M
MICHAEL
Saucy said:There's no preferring one or the other. XP is dead. Vista is where it's at.
XP has a long way to go before it is dead.
Direct OEM and Retail License Availability will not end until
12 months after Windows Vista General Availability. System Builder
License will be available for 24 months.
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/lifecycle/default.mspx
As far as "Mainstream Support" goes, WinXP Pro
will probably be supported for several more years.
I think officially, support for WinXP Home is suppose
a bit shorter.
Of course, support of Win98 SE and Windows 2000
was extended several times.
http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifepolicy
Microsoft will offer Mainstream support for either a minimum of 5 years from the date of a
product's general availability, or for 2 years after the successor product (N+1) is released,
whichever is longer. Extended support is not offered for Consumer, Hardware, Multimedia, and
Microsoft Dynamics products. Products that release new versions annually, such as Microsoft
Money, Microsoft Encarta, Microsoft Picture It!, and Microsoft Streets & Trips, will receive a
minimum of 3 years of Mainstream support from the product's date of availability. Most products
will also receive at least 8 years of online self-help support. Microsoft Xbox games are
currently not included in the Support Lifecycle policy.
http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifeselect