Windows XP Dies At 12 1/2 After Long Illness

Larry Seltzer | ZD Net | April 8, 2014

Microsoft Windows XP's lifecycle came to an end today after a tumultuous 12-year reign as the most successful operating system ever.

Despite great market success, Windows XP had been suffering from severe security vulnerabilities almost since birth. XP barely survived major surgery in 2004, emerging as Windows XP SP2, more resilient to attack, but still weak. Having long-since decided to forgo further heroic measures, Microsoft withdrew support today.

I asked my ZDNet colleague, Ed Bott, who literally wrote the book on Windows XP, for a few words on the sad occasion. Choking back a tear, Ed said "Windows XP has been officially supported for more than 12 years. It was a senior citizen five years ago. It’s been on life support since then. It deserves to die with dignity"...