Hasta La Gadget!

As we’re sure many of you guys have heard by now, Windows XP is officially no longer supported by Microsoft. The operating system is still alive and kicking but it is no longer being supported, meaning that updates designed to protect the computer from viruses and malware will no longer be issued.

This isn’t good news for businesses and governments that still rely heavily on Windows XP and have yet to make the switch. Last we heard, Microsoft was charging very high prices to keep adding support until these organizations or government agencies had the opportunity to upgrade. Well it turns out Microsoft has had a change of heart and is now offering a discount.

In a statement released by Microsoft to ZDNet, “We’ve been working with customers and partners on the migration from Windows XP since we announced in September 2007 that support for Windows XP would end on April 8. 2014. As part of this effort, we’ve made custom support more affordable so large enterprise organizations could have temporary support in place while they migrate to a more modern and secure operating system.”

Microsoft did not state how big the discount was but according to ZDNet’s source, one customer had an original quote of $85 million to cover his entire company reduce to $3 million which is an extremely huge discount. ComputerWorld on the other hand has cited its own sources which claims that the ceiling for the custom coverage is set at $250,000, with a price of $250 per device which admittedly sounds a lot more reasonable.

Microsoft Discounting Windows XP Support For Enterprise , original content from Ubergizmo, Filed in Computers, Microsoft, windows xp,

The IRS isn’t exactly known for playing fast and loose with deadlines—your deadlines, that is. But when it comes to its own, its apparently a lot more willing to take their chances. In this case, that means paying millions of dollars to keep running Windows XP long after the deadline has come and gone.

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As we’re sure many of you guys are aware by now, but Microsoft has recently put an end to their official support for Windows XP. The operating system itself is still functional, but just don’t expect Microsoft to continue supporting it with updates and security patches. Given how old the operating system is, we guess it is about time, especially considering that there are 3 versions of Windows already ahead of it (Vista, 7, and 8).

Many people have criticized Microsoft for ending their support and recently the Chinese state media have joined in, slamming Microsoft for their decision and calling them “extremely irresponsible”. According to the post, they not only called Microsoft irresponsible, but they also said that this moved showed a lack of trustworthiness and that it could impact internet security and the future of Microsoft.

They also claim that the end of Windows XP has put China in an awkward position, especially since most operating systems these days, like Unix, Linux, OS X, and so on, are apparently “controlled by foreigners”. The article also takes the opportunity to call for the rise of local companies to help make China’s domestic operating system more prevalent in the face of Windows XP coming to an end.

However what the post fails to highlight is how the majority of Windows used in China are pirated copies. A few years ago this was confirmed by Microsoft’s then-CEO, Steve Ballmer, who said that how only 1 in 10 copies of Windows in China are legit copies, which basically means that 90% are running on pirated software. In fact in reaction to the Chinese state media’s post, one user took to social media to confess that his version is the pirated version, and that “I really have no standing to ask Microsoft for anything.”

What do you guys think? Is Microsoft really being irresponsible for ending Windows XP? Or do you think it’s about time anyway? After all we don’t expect that companies and governments to think that Microsoft would be supporting Windows XP forever, right?

Chinese State Media Calls Microsoft Irresponsible For Ending Windows XP Support , original content from Ubergizmo, Filed in Computers, Microsoft, windows xp,

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