The age of Windows XP is over. Microsoft's most successful OS was launched on October 25, 2001 and was the first to use the stable NT kernel for both mainstream and business desktops. Starting April 8, the OS is no more. Microsoft has dropped support; you won't receive updates or technical assistance. Software compatibility will decrease and XP will become a tempting target for criminal crackers.
Few Operating Systems reach the ripe old age of thirteen. While XP reviews were positive, the early months were problematic; it struggled on existing hardware and it took time for manufacturers to release compatible drivers. However, once those issues were eradicated, XP usage peaked at 76% in January 2007.
XP's long life owed much to the Longhorn/Vista debacle. The next release of Windows took five years to appear and suffered a disastrous reception. Windows 7 did much to address the reputation of the OS but, by that time, people had been using XP for eight years and had grown accustom to its features and quirks. XP usage was only overtaken by Windows 7 in 2012 and, even today, almost one in five users retain the aging OS.
XP users have received plenty of warnings about it's demise but that doesn't mean it'll stop working. People will continue to use XP and Office 2013 unless they have the budget and/or hardware to upgrade. The UK government has even paid $9 million for an additional twelve months of support -- largely because 85% of the National Health Service still uses XP (and, somewhat shockingly, IE6).Continue reading %Is Today the Beginning of the End for IE8?%