At least that article writer showed that he had some knowledge behind his opinions.
Win 7 won't run all that well on early XP machines, only on the later generation machines (the ones right before Win 7 came out).
Linux will run fine on all the generations of XP machines. If you dual boot, you get to keep your XP functionality for when you need it, but I wouldn't be going on line with an unsupported, unbugfixable XP machine when every psycho out there is saving up all his nasties planning on dropping all them land mines right into your path.
Before going out there in them on line minefields, put on "the last suit you will ever need" to quote 'ol Tommy Lee Jones.
It ain't a black suit like Tommy Lee's, it is a heavy duty red suit and it doesn't have anything at all to do with Santy Claus neither. IT IS EXACTLY WHAT YOU NEED when something wormy green & warty wants to eat your face off while you are out there on the web.
"Geeks rule", sez Tony Stark. "Microsoft just wants your money and they will kill your PC to get it". To protect an XP class machine in the months to come, wear your real heavy duty Linux Malware Buster armor while you are out there zipping around on the web. You may well step in it on occasion, and it may go bang and blow a big 'ol crater at your feet, but it can't hurt you because it simply can't REACH you.
Save what's left of your XP installation's life span for doing the things you can only do on XP. Games (off-line preferably) and getting to all your old Word and Excel files, your picture albums, films, all the stuff that you would really really miss if it is gone etc. etc. etc.
Put some armor around your old PC,
dual boot the suit.PS, guess what happens next -- Vista dies, closely followed by Win 7.
This whole kill off the old stuff thing MS is doing isn't over yet by a long shot.