Staff Techdrunk 
In accordance to public demand and pressure Microsoft has finally given in. The company has decided to offer technical support for Windows XP with updates and security patches for an extended period until April 2014. However, the compnay declared that it will not go back on its decision to discontinue Windows XP sales after June 30.
This implies that after June 30, Microsoft will stop distributing Windows XP as a stand-alone product, as well as stop licensing it to PC manufacturers like Dell, HP, Lenovo, and others. However, it doesn’t mean that XP will disappear overnight. Consumers may still find copies of the software or computers pre-loaded with it for months, as stores and PC makers typically work through their inventories. Also, as per an announcement made at Computex earlier this month, the software ginat said that “’nettops’ better defined as PCs with limited hardware or ultra-low cost PCs will be available with Windows XP until the end of January 2009.”
Additionally Microsoft is allowing customers , under another program, to downgrade Vista systems to XP through a loophole in the company’s licensing terms. So those purchasing a copy of Vista will also be able to run XP at no additional cost.
Microsoft’s move to extend the deadline for technical support is primarily influenced by large business customers, who haven’t yet upgraded their systems to Windows Vista. The companies have been reluctant to switch to Vista due to the costs and heavy system requirements involved. So, the prediction from recent analysts is that “large business customers might just skip Vista and continue with XP until the release of Windows 7, which is scheduled for release in 2010.”
