Windows XP Does anyone plan on dropping XP?

[sirloyne]

XP is fast. It's also uses MUCH less resources than every OS after it. XP is for people who like to get things done on their computer. One of my computers has a 500GB HDD, 4GB of 1600 mhz ram (only 3.5 useable) and an Intel i5 3.4 GHz Quad-Core Ivy Bridge (OC'd to 4.2). I have the room... I have the power, but I have no desire to switch to an OS that consistently does less and less with each version, all the while using more and more resources. I put function before form. My computers aren't tablets and they're not phones, I don't want an OS designed for a phone on my computer. I don't want to have to hover my mouse pointer in the magical place while I wait for the secret options screen to appear. I don't use apps. Angry Birds is an app. Whip cracking sounds when you shake your phone is an app. I use software. Argue all you want that "app" is just the new hipster way of saying application, but App-le started calling their idiotic little plug-ins apps and it made their loyal flock of sheeple feel chic saying it. Microsoft changing my Start menu to an All Apps Screen is just sad. Sad and pathetic. It's just M$ trying to prove that they can be hip too. I don't want to have to use keyboard shortcuts to open things. There's a reason why they invented "point & click". Point & click was an improvement to using keyboard shortcuts. People telling me to "get with the times" and just hit the Win key + ? baffle me. Why would I use an OS that's clearly going backwards?

When these new reports come out about how Windows 7 is now the most popular OS, how it finally surpassed XP, I can't help but wonder how many people swallow this hook, line and sinker. I'm not claiming that 7 didn't pass XP, it did. But WHY did it is what you should be wondering. What caused this massive migration? The only reason 7 passed XP is because people were grabbing up all the 7 machines they could so they WOULDN'T be stuck with 8. Now you may think "But Microsoft says they sold 100 million licenses for Windows 8", but we're only talking licenses here. How may of those were sold to HP, Dell, Gateway, or whoever? How many of those are on computers just sitting around on shelves waiting to be sold? How many are just sitting around waiting to go on a computer that hasn't even been built yet? How many were sold for $15, only for people to find out it was terrible and remove it? Personally, I'm in that last option. "How many registered users are there" would be a better place to start, or "how many of those registered users are STILL using it" might be better still.

So... with M$ ending support for XP next year, who plans on dropping it? If it still works, and you can still use new hardware, and all of your programs still run... will you switch? How many people believe that if M$ doesn't support it you'll be suddenly be plagued by viruses, malware, and hackers? When was the last time you got a virus with XP? I use Avira Premium Antivirus and ZoneAlarms free 2 way firewall version 9.2. (They also went the route of crapifying their software, but looking good doing it in later versions.). Other than downloading and installing SP3 I NEVER install updates. I only install the ones that are required by software I want to install, and those are very far and few in between. I don't remember the last time I had a virus. I don't believe my computer will spontaneously combust if I don't downgrade my OS, do you?

 

[Drew]

Y'all have fun. I'm done w/ this Ralph guy. Yeeeesh. Really detracting from the goals, atmosphere & reason for this Forum.

 

[Trouble]

Bye.........

 

[sirloyne]

Y'all have fun. I'm done w/ this Ralph guy. Yeeeesh. Really detracting from the goals, atmosphere & reason for this Forum.

Agreed.

 

[nmsuk]

Y'all have fun. I'm done w/ this Ralph guy. Yeeeesh. Really detracting from the goals, atmosphere & reason for this Forum.

Why is he? Do we not do free speech now? To be fair get over yourself. Disagree yes but don't go throwing about threats to leave as I for one couldn't careless.

 

[Drew]

Why is he? Do we not do free speech now? To be fair get over yourself. Disagree yes but don't go throwing about threats to leave as I for one couldn't careless.

I'm not leaving the forum. Just not caring to be partaking in conversations where Ralph is involved.

Cheers,
Drew

 

[davehc]

Just bypass his posts in a thread, Drew, if they bother you(?) and refer back to those who you are addressing by name. I recommend you do NOT put him on the ignore list, as the threads then become rather confusing. - I tried it once with a member, now banned -didn't work to well

 

[Drew]

sirL,

My computers aren't tablets and they're not phones, I don't want an OS designed for a phone on my computer.

