Microsoft has sounded the death knell, as support for Windows XP (SP3) and Office 2003 will officially cease on April 8, 2014. For many Windows users, XP will be remembered as one of Microsoft’s most robust and stable operating systems, and up till today, there are many who say it still is the best even with the release of Windows Vista and Windows 7.

But Microsoft says it was real great but it’s just time to move on. What this means, according to Microsoft marketing director Stella Chernyak, is that all security and other updates will cease and desist from the mentioned date, and those who continue to use the operating system will be pretty much on their own going forward.

Image via CrunchBase

The same goes for Office 2003 as the software maker says technology has changed too significantly to continue supporting realistically these outdated software packages with service packs and updates.

“Windows XP and Office 2003 were great software releases in their time, but the technology environment has shifted. Technology continues to evolve and so do people’s needs and expectations.”

This comes as no shocking news as the company only offers a maximum of ten years’ worth of support, with five of those being mainstream support and a further five as extended support. But all is not gloom and doom for the legions of users still using XP and Office 2003, as Microsoft is doing a lot to ensure no one gets left behind.

To ease the pains of migrating to Windows 7 and Office 2010, which the company advises, Microsoft is offering free downloads for a migration tool to Windows 7 and Office 2010. The company says users should not wait for Windows 8 as it may not make much sense, considering Windows 7 is good enough.

SOURCE: Microsoft

About Daniel Mbure

Daniel is a writer, strategist and serial tech entrepreneur. Follow Daniel on Twitter @thespianic