XP to be retired...

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Word on the net is that Microsoft plans to drop free support Windows XP and Office 2003 as of next week. On April 14, the Redmond giant ends consumer support for Office 2003 in addition to Windows XP Home and Professional. Crucially this will mean no more bug fixes except for security.

Customers will need to pay for Microsoft assistance from April 14th onwards. Security fixes will still come down the line for Office 2003 and XP until August after which the software will be 'retired.'

Customers can still get non-security critical fixes if they've part of the Extended Support programme. Microsoft is also "retiring" Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1, meaning it will no longer provide support for the release.

For the average home user the choices will be continue to use their exisiting software with a potential for vulnerbilities; move to Vista or wait for Windows 7 to appear on the shelves. There has been speculation that this move to finally hammer the last night in the coffin of XP for home users is also a marker for the appearance of Windows 7, but although receieving some favourable comments from beta users there is still some doubts surrounding the new offering from the Redmond boys. Abandoning XP is something Microsoft have been wanting to do for some time, but the universally poor press on the roll out of Vista has delayed this for several years.

The assumption has to be that with the end of XP for non business use, user will finally make the lucretive, for MS at least, jump to a new OS.

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