Is Windows XP Obselete?

Inspired by this question being asked various times on various forums~

Is XP obsolete? Outdated? Dieing?
Maybe it's already dead?

I'll tell you what, I personally find that it's very obsolete, and if it isn't dead, needs to die soon less it hold back the rest of the tech world with it's inferiority. (Though, I still use it on BOTH my laptop, and desktop xDD)

True fact, XP is the reason Firefox is so insecure right now. :3
Mozilla builds Firefox to be aimed at XP users. Thus, they don't use newer security features. This will be changing in the future though, don't worry.

Opinions?

Obsolete? No.
Outdated? Yes.

It's still my favoured version of Windows, but that's mostly as I'm change resistant, have used programs like those from Stardock to achieve transparent start menus/windows long before they were introduced in Windows OSes themselves and favour XP's higher compatibility with some older applications which I just can't run on Windows 7 sans an emulator or virtual box despite assurances of increased compatibility.

As far as browsers go, I prefer Opera. Faster, uses less system resources and often pioneers features that later make their way into Firefox like that speed dial page showing several sites. With a much smaller marketshare it gets targetted less too.

Though amusingly if it wasn't for games and a few apps that get a little iffy with workaround solutions I'd probably just use Linux or FreeBSD exclusively.

[truthillusion]

Obsolete? No.
Outdated? Yes.

That about sums it all up.

[Eris]

Most older operating systems find some niche where they live on.

MS-DOS is heavily used in timing-sensitive environments, for example, as it's strictly single-process and does what you want when you want it, and little else. So you find it in computers controlling time-sensitive machinery or science equipment.

[GameGeeks]

Considering Windows 7 hasn't been out for too long I wouldn't say it's outdated. Especially since most people hated Windows Vista. I wouldn't consider XP outdated till 7 has been out a few more years and people have a chance to convert. Not everyone can afford the latest OS right away. Especially considering things like XP Compatibility Mode only exists on the two most expensive versions of the OS. I believe the min price for that is a hundred and twenty dollars. Not something a lot of people can afford right now.

[.Sev]

Considering Windows 7 hasn't been out for too long I wouldn't say it's outdated. Especially since most people hated Windows Vista. I wouldn't consider XP outdated till 7 has been out a few more years and people have a chance to convert. Not everyone can afford the latest OS right away. Especially considering things like XP Compatibility Mode only exists on the two most expensive versions of the OS. I believe the min price for that is a hundred and twenty dollars. Not something a lot of people can afford right now.

Have you heard of the term, "Took the words right out of my mouth?"
That would apply here. That's pretty much exactly what I was going to say.

[Aizmov]

Yes it is obsolete, it is 9 years old for heaven's sake!!!

IE9 wont be even released for XP and IE9 is good.

[GameGeeks]

Yes it is obsolete, it is 9 years old for heaven's sake!!!

IE9 wont be even released for XP and IE9 is good.

Considering IE8 was only released a year ago IE9 is still in early development and it could be a year or two before that's released. Besides there are plenty of other browsers to pick from that are better then IE, like Fire Fox or Opera. So that's not really a big concern and obsolete one program does not make.

[narunaru]

Perhaps it is, but damn if I don't find myself wishing every day that I had again.
Windows 7 is craptastic.

[Kagome]

Perhaps it is, but damn if I don't find myself wishing every day that I had again.
Windows 7 is craptastic.

Windows 7 isn't bad...Vista-everyone will agree was craptastic. But 7 is niether better nor worse than Xp. It's about the same I find. Save for the nice little thing you can do with pip-screens that you couldn't on Xp or Vista...Which I like. But-anyhoos.

Xp isn't "obsolete" not yet anyway. Though it is hella outdated.

[Captian Jack sparrow]

In my opinion windows XP is not obsolete windows 7 has more issues than most people realize cause i have one and i prefer windows XP just due to the fact that it's a reliable os and dosen't crash unless i do something to make it XD.

