Is Microsoft really going to end support for Windows XP at the first of next year?

A guy I work with said he heard that from somewhere. He said basically that microsoft was tired of people continuing to pick XP over Vista, so the are going to stop supporting it.

Is Microsoft really going to end support for Windows XP at the first of next year?best antivirus software

4/14/2009 is the scheduled mainstream support retirement date for Windows XP Media Center 2005; with extended support to 4/8/2014. It is the only one I know about because it is what I use.

Is Microsoft really going to end support for Windows XP at the first of next year?firewall

Actually, the date the guy is thinking of is when Microsoft will pull XP from the shelves. And this date has actually been extended. Microsoft has extended the ability to purchase XP from late January until I believe April. However, they will continue to support XP for some time after that, as is standard procedure. The exact date for the support cutoff date can be found on the Microsoft website.
just one of many rumours,not true
Extended support for Windows XP is scheduled to end 08/04/2014.

Take a look at these articles for more info.

Microsoft Support Lifecycle

http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/?...

Microsoft Support Lifecycle Policy FAQ

http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifepoli...

Keep in mind that Service Pack 3 for XP has a preliminary

release date of the first half of 2008.

Windows Service Pack Road Map

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/lifecyc...
It's not very likely, especially as they're bringing out Service Pack 3 for XP soon.

There is too much XP around for them to stop support, especially in business areas where hardly anyone has adopted Vista.
No they won't. Vista has too many problems yet and too many businesses rely on XP.