Thanks for the tips. I've been in the computer industry as a software engineer since 1972. I've been around the block.
When forced to finally leave XP, I will switch to Linux.
I'd encourage you to consider Linux seriously now, rather than wait.
Personally I'm a CentOS (free RedHat) fan, have been since I first encountered RedHat in 2001. Also used Fedora years ago, but I find CentOS is the best overall blend of stability and up-to-date functionality.
A lot of folks like Ubuntu; I find it too goofy and unsettled, every release changes mission-critical functions, how they work and where they are configured and it's just a mess borne of too many over-eager cooks, in my opinion. And their Unity UI is awful, almost as bad as Windows 8 Metro IMO. I'm a Gnome fan. But as I say, some folks love it.
Anyway, Linux will give you greater security and functionality than WinXP, and besides, when you still want to run XP for a few Windows-only programs, you can get Xen or VMware Player (both of which I've had good results from) or VirtualBox (which I've not used personally but has good reviews), and run your XP license in a VM.
If Linux is your future, I'll encourage you to make it your present as soon as you can, and have the best of both worlds.