Mary Jo Foley An unblinking eye on Microsoft Subscribe Alerts Bi

Mary Jo Foley An unblinking eye on Microsoft Subscribe Alerts Bio
Pick a blog category Housekeeping Vista Windows Server L
Microsoft to support consumer versions of XP through 2014
Posted by Mary Jo Foley @ 6:53 am

Categories: Windows client, Corporate strategy, Windows XP
+10
12 votes
Worthwhile? Just days before launching Windows Vista, Microsoft has decided to extend the support lifecycle for the consumer versions of its currently shipping Windows XP system.

Microsoft is now providing five years of "mainstream" support, plus five years of "extended support" for XP Media Center and XP Home Edition. Previously, Microsoft provided no extended support for the consumer versions of its XP operating system.

Consequently, consumer versions of XP are now covered under mainstream support through April 2009, and under extended support through April 2014.

As a result of the change, announced on January 24, Microsoft now provides the same number of years of support for business and consumer versions of Windows XP.

The main difference between mainstream and extended support is the way Microsoft treats non-security-focused hotfixes. Under mainstream support, Microsoft provides these kinds of hotfixes for free. Under extended, customers are required to pay for non-security hotfixes and must sign an "extended hotfix agreement, purchased within 90 days of mainstream support ending." ////////////////////////////////

Just wanted to update shaved beaver, After all isn't 6:30 AM too early for non granola treat? Opps, I mean shouldn't you be in BED, updating that beaver?

Yet looks like 2014 for XP if you'll pay update fee, YOU'LL ALSO GET THOSE NON CRITICAL UPDATES YOU CAN ALSO SWIPE FROM MONTHLY xp ISO DISC..
Vista may come on strong as soon as people can use vista with vista drivers, DO NOR USE XP DRIVERS WHAT SO EVER ON VISTA. Also in 2 years, veinna or blackcomb will be first multi processing o/s & everybody probably should upgrade then.

Why not have LINUX & Windows on same computer?

If your paying big beaver for Windows, for LOVE of god, also have as many LINUX desktop o/s disks as possible too, I believe most will migrate to LINUX for average daily useage, especially bedroom set.

Signed:PHYSICIAN THOMAS STEWART VON DRASHEK M.D.

To the Linux naysayers:

give ubuntu a shot,

Trust me you will be suprised. I had the same assumptions until i just tried a live cd.

windows has a monopoly on games-that is their only real trump card now

Ditch Windows? Yeah, I guess. I guess I could ditch my Honda Civic too and build a new car out of roller skates and plywood with some help from my friends, but that ain't gonna happen.

Hurry up Linux developers and get us something sexy and usable! Rescue us from Microsoft....I am not migrating to Vista (or Fiji) once XP support dies.

Gonna be using Win2k for a while still, and if needed then perhaps jump to Windows XP. But Vista's out of the picture completely for me, the hardware requirements are wasteful imho, and the DRM garbage worries me in terms of usability and reliability.

Linux is not an option though, not user friendly and not fully compatible with the windows products that dominate the market.

AmigaOS is nice but.... unrealistic would be the polite way to describe the option.

MacOS is close, but I don't like paying premiums on systems and, again, compatability issues are a concern.

BeOS ... uh nope.

Free market folks.

Linux is all well and good if you have two boxes. Last time I tried getting a distribution installed I ran into a snag and had to get online to get help on it. Unfortunately it was my only computer so I finally had to give up. I didn't know anyone local who knew anything about it. (It turned out to be a video card driver issue).

I may try again soon since I now work with some Linux Gurus, but in reality when I have used Linux for development I spend a lot of time setting up the environment and tools for the project rather than just getting started on it (how many times have you downloaded a tool only to find a much later version someplace else a few days later?).

I have used Studio .NET 2005 and now am spoiled by the productivity it provides. However that does not mean I don't like MS's licensing schemes and heavy-handed dictation. .NET may be the first thing they have gotten right in a long time, although they took the best of Java and then broke it by adding "pointers".

(Oops, was supposed to respond to #17)

-LS

"or even ditch Windows altogether and go with Linux"

If game developers follow suit, then I'm in. Suse ran pretty smooth on my p3 system a couple of years ago.

What about XP Pro?
I bet the support for W98 does not end in June '07 either...too many poor suckers are still using it. Look for another extension

That's not bad, but I expect a lot of users will still be running Home or MCE by then. I can see this getting extended like they did for 98 and ME.

Excellent. Bring on Service Pack 3!