Windows XP is coming to an end. Analysis of the Microsoft announcement

Microsoft has been actively and passively announcing the end of support for the old Windows XP operating system, in all its versions, as well as the Office suite in its 2003 version.

We are talking about barely 12 years old, but in computing and in this Information Society, more than a decade represents enormous technological differences that constitute an important and increasing barrier to its use.

The reasons for migrating

The reasons Microsoft gives in its statement are strong and full of common sense. But it's important to note that this doesn't mean that starting April 8, 2014, Windows XP and Office 2003 will suddenly stop working, but that there will no longer be more security updates or technical support for Windows XP and Office 2003, and this can lead to problems like:

• Higher costs and lower productivity: Reducing operating costs and improving employee productivity is among the top priorities of the companies. Considering this, it is surprising that 47% of SMEs indicate that lack of budget is the main reason why they do not replace old PCs, despite the frequent problems and loss of productivity that they cause (Techaisle, 2013). . Despite this, replacing old PCs and migrating to current versions of Windows and Office in most cases is less costly when looking at the long-term situation.According to the same report, small businesses will spend an average of $427 on repairs for PCs older than four years, not to mention the hours of productivity lost resolving issues.

• Security Exposure and Compatibility Risks: Security is, of course, one of the biggest concerns for all businesses. Lack of support and out-of-date computers increase the risk of serious security issues. In fact, a recent report by Microsoft's Trustworthy Computing team has shown that Windows XP is five times more susceptible to virus infections and successful attacks than Windows 8.1.

• Lack of new applications: Following April 8, 2014 application developers and Independent Solution Vendors (ISVs), who develop solutions for Windows XP, they will not maintain the same level of attention to existing applications, and they will stop developing new solutions.In other words, no matter what programs you use in Windows XP today, you will no longer benefit from new features or other advancements. Your PCs will not evolve to adapt to customer and market requirements, losing the competitive race.

Conclusions

There are multiple reasons why a company or personal user should migrate to a modern operating system (definitely Windows 8.x) , but in my experience there are almost always several reasons that are repeated in many cases. The impossibility of having a decent Internet Explorer, since Windows XP SP3 only allows updating to version 8 of IE, which leaves much to be desired in these times of IE11; the inability to install modern programs; the fear of the insecurity of an Operating System with 13 years of patches.

On the other hand, due to the very construction of WindowsXP, there are many programs physically linked to the hardware, which for reasons beyond the control of the client/user have not been updated in their drivers or in their code.And that literally prevents migrating to a modern operating system by not being able to access the physical device with the permissiveness that is achieved in XP.

But the tide of renewal is unstoppable, and the question is summed up in When?.