back to article Google yanks Chrome support for Windows XP, at long last

There’s one less hideout for Windows XP hangers-on when it comes to browsers. Google’s Chrome 50 for Windows, Mac and Linux has been released and Google’s browser will, finally, no longer work on Microsoft’s legacy desktop. Also no longer supported are Windows Vista, OS X 10.6, 10.7 and 10.8. It will be Microsoft’s XP …

  1. Alan Bourke

    "In many ways, the existence of Chrome with support for Windows XP"

    Hmmm ... not sure about that to be honest. I suspect most home users still on XP without being forced to stay on it by some piece of software they need to run are quite happily using IE6.

    1. david 12 Silver badge

      Re: "In many ways, the existence of Chrome with support for Windows XP"

      IE6? No, a lot of the web blocks IE6. I had to roll back to IE5.5 to get a working web browser.

  2. Dan 55 Silver badge

    Well there's Firefox on XP SP3+

    Enjoy it before it disappears up its own fundament.

    It's pretty odd that Google won't support Vista, with the Platform Update it's practically 7.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Well there's Firefox on XP SP3+

      Google bases such decisions on telemetry data. So if they've dropped Vista it's because they aren't seeing enough people on Vista updating chrome. Which shouldn't be surprising - people who are still on vista probably are the kinds of people to never update their software anyway.

  3. Mikel

    IE must die

    The sooner IE is forgotten, the better.

    1. ThomH

      Re: IE must die

      An Edge fan?

    2. d3vy

      Re: IE must die

      Teh article is not about ie...

      1. RyokuMas
        Facepalm

        Re: IE must die

        "Teh article is not about ie..."

        ... as if that's going to stop the "because it's Microsoft" brigade from taking a swipe...

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    XP has no business being connected to the public internet. MS should send a kill signal and destroy their TCP stacks.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      @AC - Why ?

      How is Windows XP upsetting your tummy ?

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      >XP has no business being connected to the public internet. MS should send a kill signal and destroy their TCP stacks.

      XP Embedded is still patched every month or so - including IE6 embedded - it's got many millions of active installations almost entirely in business - though it's also the preferred OS of 'displayless devices' like Braille notebooks.

      It has 3 years of extended support left too (April 9th 2019)

  5. CAPS LOCK

    Chrome for 32 bit Linux is also dead....

    ... Time to move to 64 bit Linux - if you can....

    1. Paul Crawford Silver badge

      Re: Chrome for 32 bit Linux is also dead....

      That is due to the fsking thing needing more than 2GB of memory!

    2. big_D Silver badge

      Re: Chrome for 32 bit Linux is also dead....

      On my 32-bit Atom processor? Not really an option.

  6. chivo243 Silver badge

    follow the money?

    I don't see Alphelbet's /do no evil Google benefiting from this unless there is serious $$$ involved I don't follow XP's market share, but if MS wants some things done... They get done...

  7. David Pollard

    Portable Apps?

    Will the portable version still be available?

  8. Jason Bloomberg Silver badge

    No problem here

    Chrome still runs, just that it won't be updated. On the plus side; Chrome is no longer presenting a pop-up on my XP machines telling me support will end.

    I am not sure many running XP will care. It may be another nudge towards upgrading but most XP users will be happy to run their systems into the ground, will swap to other browsers until they finally have to give it up.

    1. Roland6 Silver badge

      Re: No problem here

      v49 still runs on W2k3 server (32-bit).

      However, it can no longer be downloaded from Google, so a system rebuild/reinstall will be problemmatic...

      1. Jamesit

        Re: No problem here

        Google Chrome up to version 46 Enterprise Version is downloadable from oldversion.com

      2. Jason Bloomberg Silver badge

        Re: No problem here

        However, it can no longer be downloaded from Google, so a system rebuild/reinstall will be problemmatic...

        Bugger; forgot about that - Seems to still be available from here, though I can't vouch for the link -

        https://dl.google.com/release2/h8vnfiy7pvn3lxy9ehfsaxlrnnukgff8jnodrp0y21vrlem4x71lor5zzkliyh8fv3sryayu5uk5zi20ep7dwfnwr143dzxqijv/49.0.2623.112_chrome_installer.exe

        1. Roland6 Silver badge

          Re: No problem here

          Yes, there are a few sites offering previous versions of the offline installer for Windows.

          http://www.geocities.jp/ecvcn/exam/chrome_installer.html

          http://www.chrome-portable.com/index.php/google-chrome-offline-installer

          Interestingly FileHippo isn't one of them, it only links to the online installer.

          Also I don't know whether Ninite still supports XP et al.

          But then we have reached the second anniversary of XP's end of support, so third-parties deciding to end support isn't unexpected. However, this does show once again the flaws in the one central repository approach to deployment; namely it facilitates obsolescence.

