Microsoft has announced that support for its successful XP operating system is coming to an end.  The operating system is 12 years old and still used by a third of all Windows users. Users, however, must not worry as computers will continue to operate. But there will no longer be any updates or security patches delivered by Microsoft.

Security experts around the world state that computer users should update their computers to a more modern operating system, preferably Windows 7 or 8, because these are supported by Microsoft. They also say that it will become easier for hackers to enter systems that no longer are able to defend themselves from new attacks.

Windows XP was developed towards the end of the1990s and introduced in 2001. It did not have the requirements to deal with the Internet, cloud computing or mobile devices.

Some offices and companies have stuck to XP over the years because it runs on older computers. Many firms do not have the funds to buy new hardware. When Windows 7 was launched in 2009, users still did not want to move away from XP, even though today, more than half of all Windows users run Windows 7. In addition, some special applications were specially written for Microsoft XP and will not run on other systems.

Microsoft sees the end of Windows XP with mixed feelings. For one, they hope it will spur more users to skip Windows 7 and go directly to Windows 8, which has been rejected by many in the computer world. On the other side, they fear that users might altogether leave Windows and switch to other operating system like Linux or Apple OS.