There have been a lot of stories in the trade press about Windows XP as of late. A number of readers have written to ask about the aging operating system because they’re confused by stories from one side that say everyone is sticking with Windows XP and stories from the other that say people are abandoning it. Windows XP is certainly one of the longest lasting and favored operating systems that Microsoft has produced, so it’s not surprising there is so much confusion about it.
Microsoft is certainly putting a lot of effort into getting rid of the aging operating system and for good reason—the code has become hard to maintain. Development decisions that seemed appropriate at the time Windows XP was created have proven not to work out in the long run. Of course, there are monetary reasons for getting rid of Windows XP as well. A company can’t continue to operate if no one buys new product. It must receive a constant influx of funds to stay in business, even a company as large as Microsoft. In short, if you’re Microsoft and you want to stay in business, rather than service what has become an unreliable operating system, you do anything it takes to move people in some other direction.
On the other side of the fence are people are are simply happy with the operating system they have today. The equipment they own is paid for and there isn’t a strong business reason to move to some other platform until said equipment breaks. The reliability of computer equipment is such today that it can last quite a long time without replacement. Theoretically, based on reliability alone, it’s possible that people will continue to use Windows XP for many more years. I have such as system setup to hold my movie database and to play older games I enjoy, but I don’t network it with any other equipment and it definitely doesn’t have access to the Internet.
From many perspectives, reports of the death of Windows XP are likely premature. The latest statistics still place the Windows XP market share above 27 percent. Even when Microsoft’s support goes away on April 8th, many third party vendors will continue to support Windows XP. What Microsoft’s end of support means is that you won’t get any new drivers for new hardware or upgrades to core operating system features. However, you can still get updates to your virus protection and Windows XP will continue to operate with your existing hardware.
For most people, the question of whether to keep Windows XP around hinges around the simple question of whether the operating system still fulfills every need. If this is the case, there really isn’t any reason to succumb to the fear mongering that is taking place and move to something else. However, once your equipment does start to break down or you find that Windows XP doesn’t quite fit the bill any longer, try moving along to something newer.
As to the essential question about the level of Windows XP support I’m willing to provide for my books, it depends on the book. My system no longer has development software on it because developers have moved on to other platforms. So, if you ask me programming questions about Windows XP, I’m not going to be able to help you. To some extent, I can offer a little help with user-level support questions for a few of my older books. However, I won’t be able to cover issues that my support system doesn’t address any longer, such as connecting to a network or the Internet. In sum, even though I can offer you some level of support in many cases, I can’t continue to provide the full support I once did. Let me know about your Windows XP book support questions at [email protected].
