Win XP Reaching End of Life?

Considering that Windows Vista was released on 1/30/2007, and almost a year and a half later there is talk of ways in which folks will be able to still purchase Win XP you'd think that Vista was a total and complete mess. Is it? Or perhaps the Win XP install base is so huge that there are literally millions of folks that naturally resist change, even when purchasing a new computer? I'm not sure.

I have a Vista machine from Dell running as a media server in my home. Initially I found the thing revolting as the amount of bloat-ware that came pre-installed was truly mind boggling. After spending several hours removing it all, and getting things set up the way I like, I haven't had any major complaints. Some of the pop-up information windows are a bit ridiculous -- such as when you plug in a pair of headphones you get a pop-up telling you that you have done so. My overall impression is that Vista is a lot like Win XP running some kind of silly desktop theme. No big deal.

Yahoo!:

As concern over the end of the road for Windows XP reaches feverish levels, Microsoft appears to be caving yet again on its timeline for killing off the popular operating system, which would ultimately force people into upgrading to Vista. The latest news comes from Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, reacting to criticism at a news conference on Thursday, who said "XP will hit an end-of-life. We have announced one. If customer feedback varies, we can always wake up smarter, but right now, we have a plan for end-of-life for new XP shipments."

So basically, Microsoft says that if it smartens up, it might add to XP's lifespan. So... how about it? Well, Microsoft stopped short of announcing a higher corporate IQ, so as of today the June 30 deadline stands, but don't be surprised if we get another extension in the next few weeks.

Meanwhile, PC makers may force Microsoft's hand, as they are taking the rare step of openly combating Microsoft's encouragement and demands that vendors move from XP to Vista. HP, Dell, and Lenovo have all said they will downgrade operating systems on new machines from Vista to XP at customer request and will continue to do so until 2009 (specific ending dates vary).

Comments

[ohwilleke]

While I haven't gotten it myself, the contact my clients and computer consultants' other clients have had with Vista have been pretty abysmal.

E.g., it crashed within a couple hours of installation at an IT firm with power, brand new hardware while it is using only plain vanilla applications (e-mail, word processing, brower software), before they could even get the firm specific software installed.

You are the very first person I've ever heard who has tried Vista and not been vehemently angry afterwards.

[in8sworld]

I haven't authorized any Vista purchases for work as yet and I have no plans to do so any time soon. You don't say which version you have, but the basic versions can't connect to a domain, so not only is the hardware required for decent performance ridiculous, but the OS price is high too when you consider that the bulk of business PCs are only going to ever run one or two basic apps that would run fine on a PIII anyway!

[Zen]

I don't think Vista is particularly bad. It's just that XP is good. My system is rock solid and stable. What reason do I have for changing? Especially since when I change I know that I have hardware that will have to be replaced because there are no Vista drivers. And I have software that will have to be upgraded or replaced because Microsoft always blows backward compatibility. And there is nothing new in Vista of any true value that can't be reasonably dupicated - or even improved on - in XP with themes (if that's your thing) and addons. All the computers I have purchased for our company this year have been XP.

Now what I want to know is what happens if Microsoft decides to stop honoring XP activations and reactivations? I have yet to find a decent and reliable override.

[in8sworld]

Perhaps virtualization is our way out here? If we were able to create a machine image with WinXP, then couldn't we just run Linux and load duplicates of that virtual machine on all our linux boxes? The only problem I see is the SID of the virtual machine when joining a Windows domain (I think you need a unique SID for each machine?). If you have a Linux-based LAN though, maybe this could work? I certainly don't mind paying for Windows XP if they continue to offer it... I'm not anti-Vista, or anti-windows really, just anti-license BS. note: I hand out ubuntu CDs whenever anyone comes to me with a virused WinBox though - I will NOT clean out a Windows machine, or provide free copies of Windows, ever.

[Grinth]

I think Vista gets a bit of a bad rap. Granted it puts way too much demand on the operating system (I don't care what the OS is, it shouldn't require 2 gigs to run smoothly), but I think largely the bad talk is just anti-hype.

