The end of windows XP and Microsoft collosal stupity.

[Iceweasel]

Excellent. Question: What work applications are you using it for? Or more to the point, what is it that you do? What job is this being used for?

I have a website for gay midget porn.

Just kidding, I'm a general contractor so the office stuff is billing and such. The photos and painting are hobbies and hope to make a few bucks on it someday.

 

[Chuckt]

Switch to windows 8.1 when I got a new laptop.

I was a diehard XPer, resisting any upgrade...but...

Windows 8 ain't so bad, once you learn it's idiosyncrasies.

Six months in and I don't miss XP at all.

If it wasn't for the tile screen which I don't have Windows 8 booting to, I think that no geek could possibly love Windows 8.

 

[Politico]

You are right. They don't.

 

[Mushroom]

Wouldn't we even WANT Microsoft to invest more of their resources into something newer and better?

I simply can't understand why anybody would even want to still use XP anymore. Unless they are still using some antique 1 GHz system they bought 10 years ago.

Out of all the operating systems I ever used, XP was probably the one I used the least amount of time. 2004-2007, around 3 years. And I only moved from Win2K because SP2 fixed a lot of issues I saw in the OS.

And I dumped it in 2007 and moved to Vista. Why? Because I had this nice new dual processor 64 bit processor, and giving it a lobotomy by using a 32 bit OS seemed stupid.

And if people think moving to OSX is a solution, think again. OSX 10.6 "Snow Leopard" was released in 2009, and all support was killed last year, only 4 years after release.

 

[Andylusion]

Wouldn't we even WANT Microsoft to invest more of their resources into something newer and better?

I simply can't understand why anybody would even want to still use XP anymore. Unless they are still using some antique 1 GHz system they bought 10 years ago.

Out of all the operating systems I ever used, XP was probably the one I used the least amount of time. 2004-2007, around 3 years. And I only moved from Win2K because SP2 fixed a lot of issues I saw in the OS.

And I dumped it in 2007 and moved to Vista. Why? Because I had this nice new dual processor 64 bit processor, and giving it a lobotomy by using a 32 bit OS seemed stupid.

And if people think moving to OSX is a solution, think again. OSX 10.6 "Snow Leopard" was released in 2009, and all support was killed last year, only 4 years after release.

That's actually not all that big of a deal. The upgrade from 10.6 to any of the newer system is fairly minor on the front end. Meaning it doesn't take a complete re-learning how to use the system. Most of the noticeable upgrades were faster, better written software, and a few additional features.

That's my key beef with Microsoft upgrades, is that every other new version, requires you to completely relearn every single aspect of the system.

As for the money aspect, that's also not nearly as problematic. Microsoft upgrade costs, are horrendous. Mac OS X.... not so much.

Apple offered Snow Leopard for free to any OSX user. I paid zero for Snow Leopard, except shipping cost of $9.99. Mailed it to my house.

Then for me to upgrade from 10.6 to 10.8: "Mountain Lion", was an easy $19.99. And the latest Version 10.9: "Mavericks" was also free.

FYI, Snow Leopard was the last hard copy sold software. That's why it had to be mailed. All others are online downloadable.

Now $30 is for me, extremely reasonable price for the operating system. So lack of support for 10.6, when the cost to update is so cheap, is not really a problem in my book. It's not like Windows which costs $120 to upgrade.

 

[Mushroom]

That's actually not all that big of a deal. The upgrade from 10.6 to any of the newer system is fairly minor on the front end. Meaning it doesn't take a complete re-learning how to use the system. Most of the noticeable upgrades were faster, better written software, and a few additional features.

That's my key beef with Microsoft upgrades, is that every other new version, requires you to completely relearn every single aspect of the system.

Well, sorry if you are barking up the wrong tree here.

I have been using the "Mac OS" since before there was a Macintosh. In other words since LisaOS.

And I have used every iteration of DOS since 3.3 and Windows since 1.02R.

I have learned more operating systems over the years then I could ever possibly remember. And with only 1 or 2 exceptions I never had a problem going from one version of Windows to another. And of all of those, 8 is the only one I refuse to ever go to at this time.

