Windows XP Home Support ends in less than a year

According to Microsoft’s support Windows XP home support will end on the 1st of January 2007 unless changes are made to the support plan.

ArsTechnica contacted a Microsoft spokesman and here’s what he said about it:

“For consumer products, security updates will be available through the end of the mainstream phase. For Windows XP Home Edition, there will be no security updates after
12/31/06.” Regarding paid support for problems unrelated to security patches, I was told that “Users who want to continue to receive support after the Microsoft assisted and
paid support offerings have ended may visit the Retired Product Support Options Web site.”

I know that Microsoft is struggling a bit to invent reasons for people to want to upgrade but to “force” such a great percentage of their customers to upgrade in order to have a more secure and updated Operative System gives me a more negative opinion about their upcoming Windows Vista.