Is Microsoft playing a dangeous game of chicken with the internet? (XP)

[Cerb]

I agree.

In response to "XP has had its day / it's not meant for today's world" etc, then let evolution take care of it, and Microsoft can make money out of it in the meantime (via OP's suggestion). If XP really has had its day, people will eventually stop using it because there are better alternatives available for a multitude of reasons.

At some point, Microsoft would declare that it isn't making enough money out of XP any more to make its "out of lifetime" support contracts profitable, so that's when they say that they're stopping.

I would expect the post-EOL support contracts to already be profitable. Once sales stop on an OS, it's not making MS any money. That happened with XP a few years ago, and was intended to happen much earlier. They're not going to come out and say it like you're saying they should, because it was a stupid PR move. They manage to make enough of those already.

Forced obsolescence is the name of the game.

Also, tying everything to online accounts, and making it annoying to use, because of it. Don't forget that part.

XP, however, is not truly obsolete. It needs to go away, but due to economic obsolescence, rather than functional obsolescence. IE, it's not viable to continue supporting old software platforms, much like old hardware isn't worth supporting, after a point.

Can anyone remember some huge leap forward in Office functionality because it took advantage of new Windows features?

Once, with OLE. But, OLE could have been implemented without OS-level features, they just happened to have said features in the OS, so it was their hammer for that nail.

However, they have also regressed. Since about Office XP, I've not found anything worthwhile in newer Office versions, and prefer LibreOffice, though in a world where I need to send well-formatted MS format documents, and the default is the XML format family, that doesn't have such a high compatibility level, it's not a viable option. The Ribbon still isn't a sidebar, like it should have been from day 1, the programs takes forever to start, they do nothing [useful, that I've found] the 13+ year old versions didn't do, yada yada yada. Also, Outlook still hasn't gotten as good as much more basic and older mail clients at being a mail client (see the recent IMAP/Exchange problems, as just another example, that are impossible to fix on many C&R installs, until the MS patches come down).

Same goes for IE's history.

The OS got features from IE, never the other way around, AFAIK. In the long run, it turned out to be a bad idea (Active Desktop, security issues, software relying on specific OS+IE versions...).

Usually it is good business sense to try and aim your products and services at as many people as possible.

Sure, but what if those people made you $50 10 years ago, and are doing nothing for you now, and you already gave in and gave them a few more years of support at no added cost? Continued support not only is costing them, but costing them more than they would have anticipated. The intended support life cycle has never been a secret from Microsoft. I dislike a great deal about and from Microsoft, but I can't hate them for that. It's not like they are only giving people 3, or 5, years.

 

[Matt1970]

2000 was okay, it was basically XP in classic mode with a few bits missing IIRC.

That's a pretty fair assessment.

 

[JackMDS]

I have some hardware that I store as a Museum Items.

MFM 60MB HD that I bought years ago in the early 1990 for $600.

Old 4 MB memory sticks for $42 a piece.

Slow CD Drive from years ago $99.

A Radio Shack Tandy 200 laptop, was $999 in 1984. (minimum wage adjusted to today index was $3.35 per hour. I.e., One had to work 300 hours to buy this laptop).

And so on, and so On.

Alas I can not use these "things" anymore. I think that someone owes me something for the $10,000 spend over the last few decades on things that I bought and can Not use anymore. - - :\ - :thumbsup:

On the other hand the time spend here "Blubbering" about many of current days Upgrades can be better use if One finds himself a Temp. Minimum wage simple add on Job. The problem then can be solved faster and in a more productive way.

Win 7 OEM cost the equivalent of 12 hours work for minimum wage (there are even other OS' for free if One can not work and earn).

 

[PliotronX]

For being almost 13 years old it has had incredible staying power. Comparatively OS versions that were 13 years old in 2001 could not do anything XP did. I think this OP's question is a fair one to ask because so many machines are still running it.

 

[John Connor]

If it weren't for the fact XP lacked DX 11 I would still use XP. LOL

 

[denis280]

I have some hardware that I store as a Museum Items.

my first one was a comodor 64

 

[Engineer]

For some of us, there is no alternative other than to run XP, especially in the industrial software world. Vista was never supported by most packages and many are just starting to get up to speed with Windows 7. Very few, if any, support Windows 8 so XP it is, with or without updates. At some point, might just have to stick a laptop or two back with XP on it (for legacy products) and move to Windows 7 though (Win 8 is out of the question for a long time if ever).

 

[bruceb]

I agree about XP and DX11 but I don't use it for video games, so not much of a concern for me. Also XP and .Net Framework 4.5 can not be installed on it. Some programs need the .net framework to run. I am worried that in a year or two, Turbo Tax may not install on XP. If that happens, then I would need a newer machine, if only to run that (or maybe go to another tax prep program)

 

[Carson Dyle]

I'd go back to XP Pro (from Win7 Pro) in a heartbeat if there were better driver support and continued support from Microsoft. I've only been running Win7 Pro for about 18 months and find the user interface to be very disjoint and inconsistent by comparison.

But to say that XP is possibly growing in popularity? I don't know how that could be possible.

 

[Mem]

I'd go back to XP Pro (from Win7 Pro) in a heartbeat if there were better driver support and continued support from Microsoft. I've only been running Win7 Pro for about 18 months and find the user interface to be very disjoint and inconsistent by comparison.

But to say that XP is possibly growing in popularity? I don't know how that could be possible.

I replaced my last XP PC with Linux and never looked back,as always its down to the software you use but end of the day you have to upgrade that sooner or later.

The old XP argument about software I find is a poor excuse,you have to update/upgrade sooner or later,plenty of business upgrade both their hardware and software,also even if your software is not available there is probably a modern Windows alternative for the OS in question.

I think its just an excuse to try and stay on XP,fact is its no longer needed.

I also wonder if its safe to base a business around a very old XP OS with how many security holes it has .

 

[Gunbuster]

As it is, it seems very irresponsible of MS to unleash the threat of millions of unpatched XP boxes on the internet-at-large, just because they want to push their walled-garden Windows 8/8.1 agenda. Especially when they could solve the problem, keep their customers happy, and make money doing it.

The 2001 Ford Escort is the Best car ever, I still drive it and am never getting a new car. It's irresponsible of Ford to not buy me a new muffler and patch the rusty holes in it. How dare they push a Ford Focus agenda! They could totally make more money by giving cheapskates like me free support and repairs.

 

[bruceb]

Not so. Some software never needs to be updated. Depends on what you do with it. For instance, I run XP PRO SP3 and Office XP .. for home use, it does just fine. No need for idiotic looking ribbon in Office and I don't need or want the files to be stored or shared in the cloud. I have the converter to read and write newer Office File Formats if I need to. I believe in paying a One Time Fee for a program, not Licensing it for a year or two at a time. Most of programs allow full upgrades to new versions. Some such as Winzup are greedy and charge for Each Major Release.

 

[JackMDS]

For some of us, there is no alternative other than to run XP, especially in the industrial software world.

This is absolutely true.

However, the rules of the industrial world are different. If One needs it for real work there is No point to act as an Enthusiast "Drama Queen/King".

If an XP computer is used Just as a work computer without having on it and using Consumers' "crap" too. There are ways to secure it and its Network using 3rd party security Hardware/Software that is designed for the industrial world.

 

[John Connor]

I've only been running Win7 Pro for about 18 months and find the user interface to be very disjoint and inconsistent by comparison.

Yeah, just to look at the network properties you have to click on two separate things. In XP you just double click the damn network icon. I'm use to Windows 7, but I preferred XP's interface. They just crapped on how stuff is done in Win 7. I suppose it won't get any better with newer OS's and I sure hope the hell they drop Metro for god's sake. I don't use a touch screen on a damn desktop.

 

[Morbus]

Bullet points:

• as soon as April comes, every single machine running XP connected to the internet is going to turn into a zombie, victim of malware and malicious hacks that haven't yet gone into the wild. Hackers and crackers are just waiting until Microsoft says "alright, we won't be patching bugs anymore" and then they'll start exploiting those holes they've known all along and save up for Christmas. Christmas comes in April for them, next year.
• if you're still using XP and your computer won't run Windows 7 decently, you have one of three choices:
- disconnect from the internet;
- install Linux;
- buy a new computer.
• most people don't know this, but you can actually can run MORE software on a Linux with Wine installed than in any single Windows version. Wine is very advanced and constantly updated. It runs pretty much everything...
• you can use something called "virtual machines" to run Windows XP (or any other OS) inside Windows 7, for example. It's not nearly as fast, and it actually requires a beefy machine to run alright (won't run on your 400$ craptop), but it can save you if you really need to run a specific application that only runs on XP.

