It just won’t die: Windows XP gets another six months

Software
By Christian Zibreg
Friday, October 03, 2008 14:15

Excerpts taken from : http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/39594/140/

Redmond (WA) – Microsoft has stepped up its effort to promote its Vista operating system, but Windows XP just isn’t going away. The company reportedly extended the OEM downgrade timeline once again: As of now, system builders can still offer Windows XP downgrades to their customers and will be able to do so until Vista’s second birthday.

Microsoft’s deadline for allowing OEMs to sell PCs with systems that are “downgraded” from Windows Vista to XP is still a moving target. Initially planned to expire on June 30 of this year, Microsoft at first granted an extension to July 31. However, OEMs are still selling the downgrade option (often for a premium) and, according to new reports, the deadline apparently has been officially extended for six more months to January 31, 2009. The information is based on one leaked email sent to an OEM.

The decision indicates that there is still substantial demand for Windows XP and demand for Vista and its features may not be quite as convincing as the Microsoft usually claims. However, it also raises questions about the firm’s recently launched $300 million Windows advertising campaign that is designed to push Vista sales and there are certainly reasons to believe that a user who now purchases a Windows XP PC is unlikely to ever upgrade to Windows Vista: Windows 7 is expected to arrive in early H2 2009.

As before, the XP downgrade is available from some OEMs with the purchase a PC with Windows Vista Business or Windows Vista Ultimate.

Recent market data showed that more than one third of new PC buyers choose to downgrade their Vista installations to Windows XP. Another research revealed that enterprise users, one of Microsoft's key markets, are even less inclined to dump XP for the newer operating system.

Great. XP still rocks. Looks like MS just doesn't want to admit that Vista is a failure but is still forced to make a way for XP.

yay xp lives !!!! long live xp not tried vista but heard some horror stories...yaaaayyy xxxpppp

Updates...

Windows XP Gets Reprieve, Yet Again


Excerpts taken from : Information Week

With Vista struggling, Microsoft has extended the period in which it will make XP available for PC makers' downgrade programs.

By Paul McDougall
InformationWeek
October 8, 2008 12:29 PM

Windows XP is proving harder to kill than a Halloween vampire. With businesses having all but shunned Windows Vista, Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) has decided to extend the period in which it will make copies of its older sibling available to PC makers.

Microsoft originally planned to stop distributing Windows XP media to large OEMs on Jan. 31, 2009, but this week said it would move the deadline to July 31 of next year.

A Microsoft spokesman claimed in an e-mail that the move is designed to help businesses upgrade to Vista painlessly. "As more customers make the move to Windows Vista, we want to make sure that they are making that transition with confidence and that it is as smooth as possible. Providing downgrade media for a few more months is part of that commitment," the spokesman said.

The fact is, however, that very few large companies are eyeing Vista. A survey released last week by the UK's Corporate IT Forum showed that only 4% of businesses in that country are using Windows Vista on workplace systems, while 35% said they were "not yet interested" in Vista. 58% said they were still using Windows XP, now seven years old.

A document obtained by InformationWeek last week revealed that state IT officials in Maine will likely skip Vista and stick with XP until Windows 7 becomes available sometime in 2010. Users have complained about Vista's resource requirements, intrusive security measures and lack of compatibility with older software.

Vista's unpopularity in the business world may have forced Microsoft to extend XP's shelf life. The company officially retired the OS in June for most markets, but continues to make XP Professional available to PC makers who offer it as a "downgrade" option from Vista on business systems. Downgrade availability was set to end on Jan. 31 but will now continue through next July.

If Microsoft is on schedule with Windows 7, that will leave a gap of just six months between the end of the XP program and Windows 7's availability. It's a sign that Microsoft has conceded that Vista has flopped in the corporate market.

Microsoft is hoping Windows 7 will receive a better reception. In an effort to burnish Windows' reputation and pave the way for the next version, the company recently launched a $300 million ad campaign starring Jerry Seinfeld, Bill Gates, and a host of ordinary PC users. The ads make no mention of Vista.

Microsoft, however, has warned that Windows 7 and Vista share the same basic architecture. As a result, applications that aren't compatible with Vista won't likely run on Windows 7, either.

