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Windows XP Roadmap:
Is this the end of XP?  Could Vista really be an industrial OS?

Don't believe everything you hear.

With all the recent talk about Microsoft discontinuing shipments of Windows XP to PC makers as of June 30, 2008, IT engineers on the factory floor have been trembling in their work boots.  After all, many hours have gone into development on the XP platform, and having to abandon XP and redevelop for a new platform - especially, gasp...Vista - would be a massive undertaking.  And this is not to even mention the probable lack of driver support for many currently-used devices.

While the mammoth Redmond, Wash.-based software maker has stuck to its plan to cease providing PC makers with XP to preload on new PCs, system builders like MSI Tec operate under an exception to the rule.  Microsoft XP Professional and XP Embedded are available on any of our industrial computers until at least 2014.  By then, we may see the birth (and death) of several new Microsoft operating systems, including Vista.  While everyone agrees that Microsoft should have extended XP's end-of-life date one more time (and those same people tend to agree that Vista should go the way of the oft-forgotten Windows Millenium), we may be only 12-18 months away from Microsoft's next great OS.  The latest rumblings from Microsoft indicate that "Windows 7" may be available by late 2009, and it's hard to imagine that Microsoft could flub an OS release twice in a row.

And while Microsoft is also aiming for a 2009 release for Vista Embedded, its release appears at this point to be aimed primarily at the POS market, and support for XP Embedded will continue unhindered for years to come. 

For consumers and businesses, it's important to be educated about downgrade rights for OEM versions of their OS software.  This is a right that Microsoft has long provided in its license agreements.  Just as Windows XP Professional OEM editions can be downgraded to Windows 2000, Windows Vista Business and Ultimate editions can be downgraded to Windows XP Pro.  According to a Microsoft downgrade rights factsheet, Windows XP Pro can be installed by the buyer or by an "OEM, when authorized by end user," on PCs licensed for either Vista Business or Vista Ultimate. Businesses can use these downgrades to ensure interoperability.

Despite all the hype to the contrary in recent months, it appears that Windows XP Professional and Windows Embedded are here to stay.  This is great news for developers and engineers who have relied on their XP-based applications for years.

For more information on any of the products we carry, visit our website or call a sales engineer today at (866) 397-7388.

MSI Tec is a provider of intelligent machine control components and systems, industrial networking and the value-adding engineering resources necessary for the successful identification and implementation of their use.

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