[Ranshiin]

Windows 7 isn't bad...Vista-everyone will agree was craptastic. But 7 is niether better nor worse than Xp. It's about the same I find. Save for the nice little thing you can do with pip-screens that you couldn't on Xp or Vista...Which I like. But-anyhoos.

Xp isn't "obsolete" not yet anyway. Though it is hella outdated.

Vista is craptastic. I concur.

/very late reply


In other news, I don't see Windows XP being labelled as 'obselete' until two things happen: 1) DirectX 10 (or DirectX 11) becomes the standard for gaming, and 2) when Microsoft actually decides to stop putting out updates and patches for the OS (like they eventually did with 2K and 98)

Although since I haven't used XP properly in well over a year, I don't actually know if Microsoft has announced XP's end of life. All I know is that for playing DirectX9 games, XP offers far superior performance to Vista (and a little more than W7)

[Eris]

Yes it is obsolete, it is 9 years old for heaven's sake!!!

It's not like XP SP3 is identical to what was released 9 years ago. Using that broken logic, Linux is 19 years old, and MacOSX is 25 years old (the kernel is, at any rate).

[TheAsterisk!]

Yes it is obsolete, it is 9 years old for heaven's sake!!!
Only if you neglect service packs and the like.

I suppose I could point out that the original 10.0 release of Mac OS X is also from 2001, by similar reasoning, neglecting to consider the newer, updated versions- much like Windows's service packs.

IE9 wont be even released for XP and IE9 is good.

Just means that Microsoft wants XP regarded as obsolete, in order to encourage Win7 purchases, not that it actually is obsolete.

Using that broken logic, Linux is 19 years old, and MacOSX is 25 years old (the kernel is, at any rate).

Yeah, kinda, but it's not about the kernel, apparently, or else Aizmov would have been able to say that XP was far, far older than a mere nine years aged- as old as the NT kernel, right? What does that go back to- '92, '93? Something like that... So, seventeen years, then?
Given the figure of nine years, 'snot the kernel, just the name.

Still wrong, though, on account of other silly implications.

[Digital Dragon]

There are still people using Windows '98. THAT is outdated.

[Miss Moonlight]

No, I am still using XP home on a 8 year old desktop (with SP2 - SP 3 and 4 I didn't want to install, those packs are huge.) It works fine as long as I maintain it properly.

That doesn't mean I don't want the latest windows, but i'm broke, so, XP is good enough for now.

[miniPhil]

That doesn't mean I don't want the latest windows, but i'm broke, so, XP is good enough for now.

Basically this. My laptop is very old. The monitor has lines down it and its begun to blue screen on me. I'm saving up every penny I have now for a new laptop but am slightly worried that some of my old programs wont work on seven.

[chaotic.rune]

hmm... define obselete? i guess it's not that outdated. i'm planning of setting my laptop back to xp since windows 7 can't run games and some of the applications (mostly my wacom apps). windows should make something like a xp and 7 hybrid... craptastic? yep *thumbs up*

[GameGeeks]

^Depending on the version of 7 you have there may be an xp compatibility option. But like I said that, unfortunately, is only on the last to versions of the OS.

[Rei]

*rolleyes* my school computers still use XP. But I'm using vista on my laptop.

@miniPhil: Wow, exactly how old is your laptop? o_O

[miniPhil]

@miniPhil: Wow, exactly how old is your laptop? o_O

I don't know, I got it second hand so it could be any age. I only bought it second hand because of some of the ridiculously expensive programs already on it and it would well suck if they didn't work on seven.

[Rei]

Oh that'd be crap. xq I like vista though. And if I get seven, I'm getting the japanese version. For its mascot.

[1gn1t0r]

Duh. Obviously its obsolete.

Look at the age of that thing.

[whiteball]

I did not agree, Window XP is better for single PC and for networking. I have been using Window XP since 5 Years and i am fully satisfied and having no problem.

[Skylar1]

I used to not think so, until recently when I had to fix the network connections for someones computer, and I saw XP for the first time in a long while, I was like

"eh, yeah, 7 is way prettier and cleaner looking"

Not that I don't like XP, it certainly never gave me anything to complain about. lol