U.K. Government Pays Microsoft To Keep Windows XP Support

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U.K. Government Pays Microsoft To Keep Windows XP Support

engine

5:38 pm on Apr 3, 2014 (gmt 0)

Looks like they don't want to invest in new technology just yet. I have the same feeling.

The government has signed a deal with Microsoft to provide Windows XP support and security updates across the whole UK public sector for 12 months after regular support for the operating system ends on 8 April.

The agreement is worth Ł5.548m, and covers critical and important security updates for Windows XP, Office 2003 and Exchange 2003, all of which have reached end of life in Microsoft’s normal product cycles.U.K. Government Pays Microsoft To Keep Windows XP Support [computerweekly.com]

Samizdata

6:05 pm on Apr 3, 2014 (gmt 0)

So UK taxpayers are paying for continuing XP security updates.

Shouldn't they all be entitled to receive them?

...

bill

12:48 am on Apr 4, 2014 (gmt 0)

All Enterprise subscriptions have this option. Any corporation can do the same if they don't want to upgrade from this 13 year old OS. If you think about it, this is longer than the support offered for most Linux LTS versions.

Why should a for-profit corporation be obligated to provide free, indefinite support to an outdated, now insecure, OS?

They certainly have the option to do what India did this week:

http://www.itwire.com/business-it-news/open-source/63613-india-moving-to-gnu-linux-as-xp-support-runs-out [itwire.com]

India moving to GNU/Linux as XP support runs out

The Indian state of Tamil Nadu has issued a directive to local government departments asking them to switch over to open source software, in the wake of Microsoft's decision to end support for Windows XP this month.

Or they also have the option to upgrade like this bank did in Japan:

http://www.zdnet.com/japanese-bank-beats-xp-deadline-moves-30000-terminals-to-windows-8-7000027964/ [zdnet.com]

Japanese bank beats XP deadline, moves 30,000 terminals to Windows 8

According to Microsoft Japan, Resona Holdings, an operator of several banks and other subsidiaries in the country, completed "one of the largest" Windows 8 deployments ever made in Japan, and in doing so beat Microsoft's much talked-of April 8 support deadline for both Windows XP and Office 2003.