It's a sad day for most loyal XP users as Microsoft officially ends technical support for its Windows XP operating system. And fittingly, it is also an opportunity for China's domestic Internet security companies to boost their business.

The 12-year reign of Windows XP: a legend

All computer users must be familiar with Window XP’s default background- a tranquil scene with blue skies full of cotton-candy clouds over grassed hills - and most people must wish the system would last as long as the scenery - forever.

Although the Windows operating system is updated frequently, Windows XP is undoubtedly the most popular version, and the most successful, to the extent that Microsoft maintained its support for more than 12 years after it first went on sale on October 24, 2001.

In the last 13 years, Windows XP has witnessed a revolution in personal computers, and the popularization of the Internet. According to Net Applications Windows XP still holds 27.69% of the market share, which makes it the second most popular operating system in the world after Windows 7, and which is also a very strong number for a product that has not been on sale for 6 years.