And in case you did not know, every other version but 8 had the capability to easily use the old interface. Heck, I once got paid by a law office to convert all of their Windows 95 machines to use Program Manager (it was built in, just not the default). And sure enough, 3 months later I was hired again to come back and put them all back to the default user interface. You can set up XP to behave like 98, and Vista to behave like XP.

For me, the effort with OSX is a real pain in the butt. Every other time my Mac updates, it breaks at least 2 or 3 key programs I need to use. Especially the USB to Serial Port drivers and software, as well as others like IPSEC and my Virtual Machines.

I have rebuilt my Ubuntu VMs so often I can do it in my sleep now. And I find myself doing more and more in VM because at least things work there still, where they no longer work in OSX.

And if you think Mac is easy to change, I can only guess you never used any of the System OSs they made. Those were real nightmares.

 

[AquaAthena]

I loved my XP and my Vista works flawlessly, but will only be supported my MS through 2017 so yesterday I ordered a Dell Home Premium Tower, WINDOWS 7....and will connect my keyboard, HD 20 inch monitor and my Z Cinema Logitech speakers to it. MS will support W-7 through 2020.

Received my new Toshiba Chromebook yesterday. Life is ***good!***

 

[Andylusion]

That's actually not all that big of a deal. The upgrade from 10.6 to any of the newer system is fairly minor on the front end. Meaning it doesn't take a complete re-learning how to use the system. Most of the noticeable upgrades were faster, better written software, and a few additional features.

That's my key beef with Microsoft upgrades, is that every other new version, requires you to completely relearn every single aspect of the system.

Well, sorry if you are barking up the wrong tree here.

I have been using the "Mac OS" since before there was a Macintosh. In other words since LisaOS.

And I have used every iteration of DOS since 3.3 and Windows since 1.02R.

I have learned more operating systems over the years then I could ever possibly remember. And with only 1 or 2 exceptions I never had a problem going from one version of Windows to another. And of all of those, 8 is the only one I refuse to ever go to at this time.

And in case you did not know, every other version but 8 had the capability to easily use the old interface. Heck, I once got paid by a law office to convert all of their Windows 95 machines to use Program Manager (it was built in, just not the default). And sure enough, 3 months later I was hired again to come back and put them all back to the default user interface. You can set up XP to behave like 98, and Vista to behave like XP.

For me, the effort with OSX is a real pain in the butt. Every other time my Mac updates, it breaks at least 2 or 3 key programs I need to use. Especially the USB to Serial Port drivers and software, as well as others like IPSEC and my Virtual Machines.

I have rebuilt my Ubuntu VMs so often I can do it in my sleep now. And I find myself doing more and more in VM because at least things work there still, where they no longer work in OSX.

And if you think Mac is easy to change, I can only guess you never used any of the System OSs they made. Those were real nightmares.

I guess I'm more of the, I just want it to work, belief system. I don't want to have to install an operating system, just to turn around and try and set it up to work like something else.

While there is something to be said for having that ability, the problem then becomes that if you have some funky personalized system, then when others sit down at your computer, they are all confused and mystified by it, and equally if you sit down a someone with the default interface, you end up confused by it.

That's why a consistent user experience is useful. That's also why I keep hoping for a more unified Linux system, so that every time I see a Linux machine somewhere, I don't have to relearn how to use it.

Granted I didn't start with Lisa, but I did cut my teeth on the Mac Plus. I loved, and still love the original Mac OS. I don't know how you and I got such vastly different experiences from the Mac OS systems, but that's just how life is, isn't it?

As for OS X, again, I can't complain. I'm on 10.9 right now, and there is only one single thing I can even mention. Apple's built in Mail program tends to crash once a month or two. No idea why, and can't seem to fix it. About every 6 weeks, all of sudden it will just 'pop' and gone. Comes right back, no errors, no lost emails, nothing wrong... but that's strange.

Again, who knows how we have such different experiences. But if Ubuntu works for you, great. I'm all for it. I hope that at some point a united linux distribution will take over the world (or at least a significant portion). I think it would be good.

 

[Mushroom]

I guess I'm more of the, I just want it to work, belief system. I don't want to have to install an operating system, just to turn around and try and set it up to work like something else.

While there is something to be said for having that ability, the problem then becomes that if you have some funky personalized system, then when others sit down at your computer, they are all confused and mystified by it, and equally if you sit down a someone with the default interface, you end up confused by it.

That's why a consistent user experience is useful. That's also why I keep hoping for a more unified Linux system, so that every time I see a Linux machine somewhere, I don't have to relearn how to use it.

Granted I didn't start with Lisa, but I did cut my teeth on the Mac Plus. I loved, and still love the original Mac OS. I don't know how you and I got such vastly different experiences from the Mac OS systems, but that's just how life is, isn't it?

As for OS X, again, I can't complain. I'm on 10.9 right now, and there is only one single thing I can even mention. Apple's built in Mail program tends to crash once a month or two. No idea why, and can't seem to fix it. About every 6 weeks, all of sudden it will just 'pop' and gone. Comes right back, no errors, no lost emails, nothing wrong... but that's strange.

Again, who knows how we have such different experiences. But if Ubuntu works for you, great. I'm all for it. I hope that at some point a united linux distribution will take over the world (or at least a significant portion). I think it would be good.

Well, I actually run a great many different operating systems.

My desktop has 7, my laptop has Vista, my server has dual boot with Server 2012 and Mint Maya. My work laptop has OSX Maverick, and I have other boxes in the garage that run anything from Win98 and XP to Win2K and one is actually still DOS 6 and Win 3.11. And an Android phone and tablet.

And that is not counting my wife's systems, which are Android, XP, Vista, 7 and 8.

Ubuntu is what I work with primarily, but also Android, Chrome and Chromium. But those are all on remote systems that I manage, they are not local to me.

And do not hold your breath on Linux ever standardizing. It is fractured all over, and the community seems to like it that way. Customizations is great for coders, but not so much for laymen.

But I also do not believe there is such a thing as a "best operating system". Whatever a person likes, that is what is best for them. And most of the time it is the software we run that matters much more then the operating system itself.

 

[Ringel05]

I guess I'm more of the, I just want it to work, belief system. I don't want to have to install an operating system, just to turn around and try and set it up to work like something else.

While there is something to be said for having that ability, the problem then becomes that if you have some funky personalized system, then when others sit down at your computer, they are all confused and mystified by it, and equally if you sit down a someone with the default interface, you end up confused by it.

That's why a consistent user experience is useful. That's also why I keep hoping for a more unified Linux system, so that every time I see a Linux machine somewhere, I don't have to relearn how to use it.

Granted I didn't start with Lisa, but I did cut my teeth on the Mac Plus. I loved, and still love the original Mac OS. I don't know how you and I got such vastly different experiences from the Mac OS systems, but that's just how life is, isn't it?

As for OS X, again, I can't complain. I'm on 10.9 right now, and there is only one single thing I can even mention. Apple's built in Mail program tends to crash once a month or two. No idea why, and can't seem to fix it. About every 6 weeks, all of sudden it will just 'pop' and gone. Comes right back, no errors, no lost emails, nothing wrong... but that's strange.

Again, who knows how we have such different experiences. But if Ubuntu works for you, great. I'm all for it. I hope that at some point a united linux distribution will take over the world (or at least a significant portion). I think it would be good.

Well, I actually run a great many different operating systems.

My desktop has 7, my laptop has Vista, my server has dual boot with Server 2012 and Mint Maya. My work laptop has OSX Maverick, and I have other boxes in the garage that run anything from Win98 and XP to Win2K and one is actually still DOS 6 and Win 3.11. And an Android phone and tablet.

And that is not counting my wife's systems, which are Android, XP, Vista, 7 and 8.

Ubuntu is what I work with primarily, but also Android, Chrome and Chromium. But those are all on remote systems that I manage, they are not local to me.

And do not hold your breath on Linux ever standardizing. It is fractured all over, and the community seems to like it that way. Customizations is great for coders, but not so much for laymen.

