"No support would mean no more software programs = no virus protection."

I don't know about that part - I think there will always be virus protection available from other sources.

I found more info on the subject.
my parents are still using Win 98 and it is just fine
there's always Linux OS's too !

[Windows XP: Going, going....gone?
According to Microsoft's timeline, XP is on its way to becoming an ex-operating system The result of all this tweaking is that Microsoft will stop selling XP long before it stops supporting it. You may be able to run XP for as long as you want, but before too long you may not be able to buy a legitimate copy of XP to run.

So will there be any way to get a copy of XP after June 30? If you want to continue using XP, what problems will you face? If you buy a PC with Vista installed and decide you want XP instead, what are your options?

But even before that, XP faces a major event in an entirely different lifecycle, one that Microsoft has said very little about: the sales lifecycle.

The key dates for sales come much sooner than 2009 or 2014. In fact, in only a few weeks, on June 30, 2008, Microsoft will stop selling XP through its retail and OEM channels (the OEMs are big manufacturers like Dell and HP that sell PCs with Windows pre-installed).

System builders, the "white box" retailers who build PCs to order, will be given another seven months, but on January 31, 2009, a couple of months before XP exits mainstream support, Microsoft will stop selling XP altogether (except for a version sold in some less-developed countries and a special arrangement for XP Home in China).

At least that's the current information. It could change. It has before. ]
http://www.computerworld.com.au/inde...fp;;fpid;;pf;1