On April 8,2008 Microsoft Corp has announced it will end sales of XP Operating System (OS) on June 30,2008. the XP system began it's existence in October of 2001. Essentially this is a five month extension fro the previous date of eXPiration.

XP will no longer be available in stores or as a preinstalled OS after that date. I'm certain as with all the older OS's you will still be able to find some available. But it will be gone and have yielded to Vista. Not a thrill to me personally. The super low cost line of PC's will still have it for two more years. The models such as the Asus Eee PC and Intel Classmate PC will have XP Home.
System builders or small companies that build PC's from scratch can still buy until Jan. 31, 2009. Product support, including security updates, for mainstream users of Windows XP continues until April 2009.

Reuters

NOOO!!! why do this when Microsoft have admitted vista was a disaster why stop it why not till 2011 a year before windows 7 should come out heaps of people need to use XP due to incompatibility's with Vista and hate it for that they need to either have something built on XP and Vista and have very little incompatibility's or THEY WILL PAY! or I will personally go up to Bill Gates and give him the finger if he dose ROFL

It is a bad decision. I have nothing more to say

I have no issues with vista so far so i dont have any complaints about it, i still have my XP disks anyway so if its ever needed i can still use it. Smaller shops will still have the access to it and you gotta only hope that by the time they fully stop XP that all the compatibility issue people are having on vista are fixed

i was enquiring about buying an OQO (mini PC) with no OS pre-loaded but was told that they were not allowed to seel with out a microsoft OS, due to licensing contracts/obligations with them..

anyway, the guy on the phone told me this same story, about XP coming to an end..

i was shocked then and still am, i think it is a terrible decision.

the way i see it;

the sale of XP will end - the increased piracy will begin

I believe if you have an OEM license sticker for lets say Vista Ultimate on the box, you are allowed to put XP/2000/Me/98/etc on it without any breach in contract.
I'll have to find it but I remember reading something in Microsoft's EULA about downgrading, but again I could have been reading the MS software assurance package instead.

I think it is because of poor decisions by Microsoft like this one that is causing people to start looking at other OS's. The owners of Apple and the many distros of Linux have to be smiling from ear to ear.

hmmm, I'll be quite sad to see it go out of sale.

I think its a terrible decision to not support XP until at least 2012. They're really going to have a lot of people annoyed that its not getting mainstream updates.

Do I read this right? as from April 2009 XP will NOT update?


and if XP IS to be phased out, may we have a list of basic protection programs that one knows are compatible with vista in the vista section? I presume they have created programs that ARE compatible WITH vista?


http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/forum72.html????

as far as I can tell the brilliant wee stinger program is not yet compatible with it for starters

Very sad to see XP go. I have a nickel that says the number of pirated copies of XP will go up between now and a few months (to a year) after June.

For me I really have nothing too much to worry about. I am a die-hard Ubuntu user. Last time I used XP on my desktop was for playing Starcraft, besides that I do everything from music, movies, Internet, and everything else on Ubuntu.

I know people that have been buying up COA's that are no longer used? Think of all the emachines that died from bad motherboards and many may have taken the power supplies and cpu's with them. As long as it takes a standard atx PS and microatx motherboard

Well atleast the people and businesses that already have XP installed shouldn't have as many problems as people who want to build a new machine around now. The only problem the people could run into is if they loose their XP discs and their computer fails big time I believe there is a campaign going on around to stop this from happening, you an find it here (To moderators, sorry if this has breached the rules but I don't think it has?)

I know that my brother is about to buy Windows XP to install on his laptop and he would be furious if he can't get it and has to go with Vista!

David

well if i can't get XP i really do not care i will get a pirated copy of it i just think stop the sales is stuiped and i think around a 89% i will get a Pirated copy i really do not care if i get found by the cops and fine me and throw me in jail THIS IS MADNESS MICROSOFT MADNESSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Reminds me of a prediction, made around 1999, by Neal Stephenson in an essay entitles "In The Beginning Was The Command Line". As I recall, he predicted that Microsoft would begin to lose significant market share within 10 years.

Someone needs to buy him a beer, methinks.

As for me, well, the battle between Linus Torvalds and Bill Gates has already been fought; Linus by a knockout.

I encourage you all to do two things in the next few months:

1. Read "In The Beginning Was The Command Line"
2. Download and test out at least two Linux LiveCDs.

Here is a nice statistic about the number of people on the Internet with each operating system: http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_os.asp

Look at how high the XP number is, and vista is only 4% more than Linux! HA! lol

A fellow tech that worked for a BrickandMortar chain said their return rate on vista computers was over 40%, they had never
seen anything like it, microsoft really missed the boat on this one and turning off the tap for xp is only going to make things worse.

I have spent hours peeling back the layers of crud running on vista and when I got down to the core I didn't find a rotten apple but instead a diamond.



they should should fire the marketing experience people and get back to basics

Vista shouldn't've even been released this soon. I've heard people all over these tech nets and articles classify it as a "released beta." Personally, I'm not surprised with the high return rates... there's bugs all over. I've tried Vista on a friend's computer, and I must confess that I think the only plus to Vista are the aesthetics. But then again, you can get a Vista visual style on XP also, so it's point moot -.-
As for making XP stop circulation... that's just an indirect way to make everyone convert to Vista.
I must get a copy of XP Home Edition before June *_*
Or I can just go try some Linux OS, although I have no idea where to start.

hmm, they stop selling windows xp on my birthday

I usually recommend Ubuntu Linux, though there are many to choose from. Here's the Ubuntu Beginners' Guide, it may be helpful to you and other ex-Vista-ers

i think someone should buy you a beer for that link, very good

I'm thinking any XP users after april 09 are gona have alot of security issues.....

