What Does the End of Windows XP Support Mean for Go Executables?

Go after 1.10: The Demise of Windows XP Support

Despite the widespread acknowledgment of Windows XP's end-of-life status, there are still applications that require compatibility with this outdated operating system. However, Go 1.10's announcement of the end of XP support and Go 1.11's confirmation have raised concerns about the future of Go executables on XP.

According to Issue #23380, Go 1.10 will continue to provide bugfix backports until Go 1.11 is released, and security backports until Go 1.12. This means that Go executables should still run on Windows XP until January 2019.

However, there are several factors that may limit support for Windows XP in the future:

Technical Limitations:

• The Go development toolchain, including compilers and debuggers, will no longer support XP.
• Bugs that specifically affect Windows XP may not be fixed or tested.

Non-Technical Reasons:

• Lack of interest from developers in maintaining Windows XP support.
• Autobuilders, which are essential for the Go release and QA process, need to be supported on XP.
• Financial support from corporations for Windows XP compatibility is scarce.

Despite the official end of support, it is possible to manually build newer Go releases on Windows XP if you have the necessary skills. However, it's important to note that this approach may not be sustainable in the long run if the core Go development team encounters roadblocks that require kernel features not present in XP.

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