Microsoft made a mistake, not so much with Vista per se. But the mistake was taking XP off the market (for the most part) prematurely.
They should have released Vista and kept XP at the same time indefinitely because the public and the more important (to Microsoft) … the business sector still uses it, wants it, and refuses to get rid of it and despite being long in the tooth it is a OS that won’t die for a long time.
Like the previous commenter said, Windows 98 is still in use. Windows 2000 was also …and still is, a great OS ….and can still run some modern applications.
The pending retirement of XP and being only left with Vista was the reason I started looking for affordable alternatives.
That is how I arrived at Linux. I also found Linux to run faster and runs great on newer and older hardware.
Is Linux a total replacement for XP? Thats debatable . In some areas …yes, overall it is a good substitute. It isn’t for everyone, but mostly for everyone.
The public wants XP, the business sector wants XP. Microsoft didn’t listen to their customers….now they see Linux starting to take hold and Apple doubling and tripling their market share.
I do hope that Windows 7 will be a suitable replacement for XP. Vista just wasn’t …IMO
December 15th, 2008
Windows 7 will be out by 2010.
Mid 2009 is the best bet now.
December 15th, 2008
It’s not just about normal consumer and business computers like full laptops and desktops. Not everyone needs a full Vista eye candy experience. Does Vista or 7 run well on Atom or Via? For the life of me I cannot understand why MS cannot offer a cut down XP in relative perpetuity for phones, netbooks and netbook tablets and whatever UMPC comes along. Enough with Windows mobile/CE. Why is i amateurs can offer on BT stuff like TinyXP and MS cannot seem to deal with its own codebase except to bloat it? Why can’t MS revise its licensing terms and allow XP tablet ed on the burgeoning net tablet market? If MS was smart just simply provide what people really want and the company would pull out of its OS funk.
December 15th, 2008
It’s expensive to support an OS and keep it up to date. MS’s vision of the business OS is 64 bit for a hand in glove with its Server releases.
Microsoft’s biggest problem with Vista was the marketing side. Hard to understand why you want to put out an OS and give some people crippled versions. XP Pro and Home was fine.
Vista had no compelling reason to upgrade.
December 25th, 2008
Windows XP was, Is, and Always will be the best operating system Microsoft ever produced… but Considering the fact that windows Vista was introduced to make people upgrade, was a complete wrong step by Microsoft as Vista uses almost double the resources used by XP.. n windows Seven(7) is the next step in development n is way way ahead of Vista or XP.. as most of the drivers dont work on Vista.. but the support factor for Windows 7 is phenomenal… i used the test copy of Windows 7 myself n just cant wait to get my hands on the Full Version.. only down point in windows 7 is at the moment it doesnt support x64 .. its just for x86… so i strongly suggest wait for Windows 7 its the next big thing..
N one more thing for the linux users.. i’ve never used linux myself.. considering i’m an amateur in Linux. which Os do u suggest for me.. Thanks in advance..