[rant] If I was Microsoft I'd be thinking very carefully about making this descision. Because its going to make millions of people really pissed! Seriously, for me building a hackintosh is looking very good for two reasons: I'm not all that farmiliar using Linux and I find it complicated 2. I've used almost all mac OS and I have alot of experience with OSX. I really don't wanna do this because I want to have a XP computer custom made for me so I have a good, solid windows PC to use as well as my hackintosh. I don't want to end up being a mac user forever because I like windows!!! (it has its flaws but don't we all ? ) [/rant]
Ending the sale of XP= No go Micosoft

Did you know that Mac OS X and Linux are very closely related? It's true! They're both based on Unix. So, if you're familiar with Mac OS X, then Linux isn't that huge of a leap.

It certainly doesn't do MS's reputation any good when Balmer recently called Vista a "work in progress."
Cheers,
John

So does this mean that when the sale of XP officially ends, and if stores still have XP on their shelves, it will be half-price? I know, it's a pipe dream and will never happen. There is reason it's M$.

Well they're going to have to get rid of them somehow. It's not sensible to just send them to the dumps, nor is it to give away them all for free. But if they DO make it cheaper I know I'll be one of the first to drag my parents over there and buy some

http://tech.slashdot.org/tech/08/04/21/2316212.shtml

Looks like SP3 is coming out early this summer. I find it funny they are actually releasing an SP just before they stop production. They probably won't have any more updates at all after it.

The wild world of Microsoft What is going through their minds!

Also, does anyone know the real reason that Microsoft is dis-continuing the sale of Xp?

David

My opinion is so that everyone will hafta switch to Vista whether they like it or not. Although I doubt it, Linux is becoming a very popular alternative.

No we won't have to change to Vista until updates are stopped which is in 2009?

Just found this: http://forum.securitycadets.com/index.php?showtopic=6386

Hmmm, good point. I think stopping the marketing will force everyone to buy Vista instead of XP. Although there's still support and updates, people would start feelings like XP is obsolete. Between updating an old computer and buying a new one, most people would prefer the latter. But that's my own opinion of course.
My XP is 4 years old and in desperate need of reinstallation, so I might need to buy a new one before Vista takes over *_*

You could just buy the XP update skyfuser

Well it is good to knwo that we can still receive support and updates until 2009 by then I am sure Vista will have less bugs than now, but on the other hand will probably still be buggy

Not sure I understand what you mean by buying an XP Update


By then I am also willing to bet that another new fresh operating system that's a "work in progress" is also out. If not, I'll eat my computer

If you go into the computer stores where they have the OS boxes, you should see the Windows Xp area of boxes. You will notice there is cheaper one which should say update This only works for machines running Windows 2000, Xp or Vista This is the same with Vista.

PS: I didn't mean to go slightly off topic

Ohh... I might want to go to Fry's and check that out, thanks But still confused Exactly what does it update?

It is like a clean install if you are using XP and if you are using Windows 2000, it is like installing Xp from 2000 except it is cheaper because you have already purchased an OS from Microsoft so they sort of give you a discount in a way

you can slipstream the service packs into the cab files and be good as new, no reason to buy the OS twice for the same machine, I am sure microsoft wouldn't mind tho

Wow, maybe I might give linux a go after all Thanks Andrew

This is really quite sucky.

Vista = ME.

Boo. Im sure there will be work arounds.

Microsoft are just bullying people into vista. It won't happen, well as long as there are other OS's like Mac and Linux, Microsoft will realise how screwed they are.

Trust me; the world wasn't ready for vista or should i say; vista wasn't ready for the world.

And now to throw this into the mix:


Ballmer: Microsoft 'Will Be Sensitive' To XP Users


We'll just have to wait and see how "sensitive" they are.

Microsoft can go to hell! Vista is one of the worst OS's I have ever used.

to put it gently..

September, 2007 Windows XP SP2c will be available to system builders from their distributors.

January 31, 2008 End-of-Life for product availability of Windows XP for all channels except System Builder.

January 31, 2009 End-of-Life for product availability of Windows XP for the System Builder channel.

I will bet they will change their mind again and back down

So M$ won't send out support XP after 2009? You'll have to buy Vista to get security updates? Gah!!!!

I agree with Teenage.Zombiee: this is bullying, plain and simple. Maybe I should partition my Hd and start experimenting with Linux...?

<cheerleader>Wooo! Linux! Linux Rocks! Woooo!</Cheerleader>

The next major version of Ubuntu comes out on Thursday!

I can't wait for Hardy Heron for Ubuntu. The RC sucks, but the final release show be great!

I "third" that. Ubuntu seems like a very good choice. I must learn the whole compiling thing though I have no idea where to start on that Modules mean nonsense to me >_<
And is it true that ubuntu is stuff you find on your show? o.O

You bet they will! M$ are all about the money and if they take away XP they won't be making any money as Vista is the worst OS in history.