IRS Still Running XP. Pays MS millions for additional patches not available to you.

And they were given 6 years warning like everyone else............scandalous!

While I think the IRS are a bunch of criminals, and I am no fan of MS, this is supposed to be a 'free market' system, and MS is not obligated to release patches for XP to the public.

That's what the leaks are for.

... doesn't really matter what software they use. they'll have to be upgraded at some point, incurring cost.

Remember, the IRS is 'sovereign.'  Taxpayers are 'subjects.'  'nuff said. 

If they did it in 2008, then the money would have been used for W7 on their computers for 6 years more, thus decreasing the cost per year and not necessitating $11.6 million for patches at all.

See? Si?

The day to day crap that goes on without relenting one bit.  It is no wonder that the common folk or the person on the street could just care less and less with each passing day.  Are governments wasteful, you bet your life they are.  Will something ever happen to change this, not a chance.  Should we care more, of course we all should care more.  Will us caring cause a revolution, nah. 

Here's a thought, everyone stop paying federal income tax, that might get someone's attention and some of us free room and board. 

They'll need more jails. Here's a thought......lets turn Manhattan into an island prison. Wouldn't have to make too many changes.

You might be less than thrilled with your roomie.

Lot's of companies are still running XP, even the Veterans Administration on some PC's.

Tom...from the support costs ($200 per machine per year), just guess how much MS is raking in.

Yup! Greed ... the American way! Hell, I give money away to help others when I can, you'd think Microsoft, who makes billions, could do the same for this country.

Hell, I don't live in the US, but if my government was paying out 11 mil a year on patches for an obsolete OS, I'd be spitting chips and demanding better... much better over the next 6 years.  I mean, they're eventually going to HAVE to upgrade, so why not bite the bullet and do it now, before the costs blow out on making do with band-aid solutions.

Not to mention that which the UK, Holland and other European countries are paying for extended XP supprt.... which all seems so stupid to me.

If an OS has been retired, then it IS RETIRED.... FOR EVERYONE!!!  No ifs, buts or maybes!  MS has to stand up and be counted, not lay down and get mounted.... and that means saying no to whoever wanting 'special considerations' beyond the company's plan going forward.

For mine, MS should tell the IRS to go stick their money where the sun don't shine.... same for EVERYBOBY else and retire XP permanently and irrevocably.

And here's another point of view.  If MS can provide extended XP support the IRS and others, then it could probably extend that support across the broader community at little or no extra cost.  In other words, if XP users stay away in droves and refuse to uprgade to Win 7 or 8/8/1, given this IRS situation, what is MS going to do: extend XP support to the public or; withdraw XP support completely and force upgrades to the latter OSes?

Given the slow uptake to Win 8, you would imagine MS would prefer tha latter option, with increased Win 8 sales being the desired outcome.  However, that is unlikely if the buying public digs in its heels and refuses to upgrade while XP support is being afforded to some but not others.

Another question that begs here is this... what if the IRS doesn't want to upgrade to Win 7 because it thinks its employees are too thick to handle the change?   Hmmm, wouldn't that make US citizens wonder who the fech is handling their taxes?

Ya that's what I've been thinking ever since I saw this post.  They've kind of painted themselves into a corner - One lawsuit will say unfair business practices for doing updates for a select few and not releasing them to the public or at least offering a public subscription.  On the other hand, if they backtrack and release them or offer a public subscription, the lawsuit will be about all the people and companies that trashed perfectly good machines only because of the o/s expiration date.

Either way we'll probably see at least one of those class action lawsuits that net the lawyers 40% of gross and the participants $1.95 each.  I'd guess that MS's best position would be to not do public releases and maintain the IRS support as "Contract Work".  As MyFist0 said, it is a free market system.

I didn't really absorb that statement the first time I read the o/p.  That does give the whole situation that little "extra special taste" doesn't it?

Actually it's MSs property and MS can decide what to offer whom as long as that decision is not based on gender, race, religion or orientation.

It just pisses me off that the IRS pays for the updates with taxpayer monies and gets a separate deal...despite MSs right to do that. If the IRS cared a whit, then they'd swing a deal at the same time for the next upgrade. Why isn't the OMB/OIG putting its/their 2 cents in? 

Indeed.

The thing here is, Microsoft has been wanting to retire XP for a couple years or more now, primarily so it can focus on supporting Win 7 and Win 8 while developing new technologies for Win 9 and beyond, so it does seem to defeat the purpose by extending XP support for the IRS and other paying customers.  It would have made more sense for MS to have shut the door on XP and offrered discount licenses on Win 7 instead, so while XP is theirs to do with as they wish, the decision to extend support defies logic when the company insists that it is moving forward to keep pace with emerging technologies.  In fact, it is somewhat disappointing that MS caved in to the almighty dollar and backtracked on its commitment to shift XP's resources to new and emerging softwares.

That might be true if W8 sales had been over the top...as is, they can't really say no to the government (they could, but it really wouldn't be very smart). You see, if they just said, "No", and a breach were to happen (especially at the VA-medical info or the IRS-financial info), they might be hit very hard with liability issues and public opinion.

If a breach were to occur, and the relevant department had neglected to upgrade like everyone else has had to, then surely the liability is their own public opinion would be that they brought it on themselves.  I mean, seriously, who has any sympathy for the government, much less the tax office?

For mine, your government, the IRS and other depertments still running XP are a bunch of woefully slack bastards who waste taxpayers money and fully deserve an enormous public backlach that truly puts the screws on them. 

The only person worse than a politician is a banker.

With all of this hate on the IRS, I wanted to make a clarification.

Don't waste your time shooting the messenger.

The IRS interprets and executes the tax laws written by Congress.

So, if you're pissed off about taxes, it's your friendly neighborhood congressman who should feel your wrath.

Very true, but, if everyone refused to fight in wars, what good would a declaration of war be? Even laws that go against your [US] constitution have to be enforced by people that swore an oath on that same document. The psychopaths in power may tell the people what to do, it still the peoples choice to do it, and the IRS has no shortage of scumbags that will eagerly ==retracted for political==. I know most of you will hit the edits button to see what's here, but please stay on topic.

One thing you have to keep in mind is that a lot of the tax code is intentionally written broadly/vaguely to allow for personal interpretation and "wiggle room".  (If it were all staright forward and cut and dry, there would be no need for tax attorneys...)

This gives corps and organizations the ability to read the code in a way that suits them. When these organizations push their interpretation too far, that's when the IRS steps in and says "hey, wait just a minute...."

Also, another thing that a lot of people don't realize is that much of the tax code is written by lobbyist. They write it up and hand it off to a polician who is willing to sponser it or tak credit for it. Most politicians (even the sponser) don't even bother to read the whole thing.

Not many love big corporations either, especially when shown to be milking us no less than the IRS.