Microsoft giveth, Microsoft taketh away

Windows XP Service Pack 3 released to users, Windows XP end-of-life announced

Dear friends and clients,

Microsoft periodically combines updates, fixes, and other improvements into a single package - Service Pack 3 is now available. Click here for full details.

Microsoft develops updates, fixes, and other improvements that address issues reported by the company’s customers and partners. To make it easier for customers to get these updates and enhancements, Microsoft periodically combines them into a single package, and makes that package available for all Windows customers.

These packages are called service packs – and the third major release for Windows XP users is now available.

This update will be automatically downloaded to all users who have automatic updating switched on – but be warned, this is a large update (65 – 300Mb, depending on your system) so expect large bandwidth usage.

 At the same time Microsoft has advised dealers that sales of Windows XP Home and Pro will be discontinued after June 30, 2008, with support for these products extending only until April 14, 2009.

 This doesn’t mean that you can’t continue using the product – What it does mean is that there will be no further development, bug-fixes or 3rd-party drivers available. And you will only be able to buy new computers with Windows Vista pre-installed. In due course XP will go the way of Windows 98 and previous operating systems. Hopefully by then, Windows Vista will actually be worth using!