Users who still resist the passage of time and keep Windows XP or Vista on their hard drives found in the Firefox browser one of their last allies, but deep down we all knew the relationship wouldn't last forever. Official confirmation is still pending, but everything points to Firefox 53 will not be compatible with XP and Vista if Mozilla doesn't change its release schedule. Firefox 53 is slated for March 2017, and all browser users on both operating systems would be moved to the ESR build.
The Numbers
The portal NetMarketShare assigns Windows XP a market share of 9.3 percent. According to StatCounter, the number is even lower, at 5.83 percent. For Windows Vista, the difference between the two portals isn't as wide, averaging around 1 percent. Either way, both operating systems are on their way out. I still find it relatively easy to find computers running XP (point-of-sale terminals, kiosks, advertising displays, etc.), but Vista disappeared from the radar long ago. If we review the technical situation of both systems, extended support for Windows Vista will end next April 11, while for XP, only the Embedded POSReady 2009 build will make it to April 2019. Naturally, many developers will stop supporting their applications before those dates, and Mozilla is already warming up.
What Mozilla Plans
This week, several new entries in Bugzilla expressed the intention to end Firefox support for Windows XP and Vista starting with version 53. The overall plan, which by the way needs official confirmation, is to move remaining users to the ESR build, whose version 52 will take effect before March 17, 2017. This means Firefox 51 will be the last "standard" version to support XP and Vista. ESR builds don't receive updates as frequently as regular Firefox (which maintains a six-week cycle, with any hotfixes needed in between), and they focus primarily on security fixes. In theory, Firefox ESR 52 will receive patches for a period of twelve months, so XP and Vista users could reach March 2018 under the Firefox umbrella.
Bugzilla
Bugzilla
The Last Major Browser
Personally, I feel a little sad, but we must recognize the effort Mozilla has made. Firefox is the last major browser still supporting Windows XP. Google gave the thumbs down in April, Opera ended its relationship with version 36, and as for alternative browsers, Pale Moon has already hinted more than once that the cut will come with version 27. I imagine some projects will try to extend the presence of an up-to-date browser on both operating systems, but the clock is ticking against them.