    2. DropBear
      Mushroom

      Re: No problem here

      Started sticking to Firefox 28 and Chromium ~48-ish on, yes, XP ever since Firefox threw a hand grenade through the browser window and Chrome started telling me which extensions I'm allowed to install for my own good. Couldn't care less about what they do or don't "support".

  9. PushF12
    Windows

    Performance on XP was already unusably poor...

    Chrome relies on hardware acceleration for a good user experience, but many drivers and interfaces for Windows XP are internally blacklisted. (eg: Every WHQL-signed driver ever published by Intel for logo hardware of the XP and Vista eras.)

    Google is quick to drop offerings that still work well and that people actually use, so there must have been some other important reason to force XP build discipline onto the Chrome team.

    1. Brewster's Angle Grinder Silver badge
      Joke

      Re: Performance on XP was already unusably poor...

      Google's last XP machine broke.

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    too bad, so sad -- goodbye Chrome

    Chrome was always merely the alternative browser on my machine -- useful for those times when Firefox+extensions was too restrictive.

    An unsupported browser unacceptably increases the risk for me so I've uninstalled it everywhere. So long, Chrome, and thanks for all the phish. I'll just have to do without it and look for a more supportive provider for my alternative.

    It'll be interesting to see what -- if any -- effect this has on Chrome's market share.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Windows

      Re: too bad, so sad -- goodbye Chrome

      I agree with the AC above. This decision is a lot more likely to result in a drop in Chrome usage than a drop in machines using XP.

  11. Digitall
    Meh

    So much for Extended Support then..

    Not surprised Google Chrome have dropped support for XP but, Microsoft Vista's extended support doesn't end until 11th April 2017 for SP2 so it looks like a few will jump to either Firefox, Opera, Midori or alternative browsers in the meantime. There are still alot of PC/ Laptop users on Vista who don't want to upgrade (albeit a transitional OS like Windows ME)

    Google may have shot themselves in the toe but, not the foot.

    1. Donn Bly

      Re: So much for Extended Support then..

      Agreed - My home machine which I only use for light web surfing and remote desktop runs Vista, and has been stable doing to since day one. If it wasn't on a docking station with three additional monitors I probably would have replaced it, but why spend money to replace something that is (1) still supported and (2) does everything that I need it to do?

      I've always got my tablet (Surface Pro 3, won as a door prize at a Microsoft event running Windows 10) if I truly NEED something that only runs in a more modern operating system.

  12. YARR

    2016 - 2001 = 17 years or 14.5?

    Anyway, there's probably a smaller % of active Windows PCs that are no longer supported by Chrome than there are unsupported active Android devices. And Firefox still runs of most of them... for now.

  13. x 7

    is the same true of Chromium?

    1. Rumournz

      Re: Chromium

      32-bit chromium is still supported - for the time being...

      finally got off my butt and switched to it on my thinkpad R60 (still my go to for personal stuff) so i hope so

      1. Tannin

        Re: Chromium

        Upvote just for still having and loving an R60. :)

  14. athame

    Bye bye Chrome :-)

    After recently installing a Chrome "uprgade" I got a completely unnecessary and intrusive browser message on my still XP happy eeePc saying that Chrome will no longer support updates for XP.

    I wasn't aware that Chrome ever updated anything except in a new release. The sole purpose of the latest one seems to have been made in to present XP users with this croc of bull message.

    The answer - I downgraded to an older version of Chrome and disabled updates - it works better anyway and still allows you to set your own options ;-)

    On my other XP machines (yes shudder you WinTennies, I have more than one) I deleted Chrome and put Vivaldi on them (A.K.A. Opera that works like it used too). Can't say I'm shedding any tears for Chrome.

    No doubt I will receive comments - the usual Chick Licken hand-wringing about how the sky is going to fall in if I don't immediately put Win 10 on my machines - or even more patronisingly LOL about how my machines are already compromised without me even knowing about it. I mean how do you reply to wood heads of that persuasion? :-)

    All I can say is that I'm writing this on a 2ghz pentium M Thinkpad that has been up and running for 12yrs+ on XP pro without a reinstall. There's no substitute for good house keeping and secure practices no matter what your OS. So when all you WinTennies have to stump up for your quarterly MS bill just for the privilege of using a piss poor OS and its rubbish office apps I promise I won't say I told you so...

    Oh! a farewell is in order. Bye bye Chrome & thanks for all the fish :-)

  15. MT Field

    Not evil being

    Is this just a case of Google being nice to MS?

    1. Roland6 Silver badge

      Re: Not evil being

      Definitely Google being nice; as part of this month's patch release are a set of Office 2007 updates for XP... Office 2007 goes end of support life 10-Oct-2017...

  16. DJGM
    WTF?

    "Seventeen years after its debut . . . "

    So, what's life like in late October 2018? Can I borrow your TARDIS?

  17. Justin Goldberg

    "at long last"? Paid microsoft shill!

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