Comp-U-News from Comp-U-Talk
December  2013


"What would I do if I had only six months to live? I'd type faster."—Isaac Asimov

 


 

 

 End of Life, End of Year, End of Obama Care? I want to talk to you about the first two. The third… Well that is what I want for Christmas!


So lets talk End of Life. Not people life. I'm thinking about End of Life for Windows XP and Office 2003. Microsoft has officially set April 8, 2014 as last rights and funeral services for our beloved operating system and office suite. As of April 8, 2014 Microsoft will stop providing patches, security updates or offering any type of support for these two products.



Why should you care? Unsupported and unpatched environments are vulnerable to security risks. New software and hardware (printers) will be developed to run on current operating systems, not favorite operating systems. As you upgrade other software (including antivirus software) or replace printers you might get a nasty surprise concerning the inability to function with Windows XP.

Which brings us to End of Year. If you are running a business, the IRS has declared you can write off the cost of new computers and associated software, as opposed to depreciating it over five years. It's called a Section 179 Deduction, and like everything the IRS does, it has an overabundance of rules and regulations. The basic premise is to take the entire expense as a reduction to income this year instead of splitting the expense over several years and calling it depreciation. The obvious benefit is a reduction in taxable income this year, aka: reduced income tax. You will need to check with your tax preparer for specific details concerning how this might apply to your situation and how big of a deduction might be available to you. If you are like me, you would rather spend your money on something you can use, than give it to your favorite uncle, SAM.

If you are in the market for new computer equipment, then I would invite you to check out our systems. We custom build each unit with quality parts and we recommend Windows 7. Need something different? Give us a call. We can help with that too!


Have a wonder Christmas Season!

 

 ~Janet