April 8. 2014: Windows XP out of service! And than, move to Windows 8.1? In just 31 day's Windows XP will be totally out of service from Microsoft which includes also a stop of any more Security Updates for that old OS! The question is: Will that triggers to an huge move of the old XP User's to Windows 8.1? Or would even some (or many!) "just" move to Windows 7? According to some News from Germany, between 11-30% of the PC users still using Windows XP today! And that not in the private sector only, also the SME sector is still using that old OS in quite an percentage! There quite a lot complaints from Users (of this forum) regarding Windows 8.1 and Windows 8 for various reasons, some of them truly understandable! But, would that complaints prohibit many of those old XP users to move to Windows 8.1? Some for sure will admit that (in post's of this forum, true or not!)! Question here would be: what's an really reliable alternative? Linux? Let face the truth: Linux isn't bad and has some advantages over the "traditional" Windows system, no doubt with that! But: Linux isn't that easy to use an Windows! Means the user of Linux will need quite to learn a lot to get most out of that OS! And in business environment it's just Windows OS's in over 90% of use! OS-X? Firstly would need Hardware changes to an much more expensive system. Everything what is having the Apple symbol cost's mainly double of what the "normal" PC's are cost! Secondly compatibility, special hardware! What's working on and with an PC didn't means that it will work with OS-X! That just 2 of more problems to come in case of move to OS-X! Android: (is also a Linux Distro) Not very useful now for powerful machines even it's excellent for Tablet Computers. And Android is a Touchscreen OS, which could work well with the use of Keyboard and Mouse! Chrome OS, Rapsberry etc., we didn't need to talk about, me think! And that brings back the question: What is the way we'll/need/want to go?
If I was on XP, I would straightaway move to windows 8.1. But then, if I was on XP still now, I would have had no concern about using an outdated OS. In our organisation, people still use XP and they are not scared at all. In fact, most even do not know that XP is EOL in April 2014. That would perhaps hold true for a lot of people too. There is a mix of XP, 7 and 8 in our organisation but ours is 100 employees only. For a bigger organisation, there is a huge cost of migration, and the slowdown will not help matters. IT does not take priority in capital spending for many.
In general that could be ok. Problem may would be that XP will more on interest for hackers and developers of Virus etc. because MS will not do any more Security Updates! And that just could means that the XP Paltform will be again wide open for those! I really have to admit not to like that!
Some of the views that I have heard (could they be generalised) result from the perception that MS is scaring people/ paying media to shell out money for 7/8/8.1 In addition, people think that they are immune through corporate AVs. Really I see only a gradual decline for XP, with maybe a complete windup in the next 3-4 years. Would that be likely?? I for one have not used XP since late 2009, but still find that it had the best looking `start' button and the best screen savers and MS logo. Still looks good. Not the ugly 8.1 start logo.
I still use XP on one older machine with some special Utility Apps which not works in Windows 7 onward! That machine is switched on maybe twice a week, so, very little! It's also not connected to the Internet any more, just to the LAN!
For organizations and other like that(Enterprise environement) moving to other Windows will be necessary but here many home users have turned-off Windows update in their systems and they are not worried about EOL XP.They will use XP I think,forever while they have old hardwares...
I think the title is a bit mis-leading, XP is not out-of-service, it's out-of-support. My friend in Bank of China Hongkong(admin level) told me internally they are still on win2K.
There quite some companies in Thailand which still using Windows 98!! Reason are the Accounting apps used! In the "old" days the Thailand software developers was using to change some part of the ASCII Code for to implement the Thai Font's. Also the older Thai Windows version till 98 was using those modified ASCII Codes and codepages. The available accounting apps at those time, special those which were allowed to use by the Thai Government and Revenue Department was working only with that special codes. To migrating the data written with the codes is impossible to the newer systems and that triggers that Windows 98 is still used by some (even bigger) companies in Thailand. I'm not sure but that could be an similar reason why in China (and Hongkong) still Windows 2000 is in use! That even if the servers still running Server 2000!
True, it's not because the staffs don't know how to use win8(as many people thought), it's the special tailored programs developed for the organization, it's a major pain in the S to migrate, they don't worry about win-updates as they have their own computer team and also appoint specialized companies to take care of security.
It's not really about personal preference, it's about hardware support. Newer systems simply don't have xp drivers. Old hardware eventually breaks down and there's a limit to how much xp-supported hardware you can get. Eventually they are all obsolete.
Also why cramp a new system (say 2009+) with an outdated OS. Cannot use more than 4GB of RAM. Drivers are there but I would not simply trust XP on a 2009+ system+ present 2014 drivers to work 100% on a XP. For all the blame that win 8/8.1 get, I believe each successor holds noticeable improvements (or at least incremental, small tweaks) and if one can do it, it is extremely worthwhile to upgrade.
Altho' it's staggering that large companies are still running such old apps on such old systems, it's pleasing to see that not all are feeling coerced onto the M$ gravy train just due to EOL... big-up to them
My opinion on Linux is that only people with actual computer-skills and knowlage about PC-things can operate it savely. Somone who treads a PC like a TV in turning it on and remember to not delete the internet isn't nearly competent enought for Linux. For such people a Linux is a very dangerous place. Mac-OS-X isn't running on PC-Hardware! So this is in no way a feasible answer to this problem. To be honest there isn't much done on Mac-OS-X by Apple the last ten years. A few tweaks in the UI but nothing else. Android IS a Linux-Distro so it isn't a option for this list eather. All the security flaws it has in the mass-market of mobile-phones it proves my opinion I concerned above about Linux.
If I have to use a former OS like XP I install it in Hyper-V and be done with it. No wasting of good Hardware for an old and obsolete OS which I only have to use in some strange situation.
Well I think there's too much hype about the complexities of Linux,, sure, using stuff like terminal requires some savvy but most corporate users are forbidden anything that requires elevated privileges - in that sense there is no reason why a 'user-friendly' distro cannot deployed in an enterprise environment.. Hell we can even write .Net apps to run on Linux with Mono - no stupid Wine or anything.... a lot of companies already have Linux based back-end servers - why not change the middle-tier and front-end as well? All it requires is a mind-set change and the world of cost-effective computing will become a reality...