One of the major accomplished design goals when building Windows 8 was to have a fundamentally single OS that would play across varied multiple devices. It was not designed exclusively for mobile devices but, for ALL devices including computers other than tablets & phones and including, non-Touch. Also, achieved was the ability to have said OS spread across assorted devices whilst maintaining a consistent & similar look, feel & functionality. Thus, as trends progress, people would & could feel comfortable & a sense of familiarity, no matter what type of device was in hand. It does seem like something else when it is on a PC... it just seems the same as something else because, the intent was to have things seem the same on everything (hardware) (and, not just phones), created basic continuity.

It is lighter, less resource demanding, treats hardware better, is more secure & stable, performs more efficiently, is easier & quicker to use and offers more. Windows 8.1 only increases this.

Cheers,
Drew

.1

 

[Ralph Bromley]

Look Drew I think you are really taking this all too personally, really honestly just because I have an opposing view and dont worship the ground Microsoft stands on does not make me the villain here.
Hardly, it just means I have another opinion and have every right to express it.
You do not control me, you do not own me, get used to it bub.

Agreed.

Well if you choose to ignore me as well fine suit yourself, I dont think I have been that nasty.
Opinionated yes but I did try to be fair as well.
I make no pretensions and no promises, only my honest opinion

 

[landerio]

My previous computer is ThinkPad T43, it works well with XP. Currently most APP still supports XP OS, this group can't be ignored. The only problem is its security issue for me.

 

[Pauli]

The problem is, Windows XP mainstream support ended on April 14, 2009, and extended support will end on April 4, 2014. After that there is no support. I estimate, it will take 3 months for XP to be a deathtrap after max. 30 minutes on Internet - it will be dead and gone, as it will be so heavily infected. I don't have the exact figures, but probably Windows 98 will survive 2 minutes on the Internet today.

If you need a working machine not connected to Internet, well then, you can still use Windows 95. Or 3.11. I have a friend, an engineer, and in his summerhouse he has all generations of computers, even older than Commodore 64. They all function, we love to play old games, but one could never install a never OS in them.

I don't like technology to be the Master. But for the average user it's necessary to be connected to Internet. It's also necessary to go with the tide. Heck, you need to have something on the table? For kids, too?

1. I wouldn't be so concerned with Microsoft. I would be more concerned with the fact that no other commercial company or group have been able to produce true competition. It proves poverty in creativity of man.
2. I would be utterly concerned about the capability thugs have. The true lack of their morality is shown in the fact that they attack everyone, the little people too. Bader-Meinhof at least had the moral of having a clear target, and they left others in peace.
3. I once again repeat, We are not in the IT Society, we are still heading towards it. It has been estimated that the move from Industrial Society to IT Society will be bigger and worse than the move from Agricultural Society to the Industrial was --- and in that transition people died.

As much as I agree with many peaceful groups, like the Amish, the fact is that you can't stop time. It simply goes forward.

 

[Teemocaptain]

I had already dropped it.now I use Win 7.

 

[Pauli]

There's no option, really. Like I have a 16 years old car, works like a sweat heart, I love the hum of the V6, but some parts are hard to be found, some impossible. To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven, Ecclesiastes 3:1.

Gadgets have their lifetime.

 

[nmsuk]

I dropped XP years ago. Being a gamer I really had to. Now running windows 8 and couldn't be happier.

 

[fourthofjuly]

I did... sold it out.

 

[Drew]

Plan on dropping XP? I did that, already... I think it was, maybe, around 7 years ago or more.

Cheers,
Drew

 

[Pandaz3]

I left XP 32 bit as soon as Vista 64 came out. I probably do have it on a couple of long retired machines. I did have XP Pro 64 until October this year on one machine. XP 64 was a great OS for me, but lack of support for it, as I upgraded hardware was the death knell. It now has Win 7 Ultimate 64 and all new internals.

 

[Drew]

I left XP 32 bit as soon as Vista 64 came out. I probably do have it on a couple of long retired machines. I did have XP Pro 64 until October this year on one machine. XP 64 was a great OS for me, but lack of support for it, as I upgraded hardware was the death knell. It now has Win 7 Ultimate 64 and all new internals.

Yes, what year was it, how long ago that I, also, went from XP x86 to Vista x64? Is the seven years (ago) I suggested correct?

Cheers,
Drew

 

[catilley1092]

I have one last machine that was designed for XP, an IBM T42 that has served me well, considering that I dropped only $99 for it. The only H/W issue that had to be fixed was the CPU fan (integrated with heatsink).

