Only if one chooses to ignore real time statistics.

Dump Vista...sooner rather than later....it is totally redundant now there is a Win 7.

As for XP....you can expect that to be abandoned quite quickly as the general public gets to realise just how much better Win 7 really is.

XP is a curiosity that you can always just plonk on a Virtual machine somewhere....;p

I remember this same convo when Vista came out.. XP will be dead blah blah.. well.. 2-3 years later.. still well over 50% of users still on it.. I find it funny how many people just ignore the real numbers out of convenience or whatever the reason.

I realize 7 is a step up from Vista but at its core it is the same interface layout with a few cosmetic mods... and folks\devs\skinners should be aware that there still are and will be a TON of people on XP for any number of reasons, finances\economy, preference, older PC's etc.

At some point it will be a point in history to look back on.. as of right now.. it is topping marketshare at least in the reseidential marketplace.

Vista was a total failure so its uptake was almost zero effectively, giving a false impression of XP's longevity.

XP will be correctly seen as a dinosaur now there is a proper alternative....just as Win98 was/is.

If you are not using Windows 7 currently as a primary/mission-critical OS then you cannot appreciate there is actually nothing to "ignore the real numbers out of convenience or whatever the reason.".

Well Paul, tell that to the, again.. 50-60 % that for whatever reason are still on XP is all I can say. Shrugs*

Windows 7 could be the as good as its ever going to get but if one for whatever reason has to stay on XP then it doesn't really matter does it?

I'll agree with that.  Kept myself from throwing away a couple hundred dollars there I suppose.

I'd be one of those, including the "etc".  Maybe I'll get lucky and keep myself from throwing away a couple hundred dollars this time too?

One of those reasons is sheer pig-headed stubborness: "XP works fine for me, so I ain't upgrading."

Another reason is learning new stuff and a fear of the unknown: like Vista/Win 7 is gonna fuckin' bite 'em, or something.

Also, hearing it from a friend who, heard it from a friend, who heard it from a friend that their bosses daughter  heard it from her 4th cousin that somebody told him Vista/Win 7 was no darned good.

This is partly why development has been slow or non-existent for subsequent Windows OSes, particularly with smaller 3rd party devs.  With so many having an icy grip on XP, they see no market to develop for... and those who have moved to more capable tech with greater potential, well they pay the price for this narrow-minded pig-headedness.

Granted, some people genuinely can afford to upgrade, but then I've heard the whiny ass complaint "but I can't afford it" coming from some who spend way more a year on take-aways, beer and pizza... far more than the cost of an OS upgrade.  It's these people who hold OS/softeare development back, and if I were MS and/or one of its partners, I'd have pulled the plug on XP 2 - 3 years ago.  Yeah, let people keep/run XP if they want to remain in the Dark Ages, that's to their own disadvantage, but focus all development and resourses on Win 7 and the future.

Doesn't really matter what the reasons are does it?

People may not upgrade because the "English are coming"... who cares.. bottom line.. still not on 7.

So.. going back to the OP's question... regardless of reason.. yes, if u care about download counts, popularity, number of people using your themes, pleasing as many people as possible, the widest spread acclaim as a skinner, possibilty of advancement for any of the preceding reasons, doing the right thing by fellow members, ( i really could go on for a while ) ... then YES.. keep skinning XP mate.

I hope.. I pray.. XP is dead in 6 months.. MUCh MUCH less work for me...

..but i know... it won't be.. and no amount of 7 fanboyism or excusing away XP and the reasons people haven't upgraded is going to make the slightest bit of difference.

In fact.. I'll take the bet right now... XP will still be over 50% 6 full months after 7's final release date. (residential)

I'll quote Jafo in finishing....  

everyone is entitled to their own opinion, i think its dead, you dont....makes no difference to me.

plus in australia (im assuming america is doing the same)  if you buy a new pc between now and jan 2010 you get a free upgrade to w7, alot will be taking advantage of that, including myself just only yesterday.

Ya I wasn't kidding when I said I'd appreciate whomever decides to keep making XP skins.  I'd imagine it is a fair amount of trouble.  I'm still surprised and happy about how many blinds come across as both XP and Vista.  Someday that'll stop and that's ok, life in the slow lane.

If I blow less on o/s's, I feel better about popping for the occasional master skin and such.  Which reminds me there's a cool little WinStep theme I still need to pull the trigger on....

I know it isnt ... look..its not personal, you shouldn't take it that way, fact is.. I'm actually trying to help you Kitty.

As a skinner.. who seems to want to please and prosper.. it should make a diff. to u.

http://marketshare.hitslink.com/operating-system-market-share.aspx?qprid=10  OS version marketshare stats.

http://marketshare.hitslink.com/os-market-share.aspx?qprid=11  OS Version Marketshare by Trend.

XP 71 %

Vista 18%

Windows 7 less than 2%

Now who seriously in their RIGHT mind is going to tell me XP is dead? (not a direct slam on u kitty, but a general quote from those who disagree and I know u have problems on ur home PC with XP)

I live and skin in the real world, not 7fanboyville.

It will die, I hope it dies sooner than later.. but those are up to date numbers.

yep, i know its not personal. i dont take much personal thesedays.

 one of the main reasons i ditched xp is because it made my system unstable and was making it act weird and kept making me reformat my system, alot of wasted hours and work.  but at the same time, i still believe xp is way too old now, we have vista and now 7, im truly happy to move on and not look backwards.

if i lose downloads over it, so be it. I also have to think of myself and how my own pc runs, as my pc is my tool for skinning, if i have an unstable system, im not going to skin very much or very well. so hence my thrust for the future.

i dont really rely on statistics, they change all the time....but thanks for the links.

