Despite all previous announcements, the first day of this month took many Google Chrome users on Windows XP and Windows Vista by surprise. Google activated a special message warning about the end of updates for its browser on those operating systems. As a result, version 49 represents the last official stop of Chrome on XP and Vista. Technically, the browser will continue to work as always, but without receiving updates, it’s necessary to consider other options.
The first warning was published in November 2015. A brief entry on the official Google Chrome blog informed that starting in April of this year, Mountain View would end support for its browser on Windows XP, Windows Vista, and OS X versions 10.6, 10.7, and 10.8. We are now more than a week into April, and Chrome’s warning about the end of support has become one of the most searched phrases. Our intention is not to judge users, simply because each configuration is a universe, and if someone decided to stick with XP, they must have good reasons. However, that doesn’t hide the reality of systems like XP and Vista: the list of available options is shrinking, and those who prefer to continue on these platforms will need to apply a bit of creativity to stay safe.
First, the end of support for Chrome on XP and Vista does not mean that an existing installation stops working. If you run Chrome 49 on XP today, you can browse just as you did on day one, but the warning bar can be a bit annoying. The 'recommended' course of action is to disable the bar by adding the --disable-infobars switch to a Chrome shortcut. The real issue is that the support cutoff is not exclusive to Chrome—it extends to the main Chromium trunk, with the difference that its effect was felt much earlier in development builds. For now, both Vivaldi and Opera maintain support for XP and Vista even though they are Chromium derivatives, while the folks at Slimjet confirmed they will provide XP compatibility for their browser until it becomes technically impossible.
The nuclear option is obviously to abandon the entire Chrome ecosystem and install browsers like Firefox and Pale Moon. Personally, I would lean toward Pale Moon, as it has several settings that are favorable on older computers, or those based on the early generations of Atom chips.
