fazaal24
03-20-2007, 04:40 PM
Does the release of Vista mean that Microsoft will cut off support for Windows XP, as it did for Windows 98 and other old OSs?
Not immediately, no. But it's a safe bet that, as Vista (http://www.winmatrix.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=12400&hl=#) becomes the dominant flavor of Windows, Microsoft (http://www.winmatrix.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=12400&hl=#) will eventually discontinue Windows XP support. In fact, the company stopped supporting Windows XP Service Pack 1, along with Windows 98 and Windows Me, in October 2006. If Microsoft were to end Windows XP SP2 support after the same number of years of support, SP2 users would be covered until sometime in 2010.
Microsoft typically makes an announcement when it begins to phase out support for aging products, as it did with this schedule (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/support/endofsupport.mspx) for Windows 98, Me, and XP SP1. The software vendor gives users both a timeline and options for upgrade. Even after discontinuing traditional technical support (http://www.winmatrix.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=12400&hl=#), some assistance remains available online.
Will Microsoft stop providing security patches and bug fixes for XP?
No, though the fact that it recently announced a delay until 2008 of the planned Windows XP Service Pack 3 suggests that improving XP is no longer the company's highest priority.
Now that Vista is out, will new applications require it? If I stick with Windows XP, will I be unable to get any new software?
Past Windows transitions give us hope that most applications (http://www.winmatrix.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=12400&hl=#) will be available in Windows XP-friendly editions for quite awhile--after all, millions and millions of people will continue to use XP for years to come--but a gradual transition to Vista will occur over the next few years. Cutting-edge games will make the earliest transition to the new OS (http://www.winmatrix.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=12400&hl=#), since DirectX 10 (the new version of Microsoft's APIs for game programmers) will be Vista-only.
Windows Life-Cycle Policy (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/lifecycle/default.mspx)
XP's Fate in a Vista World (http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,129316-c,vistalonghorn/article.html)
Not immediately, no. But it's a safe bet that, as Vista (http://www.winmatrix.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=12400&hl=#) becomes the dominant flavor of Windows, Microsoft (http://www.winmatrix.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=12400&hl=#) will eventually discontinue Windows XP support. In fact, the company stopped supporting Windows XP Service Pack 1, along with Windows 98 and Windows Me, in October 2006. If Microsoft were to end Windows XP SP2 support after the same number of years of support, SP2 users would be covered until sometime in 2010.
Microsoft typically makes an announcement when it begins to phase out support for aging products, as it did with this schedule (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/support/endofsupport.mspx) for Windows 98, Me, and XP SP1. The software vendor gives users both a timeline and options for upgrade. Even after discontinuing traditional technical support (http://www.winmatrix.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=12400&hl=#), some assistance remains available online.
Will Microsoft stop providing security patches and bug fixes for XP?
No, though the fact that it recently announced a delay until 2008 of the planned Windows XP Service Pack 3 suggests that improving XP is no longer the company's highest priority.
Now that Vista is out, will new applications require it? If I stick with Windows XP, will I be unable to get any new software?
Past Windows transitions give us hope that most applications (http://www.winmatrix.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=12400&hl=#) will be available in Windows XP-friendly editions for quite awhile--after all, millions and millions of people will continue to use XP for years to come--but a gradual transition to Vista will occur over the next few years. Cutting-edge games will make the earliest transition to the new OS (http://www.winmatrix.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=12400&hl=#), since DirectX 10 (the new version of Microsoft's APIs for game programmers) will be Vista-only.
Windows Life-Cycle Policy (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/lifecycle/default.mspx)
XP's Fate in a Vista World (http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,129316-c,vistalonghorn/article.html)