In my opinion this is just Microsoft doing some hand waiving to confuse people. IE9 wont work on XP which means a majority of users won't have IE9 with in the next 5 years.
BY doing this Microsoft is able to say "Hey, we are standards compliant, we are the good guys now" and still actually be not standards compliant and prevent inovation on the web. To me this seems like normal Microsoft FUD[1]
Really? Because I can still buy a brand new computer with a brand new copy of XP, from Microsoft.
XP was the most reliable operating system from Microsoft, and I really don't like Windows 7. In this, I am not alone. I see absolutely no benefits in getting 7, and I have having to use it at work. I have found 7 to be less reliable, and more annoying to get simple stuff done. It really seems Microsoft keeps moving things around for no reason. The only thing I like about it is the improved task bar, and I can install that on XP (and have done.)
Firefox/Safari/Chrome/Opera still work ok on XP, Microsoft have just decided to leave XP alone.
I never said that you couldn't or shouldn't be running XP. What I said was that if you want the features and benefits that Microsoft offers with their new releases, you shouldn't be upset when they're not available for an almost 10 year old OS.
I'm glad you're able to still get stuff done on XP, but time is short and soon Microsoft will no longer be issuing security updates for XP. In a way, forcing most people to upgrade.
Actually, they probably won’t sell you a copy of XP, but I’m sure they’ll sell you a computer. They actually negotiated deals with OEMs to supply no-crapware versions of their computers for the stores.
I'm confident that XP usage will be declining significantly over the next five years.
It would be welcome if they wouldn't play the OS upgrade card with IE 9, though.Unlike something like Direct X, users won't feel the need to upgrade so they can use IE 9. I assume they decided it is too much trouble to make it work on XP, due to IE's OS integration? Other browser manufacturers don't and won't have a problem supporting their browsers on XP.
wow, just wow. Is it the OS integration that makes people feel like they cant update their browser? Standards change and evolve- sure MS wasnt exactly on the forefront of web standards support but it looks like with IE9 they are actually making an attempt to stay relevant.
BY doing this Microsoft is able to say "Hey, we are standards compliant, we are the good guys now" and still actually be not standards compliant and prevent inovation on the web. To me this seems like normal Microsoft FUD[1]
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear,_uncertainty_and_doubt