But I also do not believe there is such a thing as a "best operating system". Whatever a person likes, that is what is best for them. And most of the time it is the software we run that matters much more then the operating system itself.

I run multiple OSs, liked XP, hated Vista, like Win7 and beta tested Win8 which I will never move to. I use 7 for gaming and some other dedicated programs and Ubuntu or Mint for everything else. Thinking about checking out RoboLinux and their StealthVM so I don't have to dual boot.
Hated Unity when it first came out and switched over to Mint but eventually migrated back to Ubuntu as Unity became more polished. As for Linux standardization it is slowly happening as Ubuntu and Mint work to become more user friendly, it's the purists who really create most of the issues as they decry and demean the direction the big two are going in.

 

[beagle9]

I'm still on Windows XP, but I don't use the computer for much other than here and some other minor activities. I don't do any banking on line or use my computer in those ways, and I have Norton 360 to keep viruses in check. Do I need to do anything else maybe ? Wiped the drive not long ago and reloaded. This old Dell machine runs fast and smooth still. It has an awesome sound card in it, and I can play CD's with surround sound, and the video quality is also awesome. My grandkids are in awe when watching their favorite shows like Monsters Ink and such on here. I know I need to upgrade soon, but man this thing still rocks.

 

[Andylusion]

I guess I'm more of the, I just want it to work, belief system. I don't want to have to install an operating system, just to turn around and try and set it up to work like something else.

While there is something to be said for having that ability, the problem then becomes that if you have some funky personalized system, then when others sit down at your computer, they are all confused and mystified by it, and equally if you sit down a someone with the default interface, you end up confused by it.

That's why a consistent user experience is useful. That's also why I keep hoping for a more unified Linux system, so that every time I see a Linux machine somewhere, I don't have to relearn how to use it.

Granted I didn't start with Lisa, but I did cut my teeth on the Mac Plus. I loved, and still love the original Mac OS. I don't know how you and I got such vastly different experiences from the Mac OS systems, but that's just how life is, isn't it?

As for OS X, again, I can't complain. I'm on 10.9 right now, and there is only one single thing I can even mention. Apple's built in Mail program tends to crash once a month or two. No idea why, and can't seem to fix it. About every 6 weeks, all of sudden it will just 'pop' and gone. Comes right back, no errors, no lost emails, nothing wrong... but that's strange.

Again, who knows how we have such different experiences. But if Ubuntu works for you, great. I'm all for it. I hope that at some point a united linux distribution will take over the world (or at least a significant portion). I think it would be good.

Well, I actually run a great many different operating systems.

My desktop has 7, my laptop has Vista, my server has dual boot with Server 2012 and Mint Maya. My work laptop has OSX Maverick, and I have other boxes in the garage that run anything from Win98 and XP to Win2K and one is actually still DOS 6 and Win 3.11. And an Android phone and tablet.

And that is not counting my wife's systems, which are Android, XP, Vista, 7 and 8.

Ubuntu is what I work with primarily, but also Android, Chrome and Chromium. But those are all on remote systems that I manage, they are not local to me.

And do not hold your breath on Linux ever standardizing. It is fractured all over, and the community seems to like it that way. Customizations is great for coders, but not so much for laymen.

But I also do not believe there is such a thing as a "best operating system". Whatever a person likes, that is what is best for them. And most of the time it is the software we run that matters much more then the operating system itself.

I thought I was a computer nerdologist.... you take the cake. What the heck do you need all those different systems for? Are you starting an operating system museum or something? OS protection agency?

 

[waltky]

Non-XP users might want to visit the MS Windows update site to make sure you get the latest update...

Microsoft rushes to fix browser after attacks; no fix for XP users
27 Apr.`14 - Microsoft Corp is rushing to fix a bug in its widely used Internet Explorer web browser after a computer security firm disclosed the flaw over the weekend, saying hackers have already exploited it in attacks on some U.S. companies.

