14 DAY TRIAL // Additionally from being a threat to open source operating systems, Windows XP is also a threat to the environment. This because the operating system from Microsoft is responsible for wasting an estimated $25 billion worth of energy. According to figures presented by the Foreign Policy, Microsoft could have done away with all this waste with only a few extra lines of source code or just more comprehensive function management on Windows XP.
Out of the estimated 660 worldwide desktops deploying Windows XP, Foreign Policy approximates that in excess of 100 million machines are running inefficiently and burning up energy due to the lack of focus placed by the Redmond Company on the OS's power saving features.
According to data released by Microsoft, an idle computer in a corporate environment runs up an electricity bill of $55 to $70 per year. Correlating this feature with the proposed figure of 100 million energy inefficient machines, the cost of wasted energy jumps to $5 to $7 billion dollars every year.
This means that powering inactive computers running Windows XP since the operating system has been released on the market 5 years ago has produced costs from $25 to $35 billion. This figure is synonymous with a large impact on the environment; the necessary processes to produce that amount of energy released in excess of 225 million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere.
Microsoft has announced that its next operating system will have built in, aggressive energy saving technology. This initiative did not save the Redmond Company a consistent amount of criticism over its negligence with XP.