OfficeRay 1.2
For Webforms & Web Applications

     
Windows XP Home & Pro End of Lifecycle Policy

Like most users, I don`t like Vista. Hence I will be watching closely the end of lifecycle of Win XP. Here is the simplified table.  

Desktop Operating Systems Date of General Availability Direct OEM and Retail License Availability (end date) System Builder License Availability (end date)
MS DOS 6.xx Jun 01, 1994 Nov 30, 2001 Nov 30, 2001
Windows 95 Aug 15, 1995 Dec 31, 2000 Dec 31, 2001
Windows 98 Jun 30, 1998 Jun 30, 2002 Nov 30, 2003
Windows 98 SE Jun 30, 1999 Jun 30, 2002 Mar 31, 2004
Windows Me Dec 31, 2000 Dec 31, 2003 Jun 30, 2004
Windows 2000 Pro Mar 31, 2000 Mar 31, 2004 Mar 31, 2005

Windows XP Home
Windows XP Pro

 Dec 31, 2001 Jun 30, 2008 Jan 31, 2009

Service Packs

  • Win XP Service Pack 1 released on Sep 9, 2002
  • Win XP Service Pack 2 released on Aug 25, 2004 - My brother who worked in IT dept said this is the most important SP ever released. Since this date, the number of viruses in the staffs` computer decreased drastically. WinXP from now on is truly a very productive piece of Operating System on the planet. Yes, there ore other OS that is more secure... but are not as productive.
  • Win XP Service Pack 3 released on May 6, 2008

Support (Both Win XP Home & Pro)

  • Mainstream Support Retired on Apr 14, 2009
  • Extended Support Retired on Apr 08, 2014

TextBanner

From ArsTechnica
Mainstream and Extended support are virtually identical, with both carrying security updates, service packs, online support, and the availability of paid support. However, the transition to the Extended Support phase means that hotfixes that are not security related will be made available by a (paid) commercial contract, warranty claims can no longer be made, and Microsoft will not entertain adding any new features or design elements to the OS.

Useful Links


My Plan for Win XP & Vista

Basically big vendors like Dell, Acer etc will not get further Win Xp supply on Jun 30, 2008. However, Dell has been discontinuing Win Xp for a while now (before the deadline).

System Builder (individual Win XP installer like us?) can still get the software till Jan 31, 2009 - 7 full months after big vendors.

What will I do next?

  1. Make sure all my installation of Win XP is updated before these dates.
  2. Prepare for virtualisation. I might use the latest Ubuntu with the latest hardware (at least Core 2 Duo & 2 gig Ram) and run Win XP under VMWare virtualisation.

Why would I go thru all the trouble for (2) above? Simply because I have been using Win XP for 5 years now (since 2003). Basically every softwares I ever need for my everyday productive work were already found & nicely installed & safely kept in a software folder.

Hence Why would I need Vista?

Win XP Pro and Office 2003 (and all open source softwares running under XP) are the start for all my productive work. I dont need anything more or less. 

Guide
 
  • Blog
    Misc Rambling & Tips
     
  • Tutorial
    Step By Step Guide on Web Forms and Web Apps
     
  • News
    OfficeRay Release History, Updates & Bugfixes
     

 

 

 

 

 

     
new officeray.com