Why XP will still be around for a while

From a poll by TechRepublic a great number of organizations are still using the infamous operating system by Microsoft. 13,000 participated in the poll and 96% of them agreed to using XP in their organization.

According to an article by Brian Posey of TechRepublic, the following are some of the reasons why Windows XP will still be around on our systems:

1. No necessity to upgrade

Most organizations already have XP setup and installed in their systems. Which means that they have a support team to perform necessary checks and upgrades and also troubleshoot the system in case of any problems. From a business point of view it is nonsensical to incur further costs in upgrading.

2. Extended support

Microsoft has continued to provide support for Windows XP in spite the release of XP’s successors such as Vista and Windows 7. This support extends through to the year 2014.

3. Virtualized integration in Windows 7

Windows Vista came with a lot of incompatibility issues. Then came Windows 7 in an effort to solve the compatibility issues in Vista, Microsoft innovatively made XP’s compatible applications available through Windows 7’s Start Menu without the need of switching between the two operating systems. This just shows that XP will still be around as long as it is still integrated in Windows 7.

4. A loyal fan base

Windows XP still has a a great following easily comparable to that of Macintosh PCs and Linux operating systems. Here in sub-saharan countries most computer systems use XP of its user friendliness. Much more intricate operating systems such as Linux are only used for secure systems and a few tech savvy individuals. Moreover the release of the Swahili version of Windows XP has given it a plus as the most favorable OS by swahili speaking nations.

5. Doesn’t need powerful hardware

Vista as a operating system is considered a hardware hog. For efficient operation one must have a very powerful high end PC which is not the case with XP. Preference still sticks with XP, since it is not cost effective for organizations to get rid off their older hardware because of an upgrade to an operating system they don’t consider efficient.

6. Hardware manufacturer support

It is not surprising to find that the latest hardware comes bundled with driver support for XP. As long as hardware manufacturers continue providing support for XP in their devices then Windows XP is not leaving anytime soon.

7. Legacy Support

Older, poorly written applications are better supported by XP. Even though Vista has application compatibility settings that if tweaked can allow these applications, it is stress free to just continue using XP; your old system.

8. Never goes out of date

Microsoft’s XP is a highly successful product in comparison to other releases in the past. As newer technologies come up Microsoft continues to allow them to be used on XP. XP continues to enjoy the benefits of product updates and security releases.

9. Netbooks preinstalled with XP

Computers havve become a very important machine in our day to day lives. Portable PCs and notebooks have become very popular and can be found in at least 2 of 5 backpacks in a conference. And the majority of these computers run either Windows XP or Linux. In computer shops most if not all of the portable computers come with XP preinstalled. For instance this Acer Aspire from Amazon comes with very lucrative prices and is bundled with Windows XP Home SP3.