April 8 marked the end of Microsoft's support to Windows XP. After releasing its last two official patches, Microsoft stopped patching security holes in its 12-year-old operating system. This leaves Windows XP users open to cyber attacks, which will neither be investigated nor fixed.

The news is shocking, to say the least, for the more than 200 million Windows XP users in China. Although the expiry of Windows XP is not necessarily a deadly blow to Chinese users, as many media outlets say, the unilateral termination of the service is improper and infringes upon the rights of legal Windows XP users.

Several domestic antivirus software makers have said they will continue providing support to computers that use XP, even though Microsoft has announced that antivirus software may not be very effective without a continuously updated operating system. Microsoft is right, but in reality only a few viruses can breach antivirus protection shields. The "panda burning incense" which invaded many computers in January 2007 is a rare example of an all-powerful virus.