The final shipment date remains a moving target as Microsoft granted system builders a “flexible” delivery date of Windows XP licenses to customers beyond the official phase-out deadline of January 31, 2009. PC vendors still have to purchase licenses before that date, but can now choose to take delivery of those licenses through May 30, 2009.
I swear, this is getting comical at this point. Microsoft wants to kill off XP and has tried to do so but vendors and OEMs simply won’t allow it.
The blunt honest truth about XP is that it’s attractive to vendors and OEMs for the fact the system requirements are so minimal. A computer box with a 233MHz processor, 64MB of RAM and 1.5GB hard drive will run XP. It will be really slow, but it will run. In other words, it will run on computers that are ten years old easily.
In addition to that, newer computers that are "green" and designed for ultra-portability – like netbooks – run XP happily. Since they can’t have blazing-fast processors, RAM, hard drives and otherwise (not as green/portable at that point), if someone wants Windows on a netbook, XP is the only choice because it absolutely will not run Vista.
I am praying that when Windows 7 is introduced it will finally put the nail in the coffin for XP. I agree that XP, while good and solid, really needs to be put out to pasture for good. Win 7 is a re-think in the way Windows is done with a lot of emphasis put on "light". I champion this and it needs to be done.
Or else XP will be around forever (shudder).
“…It will be really slow…” Yes; extremely slow – I managed to run it on a P1 with 64MB RAM: ‘Talk about sucky!
What spoils it about 10-year-old computers is the AT power-supplies without ATX power control necessitate switching the damn thing off manually after XP has shut down. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ATX )
- But yes it’s possible as you say.
The thing about Windows 7 is that it will incorporate all the Vista hardware requirements as I understand it; so it won’t be a decent option for those whose computers were built pre-2007 in reality. In this light it appears that XP won’t be totally killed off until all the older computers have given up the ghost and gone to the great salvage-yard in the sky. That could mean that it could still be around until Microsoft finally withdraw all support for it; in 2014 if my memory serves me correctly. Even then there’ll be a few using it, despite it becoming a security-risk at that point, I’ll bet.
I don’t understand the angst against XP. The fact of the matter is that it works. Sometimes the latest and greatest isn’t. I don’t know much about Windows 7, but M$ has a bad history of being behind the curve. I think that they need to realize that sometimes, they should just stop. But, that doesn’t always sell. Oh well, maybe 7 will be the XP to Millennia. Lord knows that Vista was a flop. That thing is heavier than the moon.
XP will be around for a long time here in Mexico. The license for Vista is so expensive that many of us won’t be willing (or able) to pay for it.
Me? I’m migrating to Ubuntu, thanks.