Windows 7 Whi I'm STILL keeping XP as well as W7

J

jimbo45

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Jan 20, 2009
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1,208
Hi all
I like W7 as much as the next person but there are a few reasons why I'M STILL keeping XP around for a while even after the final W7 is released.

These applications will NOT run on even VISTA, so no chance also on W7.

1) Legacy HP plotter and my Engineering drawing software -- it works fine -- I don't need especially at this time to spend around 3,000 USD on changing / upgrading hardware and having to learn a completely new way of changing the way I do Engineering drawings.

2) SAP IDES system will not run on W7 and is not likely to for a long time. The IDES is a complete training model of a total SAP ERP system that you can run on a laptop. It has a model of real business processes and transactions that you can do just like you were using the real SAP ERP system (100,000's users world wide) so it's an excellent training tool.

3) Minidisc applications -- I still take recordings at music gigs, photo shoots etc-- none of the modern "Ipod" stuff even comes close for making these sorts of music recordings / demos either on quality or convenience - although for simply just as a music player other alternatives are available. You can also send off the MD to the studio as a demo etc.

Solid state devices just don't cut it especially out in the field -- ever tried changing one of those tiny tiny cards you often see in mobile phones out on a sandy beach with a gale howling

4) Canon high quality Photo Scanner

5) Agfa 35 mm negative film scanner.

I have a few other legacy apps but those above are the main ones.

If I COULD get this stuff working on W7 I certainly would but for the foreeseable future I will keep XP around (as a Virtual Machine). Dual booting is too much of a hassle.

Cheers
jimbo
 
Solution
Two sollutions


@1- Compatibility mode- Use the program in xp compatibility mode

@2- XP mode- Use Virtual PC to use xp apps if your computer can use it and you are getting Pro or Ultimate.
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Pull the pin??????

"Microsoft WILL pull the pin on the legendary Windows XP very soon... "


Radenight, what does "pull the pin" consist of? Please define that phrase. I am still (as of no more than 2 weeks ago) getting security updates on Windows 2000. Sure, there will be no more service packs and there is no Microsoft sponsored help line to call for support, but the OS is still alive and has only really seriously lost third party developer support over the last two or three years. Microsoft has committed to "support" for XP for a couple or three more years yet and, like 2000, will continue security updates for several years after that. In addition to this, 2000 was primarily a business (SMB as well as Corporate) OS and didn't ever have the number of users that XP now has. I think the larger number of users of XP (over the number of 2000 users in its heyday) will make it be profitable for third party developers for years longer than 2000. All this will keep XP being a fully serviceable OS for something like another 10 years or so.

Sure, Microsoft desperately wants to sell new programs, and having a legacy program (OS) that is as serviceable as a new one isn't going to help sell a new one, but they cannot just "recall" all the millions of XP applications that are currently active. It isn't as though we will wake up one morning soon and our XP computers will not boot up any longer. XP has several years left yet, nobody needs to panic.

That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it!
 
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I stopped using XP as my main OS three years ago, and there is no turning back.

Now i only use XP at work inside VM to support users ( I work on the IT).

As for Business , My company skip vista (except for few users) and we are considering partial deployment of 7 with the next patch of PC replacements (Q4 2009/Q1 2010).
 
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For many consumers, the concept of pulling the plug is almost meaningless. If it still runs, they will still use it. Many home users still have Windows 95 or 98 running.

It has only been a few months since the last SP for XP, so it's not exactly years out of date, and regular security updates are still occuring. OS tradeout for the masses is a slow process, and many consumers are still probably a bit gun shy since the Vista mess.

Ed
 
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Hi
I am one of the "masses" and I am still running XP both 32 and 64 Bit versions. I have skipped Vista and am currently using Win 7 RC1 as my main OS having first dipped my toes, so to speak, with the Beta 7000 build. I find 7 as quick as XP in fact it
loads far quicker than either XP variants. I hope to be able to pre-order the Premium E version tomorrow from Amazon UK.
I find it absurd that MS have to release a Browser free version for European Countries, I don't know why they could not have given us the choice of several browsers and those who want to use IE could then select same. But they have made their decision and we'll just have to make do. I use Firefox anyway so it is no big deal for me.

Stransky
(D W Barr)
 
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john3347 said:
but they cannot just "recall" all the millions of XP applications that are currently active.
Click to expand...

Watch them...

No I didn't say they were going to "recall" anything.. I simply mean that Windows XP has had it's day and then some and is very near the end of it's life cycle (I should say very extended life cycle).. Meaning the time is coming when XP will no longer be supported, by either Microsoft or Developers.. And if Microsoft is going to stick the new OS every 3 years like they once did then that day will be sooner then you think...

That being said, I'm not saying anyone should panic either. Yes, XP will be around for a couple years yet, but people should start to look at moving on and maybe finding alternative applications to the one's that will only run on XP..

It's the same as the whole 32-bit and 64-bit fiasco.. People will always whine that they don't want to make the jump to 64-bit because of whatever reason. But in the end none of that matters.. Microsoft (or any other company for that matter) isn't going to give a rat's ass just because some people are whining that they don't want to make the move..
 
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Radenight said:
Microsoft (or any other company for that matter) isn't going to give a rat's ass just because some people are whining that they don't want to make the move..
Click to expand...

Actually they do, when it's clear it's gonna affect sales. To some extent that's why they have extended the XP support as long as they have. Vista was a giant mistake, upgrade sales were weak, so they caved and continued XP longer.

Now clearly W7 seems better than Vista, but it looks more like a clean up than a new OS. If they hope to get upgrade sales (from other than the poor Vista folks), they are going to have to do a lot better job at PR. And while lack of support of XP will eventually be a real issue, that day is probably a few years off.

Ed
 
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Radenight said:
Watch them...

But in the end none of that matters.. Microsoft (or any other company for that matter) isn't going to give a rat's ass just because some people are whining that they don't want to make the move..
Click to expand...



Actually, in the end, that is the biggest single thing that DOES matter. When potential buyers return home without purchasing the product or go to a competitive brand and buy the product whining that they don't want to make the move, producers give a GREAT BIG rat's ass. That is precisely what happened with Vista. Millions and millions of individual users and corporations whined with their pocketbooks.

Granted, Microsoft (or any other company for that matter) doesn't give a rat's ass how much we whine while we are shelling out preposterous prices for little improvement (negative improvement in Vista's case), but if large numbers of us whine with our pocketbooks they stand up and take notice. If all one billion users worldwide tell Microsoft that we want candy-coated peanut butter on our OSs, and we don't buy one without, it, they will figure some way to include candy-coated peanut butter in the OS.
 
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