Microsoft shares were off 2.7% to $22.60 in mid-day trading Wednesday as world financial markets continued their downward slide.

This post has been edited by Flex: Oct 10 2008, 01:02 AM

I pity laptop buyers. If they dont have some knowledge with computers, they are stuck for life with vista I bought a laptop last year and when I got home, I immediately format it and install xp (Well, its the lesser of two evils )

Microsoft knew they not doing it right with Vista.

my gf brother bought a laptop installed with vista, but then asked the shop to take out coz vista having alot of conflicts with alot of software (photoshop, illustrator n stuff)

when take out, now more problems. duno why the hardware congifured to use only vista or what.
can like that wan ah?

Actually not hardware issue, its whether or not the software supports a vista environment. Most established programs nowadays support vista. I find it hard to believe that current adobe software are unable to run on vista since i have adobe acrobat professional on a vista machine and there are no problems with it.

So to goes for autocad 2009.

haha.thats good news=p

Vista's unpopularity in the business world may have forced Microsoft to extend XP's shelf life

That is a common situation now. I find it a lot happen to senior users,what i mean is people who have long time used
their hands on xp,especially in bussiness,teaching stuffs, etc.

Huh? its already confirmed long ago that the end of life for Windows XP Professional is somewhere around 2014 while the XP home edition is already end its life earlier this year. Meaning no more updates and support for home edition. The vista is a complete failure and microsoft is coming with a new windows soon.. you'll see, an enhance from vista and this time compatibility no problemo. hopefully.

hopefully! haha
thats the word. when have u ever seen a window version that comes out stable?

yeah.a windows,when firstly released,cant expect it to be flawlessly.
sure this also will happen to Windows 7

Probably due to incompatible drivers or the software he's using is updated/latest and only for Vista.

im still prefer using Win Xp. LOL

when xp firstly came out,people said that xp is not good.
got problems,got issues etc.

now came vista,then people said that vista is unstable,
issues bla bla..

next will came Windows 7,do people will tell the same thing?
IMO,it just need times,maybe a lot of times to blend it with the users.
to make users easy with it and satisfy with it.

No, Windows Vista has a serious compatibility support for legacy applications that commonly used in companies and government projects. It is not economic to upgrade to the latest Windows OS when the current OS can still run legacy applications without any problem and the latest OS cannot guarantee the compatibility with legacy applications. If a robust ERP system can work well in a company or government office for the past 10 years (or since the introduction of Windows XP), what is point to upgrade it? Just maintain the system until the hardware becomes obsolete. That is why Windows XP will remain the best OS to maintain legacy applications.

If someone starts to say about security issues with Windows XP, that can be avoided anyway with many solutions available and there is no way it will put out Windows XP for good.

Maybe, it is the time not to be Windows-agnostic and look for open-source solutions for ERP system that can run on Linux. This is just a suggestion. Too bad, Malaysia is not that savvy enough to adopt Linux as alternative to this issue.

This post has been edited by eclectice: Oct 10 2008, 10:44 PM

The support for Windows XP Professional is likely to be going through to 2014. This thread is talking about OEM downgrade for laptop and PC manufacturers like Acer, HP and Asus. For time being, they have an option for possible buyers to downgrade their Windows Vista on their laptops or PCs to Windows XP. Further up next year, there might not be such option anymore.

Depends on manufacturer. My workplace now have have 2 still run on windows xp since some of our programs werent designed for windows vista.

Worst still is that we need 2 use laptops and most laptops were designed with drivers only for vista and not xp. Fortunately dell and lenovo foresee this and had their laptops compatible with both xp and vista. Acer unfortunately doesnt do this.

Also the downgrade only applies for vista business and vista ultimate, u dont see home premium or basic getting this function.

Actually when vista first came out, it was worst then windows xp but after sp1 i would say its on par with windows xp but i like vista new security feature where they implement LUA which is very important for a business environment. Not so for home.

Vista have a better platform with more 'secure' windows but I dun like the security.. the security is suppose to lock or prevent attack on the windows not to prevent me.. everytime the windows need to confirm if i m admin then only can allow me to change something within program files or other important folder. Come on i already log on as admin.. and the new IIS 7 on vista another headache problem. I think as normal user ok but for software development is another challenge