I'm very excited for April 2014. It's all going down burning, and it's going to be awesome! I can't wait to read all the news about how thousands loose their personal data to a 13 year old operating system.

 

[John Connor]

Bullet points:

• as soon as April comes, every single machine running XP connected to the internet is going to turn into a zombie, victim of malware and malicious hacks

I never EVER have installed patchs on Windows and NEVER have gotten a virus or anything. It's more on the lines of how you surf the Internet. Use common sense, use NoScript for Firefox install a good Firewall and an anti-virus and the patches are meaningless.

 

[Matt1970]

Yeah, just to look at the network properties you have to click on two separate things. In XP you just double click the damn network icon. I'm use to Windows 7, but I preferred XP's interface. They just crapped on how stuff is done in Win 7. I suppose it won't get any better with newer OS's and I sure hope the hell they drop Metro for god's sake. I don't use a touch screen on a damn desktop.

The renamed stuff, moved it around and buried it deeper into different menus.

 

[John Connor]

Yep, PITA if you ask me. Click, click, click. For one damn thing.

Technology, one step forward, two steps back. Lets see, the web site or OS works fine, lets completely rearrange it.

 

[Cerb]

Lets see, the web site or OS works fine, lets completely rearrange it.

You might just have management potential, son :awe:.

 

[John Connor]

I could run a fortune 500 company! HAHAHA!

 

[VirtualLarry]

The 2001 Ford Escort is the Best car ever, I still drive it and am never getting a new car. It's irresponsible of Ford to not buy me a new muffler and patch the rusty holes in it. How dare they push a Ford Focus agenda! They could totally make more money by giving cheapskates like me free support and repairs.

Bad analogy. Better analogy would be, car mfg stops producing replacement parts for that model year, when the warranty expires, just to sell the next model-year car, even though there are still plenty of those cars on the roads, in various states of dis-repair, creating potential hazards for the other drivers on the road. (Wheels falling off, mufflers falling off, etc.)

 

[VirtualLarry]

Also XP and .Net Framework 4.5 can not be installed on it.

more Microsoft "dirty pool". Net is a portable, platform-agnostic application framework. You can even run Net apps in Linux using Mono. So for MS to make a platform-independent application framework, platform-dependent, you KNOW that they're playing dirty pool.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I'm very excited for April 2014. It's all going down burning, and it's going to be awesome! I can't wait to read all the news about how thousands loose their personal data to a 13 year old operating system.

Remember all the doom and gloom about the "Y2K" crisis? Well, it's all going to be real on April 2014.

PS. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that there are SCADA systems still running on XP. With employees browsing Facebook during lunch break on the same PCs. If that doesn't scare you...

 

[Cerb]

Remember all the doom and gloom about the "Y2K" crisis? Well, it's all going to be real on April 2014.

PS. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that there are SCADA systems still running on XP. With employees browsing Facebook during lunch break on the same PCs. If that doesn't scare you...

It'll be, "fun," I'm sure. The problem with those systems, along with some medical ones that I have been exposed to, is that they were often made such that they need to be networked for some feature to be effectively used, and so tended to get treated as regular PCs by users. An admin should give them their own firewalls, that isolate them via whitelists.

But, that would require having such an admin (and the admin knowing what needs this, which, for a large enough organization, could be a real problem), allowing it in the budget, and being willing to put up with said users no longer being able to goof off on those PCs. All too often, none of it will happen, or it will get stopped at the budget stage, either by an admin drunk on marketing (need $50-100 flashable router, or <$200 COTS x86 firewall, or to add rules to current firewall(s); specifies $700+ big vendor appliance ), or management being cheap and not realizing that it's an ounce of prevention.

 

[escrow4]

A: Remember those basic XP boxes that run this nuclear facility that were supposed to be isolated?

B: You mean the ones everyone watches Youporn on? ***points to example***

A: #!@#!!!!!!!!