Deliveries are made

Windows XP operating system is being buried alive

Microsoft yesterday stopped shipping all versions of the Windows XP operating system. Software sellers and computer manufacturers can sell old stock only until the end of the year. True, the end of deliveries of Windows XP does not mean that you can forget about this operating system. According to Engadget, Microsoft Vice President Bill Wecht promised not to stop supporting XP until 2014: critical updates will be released, primarily related to security. In addition, the company plans to install Windows XP on ultra-cheap computers like Asus EEE PC and Classmate PC (the latter exists only in prototype form) until 2010.

A year and a half ago, shortly before the release of Windows Vista, Microsoft representatives promised to stop selling XP in February 2008. However, sales of the new operating system were lower than expected . Vista sold 20 million copies in February 2007 (Windows XP sold 17 million in October 2001), and about 140 million copies have been sold to date. Vista clearly falls short of last year's optimistic forecast from the analytical agency IDC - 240 million by the end of 2008.

The fact is that not all private and corporate users wanted to install Vista on their computers. For example, the American car manufacturer General Motors has publicly stated that it will not work under Vista. The decision of some manufacturers, in particular Toshiba and HP, to sell computers only with Vista was met with hostility not only by opponents of the new OS, but even by its supporters, who felt that the consumer was being deprived of choice. Two to three months later, manufacturers abandoned this practice.

One of the reasons for dissatisfaction with Windows Vista is the incompatibility of various programs with it. The top spot on the list belongs to some firewalls (software for protecting computers from external intrusions) and antiviruses - they either do not work under Vista at all or work slowly. Some older games do not work (in particular, Caesar and Worms 3D). There are incompatible graphics and multimedia programs - Corel Draw 8, Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo IX and X, AutoCad 2006 and lower, QuickTime Player 7, MPlayer. However, the list of incompatible software is constantly decreasing, and old versions of programs, strictly speaking, are not required to work with new operating systems.

However, it makes no sense to argue about which is better - Vista or XP. Some users like the new OS better, others prefer to deal with a proven, albeit less stylish product. Still others (and there are not so few of them) use one of the systems at home, and the second at work, and do not see anything wrong with it.

Computer manufacturers don't think the market situation will change much after XP stops shipping. “Due to the fact that PCs and laptops with Windows Vista have been supplied since last spring, the abandonment of XP will not have a significant impact on computer sales,” says Daniil Kozyakov, public relations manager of the Russian representative office of ASUSTeK.

According to the director of 1C (the largest domestic developer and seller of software in Russia) Boris Nuraliev, people may, for various reasons, prefer previous versions of software products, and there is nothing wrong with that. “I won’t comment on Microsoft’s decision, but I can tell you about 1C’s method of action in a similar situation. We think it's good to give people the opportunity to buy what they want, but we're raising the price of previous versions."

Last year, Microsoft, looking at the not very impressive sales results of Windows Vista, went to meet the retrogrades halfway and created a document called “The right to use earlier versions (downgrade).” Vista Business and Vista Ultimate users can install Windows XP Professional (32- or 64-bit version) from their own licensed disk, and Tablet PC owners can install Windows XP Tablet PC Edition. But technical support for the operating system by the manufacturer ceases after this - for the sake of old affection, something will have to be sacrificed.

Dell went even further and offered this option to PC and laptop buyers. For an additional $99, you get a computer pre-installed with Windows XP Professional and a disc with Vista Business or Ultimate. At the same time, technical support applies to both operating systems. True, this is only possible in the USA. According to the company's press service, a similar offer is not valid in Russia and is not planned.

In short, stopping the supply of Windows XP will not create big problems for either computer manufacturers or consumers. Taking into account the promised technical support, it will become a real long-liver on the market, existing for almost 13 years, which is an entire era for the software industry. Vista doesn't have many chances to break this record: next year Microsoft promises to release a new OS - Windows 7.

Victoria SOKOLOVSKAYA, iToday.ru, - specially for Vremya Novostei