PCs running Windows XP will not receive any updates fixing that bug when they are released, however, because Microsoft stopped supporting the 13-year-old operating system earlier this month. Security firms estimate that between 15 and 25 percent of the world's PCs still run Windows XP. Microsoft disclosed on Saturday its plans to fix the bug in an advisory to its customers posted on its security website, which it said is present in Internet Explorer versions 6 to 11. Those versions dominate desktop browsing, accounting for 55 percent of the PC browser market, according to tech research firm NetMarketShare.

Cybersecurity software maker FireEye Inc said that a sophisticated group of hackers have been exploiting the bug in a campaign dubbed "Operation Clandestine Fox." FireEye, whose Mandiant division helps companies respond to cyber attacks, declined to name specific victims or identify the group of hackers, saying that an investigation into the matter is still active. "It's a campaign of targeted attacks seemingly against U.S.-based firms, currently tied to defense and financial sectors," FireEye spokesman Vitor De Souza said via email. "It's unclear what the motives of this attack group are, at this point. It appears to be broad-spectrum intel gathering."

He declined to elaborate, though he said one way to protect against them would be to switch to another browser. Microsoft said in the advisory that the vulnerability could allow a hacker to take complete control of an affected system, then do things such as viewing changing, or deleting data, installing malicious programs, or creating accounts that would give hackers full user rights. FireEye and Microsoft have not provided much information about the security flaw or the approach that hackers could use to figure out how to exploit it, said Aviv Raff, chief technology officer of cybersecurity firm Seculert.

Yet other groups of hackers are now racing to learn more about it so they can launch similar attacks before Microsoft prepares a security update, Raff said. "Microsoft should move fast," he said. "This will snowball." Still, he cautioned that Windows XP users will not benefit from that update since Microsoft has just halted support for that product. The software maker said in a statement to Reuters that it advises Windows XP users to upgrade to one of two most recently versions of its operating system, Windows 7 or 8.

Microsoft rushes to fix browser after attacks; no fix for XP users

 

[Mushroom]

I thought I was a computer nerdologist.... you take the cake. What the heck do you need all those different systems for? Are you starting an operating system museum or something? OS protection agency?

ROFL!

Well, my main home systems is 7. My laptop which I primarily only use on drill weekends is Visa. My server (Dual opteron 1U I picked up for $50 last year) bounces between 2012 and Mint, depending on what I do. The Mac/Ubuntu/Chrome/Chromium is what I use at work.

For the others, those generally sit in my garage unless I want to do some legacy stuff.

 

[Bleipriester]

Anybody complaining of Windows 8 doesn´t know the 3rd party tools which allow users to customize Windows 8. I posted such tools here, but they earn distrust.

This forum is good, developers often publish their work here:
Windows 8 - MSFN Forum

 

[Politico]

Preyty much everyone is. Windows 8 is crap.

 

[Iceweasel]

Anybody complaining of Windows 8 doesn´t know the 3rd party tools which allow users to customize Windows 8. I posted such tools here, but they earn distrust.

You need third party software to customize it?

 

[Andylusion]

Anybody complaining of Windows 8 doesn´t know the 3rd party tools which allow users to customize Windows 8. I posted such tools here, but they earn distrust.

This forum is good, developers often publish their work here:
Windows 8 - MSFN Forum

Well again... if you are into that kind of stuff, more power to you. My view is, if you need tools to customize the system that it doesn't drive you nutz, then it's a bad system.

Customization should be simply that... the ability to make the system more personalized to your taste... not to make it usable and non-frustrating.

If you bought yourself a Chevy, and then needed to spend $10K in upgrades so that you didn't hate it.... you wouldn't be talking about how great Chevy was, you would buy a better car to begin with.

The only difference here is, the cost isn't that high, and alternatives are few and far between.

 

[Synthaholic]

Simple solution. If Microsoft abandons support, it abandons ownership protection. Someone else is now free to take up the slack. I'm sure current XP users would cough up $1-$2 per patch for "support" if they really wanted to keep using the system.

Did you just pull that out of your ass? It's simple, alright. Simple-minded.

 

[Synthaholic]

I'm actually more pissed at all the companies who have stopped updating their drivers to work with Windows 7 or 8, FORCING me to keep one machine around that's running XP so that I can still use those devices.

Creative is a huge offender in that regard.