Though XP is still on it as of this date, so is Linux Mint 13, which will be supported until 2017. Come April 8, if not before then, if Windows 7 Home Basic (the "lite" version of Windows 7 that wasn't introduced in US markets) won't run on it, though it should, then it'll be a 100% Linux Mint notebook.

Though my main OS's are now Windows 8.1 (7 on one machine), I'm also fairly good with Ubuntu based versions of Linux, which is what Mint happens to be. Not as good as I could be, but being a moderator on a Windows 8 forum, I felt it best to use the OS as much as possible to assist others.

That being said, the only thing that I do on the XP side of that notebook is read articles/check the weather. I don't check emails nor do anything where a password is required, though I do run good security on it (Avast 2014 IS, won in contest), as well as have MBAM Pro installed for extra "live" malware protection.

Come April 8, the hackers has likely planned ahead, it's a known fact that XP is already full of band-aided security holes. Repeated checks with different apps shows Firewall leaks. Have installed different ones, even prior to having Avast, have tried several suggestions to make it leak proof, the only one that works is either to shut down the notebook or run Linux Mint 13.

Therein lies the problem with continued usage of XP after April 8, 2014 (really as of a couple of years ago). MS isn't dropping support of XP necessarily because they want to, there's the other 60+% of non-XP users on the planet that they're obligated to protect. Continual patching of XP isn't only a waste of resources that should be directed to current OS users, they're making those machines less & less reliable. Things can only be patched so much, it's like riding on a set of tires that's been plugged numerous times, when economically speaking, it would cost less to purchase a new set.

Speaking of new, only a small minority of us are real "power users". There are plenty of sub-$400 (a few $300) computers in brick & mortar stores & online that ships with 8.1, ready to roll (some with 6GB RAM & many with HDMI). At this price, most of us can afford a new computer with every release of Windows. Assuming a 3 year release cycle, that's barely over $11 a month to save between releases. OK, $12 with taxes & possible shipping. For many of us, that's the cost of 3 premium cups of coffee per month.

The learning curve: Windows 8.1 can be configured w/out any 3rd party Start options to boot to desktop. Once there, it's just as functional as Windows 7. Really more so, because it loads faster & having Secure Boot enabled by default, that makes it very tough for the bad guys to have hidden malware/nasty rootkits loading with the computer. Security is built in, though one can run the app of their choice if desired (I do myself).

The bottom line: With all that Windows 8.1 offers out of the box, the question should be "Does anyone plan on keeping XP?".

Keeping in mind, not only Windows 8.1, but also Windows 7 & several decent Linux OS's to choose from. I can understand those who needs the ancient OS (offline) for businesses that has expensive machinery where no alternative exists (actually Windows 7 w/XP Mode is for that purpose). Also I personally know a man who runs a machine shop, highly profitable, where the software to run those calls for Windows 2000. Those PC's, there's no internet access on, the office runs 7 Pro. Offline, where there's no alternative, I can see.

But a home user going online with a highly band-aided, unsupported OS? To conduct transactions at that? Identity thieves will be having a field day with those consumers.

I do understand that not everyone can afford new computers, not even one of the $300 ones. For those, Linux Mint 13 LTS (no PAE/NX required) will do, it's supported. For non-gamers, this is great. All one needs to begin the learning curve is to be able to use Firefox or Google Chrome, as there's no IE for Linux. It boots & runs browsers just like Windows with a large community eagerly waiting to answer any questions. Google searches will likely show an answer to your issue already.

For the rest, anyone who can afford at least $300 or more, Windows 8.1 is your best option. The $300-$400 computers of today are better than the $500-$600 models when 7 was released. DDR3 RAM, SATA 3, HDMI & (on most models) at least one USB 3.0 port for backup w/native support for 8.1.

There will always be the skeptics & naysayers, however no matter what one reads posting negativity as to Windows 8.1 (they've done this since the previews), it's a better OS than it gets credit for.

Cat

 

[catilley1092]

Bobbins I know many an average user using Linux just fine.

I'm one of those, but due to being a moderator on a Windows 8 forum, I also need to use 8.1 as much as practical for experience to assist others. Though I still run Linux virtually via VirtualBox.

However, my wife, who is almost totally computer illiterate, runs Linux Mint 16 with ease. I suppose because she's had little exposure to Windows, not continually comparing apples to oranges.

Cat

 

[nmsuk]

I'm a mod here, but still I use linux. Mainly for banking as it's more secure IMHO. Also I'm a geek and playing with OS's is what I do as a hobby.