I only have Vista because I bought a laptop recently and these days all non-mac laptops come with Vista. I was highly skeptical and fully prepared to try an wipe the system and then install XP.

My basic complaint is that Vista takes treating the user as an idiot to a whole new level. Once you get past that aspect, though, if people are honest it is more in line with Mac Os's then any Windows system yet. Which makes the Mac commercials a bit ironic since they aim to smear a new OS that is emulating (with a far more than fair degree of accuracy) Macs.

[Nate]

I really don't think of myself as a Mac fanboy, but Microsoft has been copying the cool things about Macs for a lot longer than Vista. Nothing wrong with that! I brought home an old Thinkpad today and loaded up Ubuntu 8.04 on it from a live CD in about 45 minutes, everything seems to be working fine, including wireless - it's easy to use and it came with enough free software that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone as a free alternative to XP or Vista.

[Klayton Elliot Kendall]

My experience: Windows XP has been running smoothly and without fail for years, and because I edit video (among 200 other things), I push my old Dell to the max. Never a problem. We recently bought a new Compaq with Vista. Not only did none of our old software work (Vista is an entirely new OS), but its performance was abominable once we installed all the new "compatible" software. I'm talking WIN98 abominable, with countless freezes and intermittent system restarts. The system performs simple tasks very slowly, and it's ugly as hell, with an insulting amount of crappy fizz that no one wants or needs.

[Zen]

For me the software compatibility issue is a deal breaker. Microsoft consistently blows it here (and I figure its with the full support of the major software companies who otherwise wouldn't sell as much product).

XP however will be compatible with all new software releases for at least another 5 years. Even if I were to build a new system in the next couple years I'd probably just take XP with me. I've got too much invested in my software not to at least give it serious thought.

All this of course is great for Linux & Google's apps. If Microsoft doesn't roll out major technological (as opposed to aesthetic) advancements in Windows 7 (and reduce the memory bloat) I think they're in for a rough 2010 and beyond. When Adobe releases a Photoshop for Linux we'll know for sure.

[in8sworld]

I use Google Docs all the time. Its just too darn useful to not use it, frankly. Full revision control and collaboration for online docs without any software installation - all I need is an internet connection? I'm down. I can fire up a live CD wherever I am and in a few minutes have access to my entire office - email, calendar, docs. Its really a homerun. I just wish I could download the software and run it all on my own servers because I don't like letting Google (and the vagaries of internet connectivity) control access all my personal info.

Photoshop already runs under Wine in linux pretty darn well on fast hardware, btw. Why bother porting it and maintaining all that code, and possibly having to release it to the community when the geeks can run it anyway? Adobe has been playing with an online photoshop called Express (think of it as a Flickr crossed with Photoshop Elements for home users or maybe an online Picasa?) at
https://www.photoshop.com/express/index.html
which is pretty interesting as well. Maybe someday I'll be able to use the OS of my choice and just access whatever software I need to use via a small subscription fee? As long as I can keep my documents backed up locally when I want to use another service, I'm cool with that.

[Non-Prophet]

I tried the online Photoshop express and I was astounded at how limited and lame it was. It is just a beta, but it seems like it is a very early beta. Flickr has things that are far beyond it already.

As for Google docs I couldn't agree with you more, N8. One particularly cool thing my wife and I use it for is our grocery shopping list. I have a spreadsheet that shows what we need to buy, I can update it anytime, from work or wherever, and then my wife uses her iPhone at the store to see what to get. It's awesome. iPhone Safari has support for the Google applications.

[ohwilleke]

I have to go down as truly hating Google docs, which I had to use when I was at Colorado Confidential. It is clunky and marks so many revisions so often that the revision function is basically useless.

[used Computers]

i am not agree myself with google in this way google will face downsize. which is not supporting properly so i will become useless thing

[Cheap Computers]

I really don't think of myself as a Mac fanboy, but Microsoft has been copying the cool things about Macs for a lot longer than Vista......
http://www.electrocomputerwarehouse.com