Microsoft’s decision to stop providing support to Windows XP has been reprobated by China’s leading news agency, Xinhua. The publication marks XP’s end of support as “extremely irresponsible behavior” that “shows a lack of trustworthiness.”
Launched in 2001, Windows XP reached the end of support earlier this week. The operating system will no longer receive security updates from the software giant. This move of Microsoft will directly affect over 27 percent users who still rely on the operating system. In China, over 200 million people, or 70 percent, still use Windows XP.
Xinhua writes that abandoning XP would put both internet security as well as future of Microsoft at risk. It is also an occasion for “China’s domestic operating system to rise to the challenge” as Windows XP and other Microsoft’s operating systems are “controlled by foreigners,” the press wrote. Microsoft’s decision to stop providing support to its 13-year old operating system has left China in an “awkward position.”
Interestingly, just hours after this criticism, Microsoft partnered with Lenovo and Tencent to provide support for Windows XP users in China. “For domestic users who continue to use Windows XP before upgrading to a new operating system, we have made it a priority to provide safety protections,” said Microsoft.
Further reading: China, Windows XP
