As time went on, reception became more negative, to the point where Windows Me was heavily panned by users, mainly due to stability issues. Historically, Windows Me is viewed as one of the worst operating systems Microsoft has ever produced, comparing very poorly to particularly its immediate predecessor and successor. In October 2001, Windows XP was released to the public, having already been under development at the time of Windows Me's release, and popularized most of Me's features, while being far more stable. Extended support for Windows Me ended on July 11, 2006.