Celebrating Windows XP's 25th anniversary this year

[KMilenkoski1202]

Alright, so this year, on October 25th, it will mark 25 years (quarter of a century) since Windows XP was released to the public and retail, meaning it is that time to do something to commemorate its anniversary, just like many people do. What do you guys plan on doing to commemorate its anniversary? 🎉🪟 (also don't worry, this is not AI, as you can tell by there being no hyphens)

[Steven P. Administrators]

Maybe people can share stories about their time with it?

[carols23]

If I could, I would commemorate it the best way possible: Replacing old machines that are still running Windows XP with something more modern, stable and better.

 

 

Noone and nothing should be running Windows XP in 2026.

[KMilenkoski1202]

On 29/06/2026 at 13:20, carols23 said:

If I could, I would commemorate it the best way possible: Replacing old machines that are still running Windows XP with something more modern, stable and better.

 

 

Noone and nothing should be running Windows XP in 2026.

Carol, Windows XP is still being used today only in a small capacity. It is still the best OS there is due to its backwards compatibility with other older software, the customization features, and friendly UI, and people often feel that upgrading to newer OSes is cost prohibitive in specialized Industries or developing countries, so the market share as of now is around 0.2%-0.3%

[Almohandis]

 

Windows XP was a remarkably bold step by Microsoft in terms of user interface design. Before XP, Windows versions such as Windows 3.x, 95, 98, Me, and 2000 all shared a predominantly gray or white, utilitarian appearance. Then Windows XP arrived with its vibrant colors, rounded controls, beautiful Luna theme, and a level of visual polish that felt genuinely modern for its time. It gave Windows a personality and made PCs feel more approachable and enjoyable to use.

The iconic Bliss wallpaper became one of the most recognizable images ever seen, it is the most viewed photograph in history due to its presence on hundreds of millions of computers. It perfectly captured the optimism of that era. Looking at today's trend of flat, minimalist interfaces, I sometimes feel we've come full circle, but without much of the charm that XP had.

To me, Windows XP and Windows 7 remain the two greatest versions of Windows ever released. They struck an excellent balance between usability, performance, and developer friendliness.

Of course, the world has moved on, and Windows XP clearly shows its age today. Yet it continues to live on in certain environments where legacy software or older hardware still matter. I still run Windows XP in a virtual machine because I maintain Visual Basic 6 applications that I developed more than 20 years ago. Surprisingly, clients still request new features and bug fixes. Thanks, Microsoft, for never providing a straightforward upgrade path for those VB6 applications.

The irony is that Windows desktop development used to be more enjoyable, more capable, and more accessible than it is today. As a solo developer, I could build rich desktop applications quickly and deliver them efficiently. Now, with .NET, I often find myself dealing with layers of framework and platform complexity that simply did not exist during the Windows XP era. Technology has certainly advanced, but in some respects, the simplicity and productivity of developing for Windows back then have been lost.

[+Nik Louch Subscriber²]

On 29/06/2026 at 13:10, KMilenkoski1202 said:

It is still the best OS there is

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

 

No

[Nick H. Supervisor]

On 29/06/2026 at 13:10, KMilenkoski1202 said:

Carol, Windows XP is still being used today only in a small capacity. It is still the best OS there is due to its backwards compatibility with other older software, the customization features, and friendly UI, and people often feel that upgrading to newer OSes is cost prohibitive in specialized Industries or developing countries, so the market share as of now is around 0.2%-0.3%

I can agree that it is being used in a small capacity. I worked for a company where their engineers still used XP, and when asked why it was because their sensor software wasn't compatible with newer operating systems and the software was discontinued so they couldn't upgrade the software. Given that the sensors were still in use by companies, they had to continue using XP to support the sensor, otherwise the price to the company would have gone into the millions or billions.

Our response was simple: Ok, you can keep the XP machine. But we're removing it from the network. "But then it can't access the Internet or folder shares!" Yup, kinda the point.

If someone wants to continue using an unsecure OS they can do, I have no problem with that. But it should be isolated. Simple. I had a fight with a guy in the engineering department for weeks before he finally relented.

But we digress.

 

What do I plan on doing to commemorate the anniversary? Nothing. I have fond memories of the OS, but at the end of the day it's just an OS. If I had some time I might see if I could install it on my Raspberry Pi for a laugh. But my reflex memory with today's OS ideas would probably get me frustrated and I'd uninstall it after 5 mins.