It’s been an impressive 13 year run, but support for Microsoft’s much-loved XP operating system finally ended today. That’s right: Windows
XP is dead. With no more updates on the way, it’s time for XP fans to move on, and while it certainly shows its age today, it’s easy to forget just how important a release it was. So stable, faster than Usain Bolt (possibly) and packed with features, it’s easy to see why millions of people refused to upgrade to newer versions of Windows. Here’s how XP helped to change the computing world forever.
XP is dead. With no more updates on the way, it’s time for XP fans to move on, and while it certainly shows its age today, it’s easy to forget just how important a release it was. So stable, faster than Usain Bolt (possibly) and packed with features, it’s easy to see why millions of people refused to upgrade to newer versions of Windows. Here’s how XP helped to change the computing world forever.
An amazingly simple user interface for the masses
Launched in 2001, Windows XP
followed in the footsteps of the oft-sworn at Windows ME (Millennium Edition) OS, and it was a vast improvement in nearly every way. It was more stable, it looked a lot nicer and it was easier to get to grips with. XP introduced a series of new themes, so you could customise the entire look of the OS at the click of a mouse button. It wasn’t just switching desktop backgrounds to your favourite supercar either; it was just as simple to change the look of taskbars and menus. Sure, it has a Fisher-Price kind of feel today, but back in 2001, it helped more people understand just how computers work – no bad thing.
followed in the footsteps of the oft-sworn at Windows ME (Millennium Edition) OS, and it was a vast improvement in nearly every way. It was more stable, it looked a lot nicer and it was easier to get to grips with. XP introduced a series of new themes, so you could customise the entire look of the OS at the click of a mouse button. It wasn’t just switching desktop backgrounds to your favourite supercar either; it was just as simple to change the look of taskbars and menus. Sure, it has a Fisher-Price kind of feel today, but back in 2001, it helped more people understand just how computers work – no bad thing.
The mighty Media Centre
Windows XP was the first version of Microsoft’s venerable OS to introduce Windows Media Centre, and we love the fact it instantly made it easy to watch live TV, or even record shows like The Gadget Show, as long as you also had a TV tuner. It was suddenly easy to buy computers and laptops with integrated TV tuners, with no need to worry about drivers or software that required a degree in IT to get the best out of.
was the first version of Microsoft’s venerable OS to introduce Windows Media Centre, and we love the fact it instantly made it easy to watch live TV, or even record shows like The Gadget Show, as long as you also had a TV tuner. It was suddenly easy to buy computers and laptops with integrated TV tuners, with no need to worry about drivers or software that required a degree in IT to get the best out of.
The perfect netbook OS
The netbook revolution may have kicked off with machines running Linux, but back in 2007 netbooks like the Asus Eee PC 701 exploded in popularity when manufacturers started sticking Windows XP on them. It’s easy to see why too; the OS was perfect for low-powered machines with limited storage. Windows XP proved fast, incredibly stable and came with support for all the features netbooks could throw at it. It also offered much quicker boot times, starting in under 30 seconds on nearly every machine – a Godsend when running a teeny machine with a first-gen Intel Atom processor. And from netbooks, we were a mere stone’s throw to tablets.
on them. It’s easy to see why too; the OS was perfect for low-powered machines with limited storage. Windows XP proved fast, incredibly stable and came with support for all the features netbooks could throw at it. It also offered much quicker boot times, starting in under 30 seconds on nearly every machine – a Godsend when running a teeny machine with a first-gen Intel Atom processor. And from netbooks, we were a mere stone’s throw to tablets.
Media Player
Windows Media Player also enjoyed a massive overhaul with Windows XP, getting features like ID3 tags for MP3 files. Sounds techy, but the benefits were huge and long-lasting, lettingyou add proper information to your tunes. With the latest version of Media Player, your music collection no longer had to resemble an unfathomable mish-mash of unorganised tracks, and it was easy to label and see which songs were from which artist, album information and genres. It’s the sort of feature we can’t even imagine living without these days, and it’s not hard to see where the team at Apple drew some inspiration from for iTunes.
, getting features like ID3 tags for MP3 files. Sounds techy, but the benefits were huge and long-lasting, lettingyou add proper information to your tunes. With the latest version of Media Player, your music collection no longer had to resemble an unfathomable mish-mash of unorganised tracks, and it was easy to label and see which songs were from which artist, album information and genres. It’s the sort of feature we can’t even imagine living without these days, and it’s not hard to see where the team at Apple drew some inspiration from for iTunes.
A USB explosion
Windows XP also came around at a time when we were starting to see more and moreUSB-based peripherals. It’s hard to remember for lots of us, at a time when pretty much every gadget can now be charged or controlled by USB, but before XP there were thousands of devices that plugged in via serial or parallel ports. Imagine that – needing to use cables that are physically thicker than your MacBook Air!
also came around at a time when we were starting to see more and moreUSB-based peripherals. It’s hard to remember for lots of us, at a time when pretty much every gadget can now be charged or controlled by USB, but before XP there were thousands of devices that plugged in via serial or parallel ports. Imagine that – needing to use cables that are physically thicker than your MacBook Air!
It’s been a great innings then, and there’s nothing actually stopping you from continuing to use Windows XP, but remember there will be no more security updates or patches, so it’s certainly a security risk. The perfect excuse to upgrade to a shiny new laptop? We think so.
, but remember there will be no more security updates or patches, so it’s certainly a security risk. The perfect excuse to upgrade to a shiny new laptop? We think so.
What were your favourite Windows XP features? Leave a comment and let us know.
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