I don't rely on them either , I do however take them into account when making an educated decision.

The world runs on numbers.

In fact... if reincarnation is real... I pretty much already know I'll come back as a Pie Chart

Btw.. XP, correctly installed and used shouldn't be unstable at all, you may want to look for other reasons. It's more likely 7 will make an older PC unstable than an OS that was designed for it.

yep.....42.7% of all statistics are made up on the spot.......    (Steven Wright)

XP for me...for quite awhile to come.....in the middle of extensive renovatons....home being gutted...and then resultant decorating....so..a new 'puter purchase so I can have the latest OS & blinds....is far far from my priority...my 'puter works fine...and as long as v churns out XP blinds...I'm happy to keep testing them....when he doesn't....will look at the situation again...that day will come....but not for some time I don't think...  The 'throw away' society...already annoys the hell out of me...don't feel the need to jump..to keep up with the Jones.....

That's why I say: "Kill the effer NOW!"  Not only does XP support create more (unnecessary) work, it costs more... and it's the consumer who ultimately pays.

Supporting 'dead' platforms is not cost effective and ultimately is unproductive, and given XP can not utilise/take advantage of so many new PC/software innovations, it is a fossil (in computing terms) and needs to be retired ASAP.

It's a bit like Frogboy's "tough love" approach with ObjectDesktop, etc.  You gotta cut the deadwood adrift to stay afloat/move forward.  OK, some aren't going to like it, but it's a bit like way back when, if they'd listened to all the automobile nay-sayers who stubbornly refused to accept change, we'd still be riding a horse and cart.... and you'd still be in the UK, cos the World would still be flat and nobody'd be game to venture too far past the beach.

Agreed 100%... doesn't change the current numbers unfortunately.

don't think it's about stubbornly refusing to accept change....people just want to do it within their own timeframes....everyone has different priorities.....

I'm happy to buy a new 'puter ...with Win 7....when the need arises....if that means I miss out on some things in the meantime...so be it...I agree with the focus being put on the new technology...we'll all catch up eventually....until then...I'll continue to enjoy making XP bootskins....and XP logons....'cause the Vista ones....are just sterile....no joy there...

to answer the OP's question....the general skinning motto...is...skin for yourself....decide what you want out of it....to skin just the OS you use....to skin for a broader audience for awhile longer....entirely up to you....:)

Oh, our Master Skinners, Lord Mirsguy, Lord vStyler,... please do not leave us - XP users go into the forgotten, deeply appreciate for your kindness, you are decorating our world now and forever. Thank you so much  .

That means exactly zilch since Windows 7 has not been formally released yet....and considering the hanging-on-of-people-to-XP because Vista was/is a dog.

Keep an eye on those numbers....give it 6 months and see where the trends take you.

No matter how many people are still using XP NOW...it is still DEAD.

It just doesn't know it yet.

I did, do, and always will SKIN FOR MYSELF.  If others like it/them then good for them...I frankly don't care if they are liked or not....as long as I'm happy with them.

If/when WA 2.9x no longer works on the 'current' OS I'll likely not bother skinning it ever again.  I will simply move on.

Skinning has changed A LOT over the decade plus that it's been public/popular....and in that time many of the skinned-for OS's are genuinely extinct.

XP is likely to dribble along longer than even Vista... but both are destined for the history books soon enough.

I'm 100% behind Stardock's direction of looking forward and not backward.  If it's not [ultimately] 64bit and Windows 7 [and beyond] then it's past history.

Current skins/apps can age gracefully with their relevant/respective OS/apps.... but Skinning needs to move on [as always] and keep up with the OS releases as they happen...;)

Not of Oct 10 2009.... 71% Marketshare 

I think perhaps folks don't realize I'm all for progress. Not against progress AT ALL. I was amongst the very first to fully skin Vista

Just stating current numbers \ facts

Quote the right bit, John....;p

There are some genuine cases where people simply can not upgrade... costs/hardware restrictions, etc.  However, those with other priorities are not the people I criticise.... but rather those who can, have no legitimate reason not to but stubbornly won't.

Ah, but that's where you differ from the "prise XP from my cold dead hands" types.  Your priorities are different right now, but you haven't completely dismissed the idea, like I've heard many others do... and believe me, I've heard some piss weak reasons as to why not, and it ain't cos they can't afford it.  Like the bloke who thinks nothing of it to drop 3 - 4 grand on a night out... his excuse was that he didn't want to have to drive (5 lousy minutes) to the PC store and have to pay somebody $90 an hour to set it up... 90 bucks an hour being his primary stumbling block, and the bastard earns more an hour than I see in a month,

Sorry guys but all this fuss about OS's just cracks me up. I still use and will continue to use XP for as long as I can. Not sure why others have had problems with XP but I have never had any problems that weren't caused by myself...and as few as they were they were very minor problems. I also have Acronis True Image...so if I do screw something up I can just click on the backup...go to bed...and wake up to a fresh install.

And this has nothing to do whatsoever with whether or not Vista/7 is good/better or not...its a simple matter of money for one thing...and XP...for me anyway...works perfectly and does everything I need it to and does it fast as well...so I just don't see any reason to throw something away that works for something else that works. I guess I just never fell into the "I gotta have the latest" crowd.

Besides...not having a pc isn't the end of the world...although it's strange that I'm seeing fewer and fewer people outside.

And the other thing is...between V....Mike Bryant and numerous other great skinners I have more than enough skins to use if everyone stops skinning XP.