Thirteen years after introducing Windows XP to the world, Microsoft is pulling the plug on the popular PC operating system Tuesday raising fears of a so-called "XPocalypse" of bugs, viruses and malware among the millions who still rely on the ageing software. That's because Microsoft will no longer issue security updates to the trusty old operating system, meaning that the millions of computers that still run XP will be more vulnerable than ever to the vagaries of internet hackers and their online scourges.
Some experts have compared the scare to the one that panicked computer users in 1999 when experts warned that a Y2K bug would play havoc with the world's digital infrastructure.
While that particular Armageddon fizzled out with barely any impact, the same may not be true for the XPocalypse.
With a home screen featuring a blue sky dotted with high clouds above rolling green hills, XP was meant to reassure users of a trouble-free computing environment. Now the feeling is one of dread.
Microsoft warned that users who fail to upgrade would face a "zero day vulnerability forever," meaning that they would no longer have any defences against hackers.