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Hardware Junkie · Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2013 1:22 pm Post subject: XP just won't die

http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/european-technology/end-of-xp-support-why-so-many-cios-are-still-not-ready/1503

I still use it.
Used a lot in this organization. They are working to phase them out this spring in favor of Windows 7 machines.
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evasive · Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2013 6:00 am Post subject:

Same here... 1800 workstations... Seeing what havoc a new browser (IE8 mind you) and a new Java version (1.7) and flash (11.3 at the time) were causing, can't blame some of the companies... At least my position is guaranteed for another 2 years big grin

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Karlsweldt · Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2013 7:28 am Post subject:

I will still use Win XP to the end of its "extended" service life. A bit better than Win 2K, and very stable. But there is a limit to how many "patches" you can do to any product.. or OS. Then it is time to start with a clean sheet of paper!
When XP is abandoned, I will still use it.. on older systems. But will have to migrate to Win 7 when required on the main system. No need for Win 8, as I don't have (or need!) all the "glitz and gee-wow" features.
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c327 · Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:38 am Post subject:

My first experience with PC's was with Windows 98, I was a late bloomer with computers. Then came 98 Second Edition and Windows Millennium (double ouchie).

At first I didn't care much about XP and I don't remember why but I used it and ended up liking it and really am not looking forward to using and having to learn a new O.S. that I don't already like the way it looks, just to many bells and whistles for me.

Why Microsoft can't put out a simple looking full featured O.S. is beyond me, just what is so difficult?

It's like shopping for a cell phone. I went to a Verizon store and talked to a salesman. He made a big deal out of showing me phones that played games, sent text messages, had maps, calenders, planners, cameras, adding aps, picture folders and many other features. I said to him what about talking, do you have a phone I can talk on and he looked at me like I was one sandwich short of a picnic and that is the way I see Windows going.

I know they can't keep selling the same old thing, but why don't they just improve what they all ready have? Is different supposed to be better ???
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Roach412 · Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 8:32 am Post subject:

i just reformatted an old machine using my original xp pro disk i got in college back in the day (for $5).

never slip-streamed, and wow is that a giant pain now. can't get auto updates from MS, instead you have to download the packages individually until you get the SP3.

considering i lost my mainboard driver CD (literally the first time i've ever done this) it was an absolute nightmare. the manufacturers downloadable drivers were not compatible with xp prior to SP2, so i couldn't use my NIC. i thought "why not just use one of my cheapo USB wireless adapters?" sounds great, but base XP pro doesn't support WPA, on WEP - which i didn't want to go back on my network setup. after much finagling i got a generic enough intel driver for the NIC to get moving forward on the MS updates.

doubt i'll re-install that OS again unfortunately. it's been a good run...over a decade!

as for xp vs. newer versions - i don't think 7 is really all that glitzy unless you want it to. windows 8 can look almost identical to 7 as well, if you want...

-Roach
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Karlsweldt · Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 8:41 am Post subject:

I agree with you, c327. The latest iterations of an OS are memory hogs, bloated and less efficient than years ago! If all those added features are not in place on a computer, why have them? Yes, the installation process does check if a feature is there.. but still deposits files that are useless without the features. And the latest OS versions won't work on older systems that cannot carry at least a full gig of system memory!
The Windows ME version was another "strange child" from the MS enclave.. like DOS version 4.0 and other anomalies. That was a hybrid of NT and Windows, but had no true identity with "standard" OS versions. Any attempt to start in 'safe' mode always evoked a link to MS for help!
Windows 2000 was a true revision of NT, and was very stable. But Windows XP was a "refreshing" of the OS. Yes, after so many 'patches' and 'updates', you have to dump the entire system and start with a clean slate.
The salesperson who tried to sell you on "features" that were gee-whiz and had a "wow" factor is typical of the generation. Why is it so critical that we have Web access wherever we are, whenever? Only to generate more income for the wireless carriers! "Talk time" is cheap, compared to "data time" on cell phones and smart phones!!!
Reminds me of HAL 9000 (2001: A Space Odyssey)!
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F@H.. to solve mankind's maladies.. in our lifetimes!

Roach412 · Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 9:09 am Post subject:

however, spending additional tens of hundreds/thousands of hours optimizing and streamlining code so that they aren't "bloated" to use 1gb of system memory is a waste of time in the current economics of the marketplace.

it literally costs a few dollars for a consumer to purchase the memory recommended (not even required necessarily). when it used to cost a few hundred dollars per kb of system memory, yeah...it's hugely detrimental to build in bloat. memory is cheap, it's literally is the new reality now. system resources are effectively a commodity item. time for development/etc is much more important to MS than saving me $20 on system memory.

minimum pre-builts are coming out with 4-6gb (as most have for over a year already), and many more are 8-12gb. even non-enthusiest consumer boards are supporting 24-32gb. developers have no benefit to trim their code and footprint on the system besides to maybe have pride in doing so.

just my 2 cents. big grin

-Roach
_________________
Lian Li Lancool First Knight Series PC-K59W
Intel Core i7-960 Bloomfield 3.2GHz
EVGA X58 FTW3 132-GT-E768-TR
EVGA GTX 560ti FPB
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 12GB (3 x 4GB)
Crucial M4 128gb SATAIII SSD
Corsair Professional Series HX850 PSU

Karlsweldt · Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2013 11:19 am Post subject:

That comment I made (And the latest OS versions won't work on older systems that cannot carry at least a full gig of system memory! ) referred to older systems, especially laptops, which had memory limits as to installs. Many low-end brands could not accept more than 768 MB of memory. For those models, XP was the last Windows version acceptable. Windows 7 and Windows 8 not recommended for them! What is a person to do, other than dump an otherwise good, working laptop, and spend money to keep up with "market trends"? Makes a PC tech feel bad, when seeing the despair in an owner's eyes, when told "it can't be done".
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F@H.. to solve mankind's maladies.. in our lifetimes!

evasive · Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2013 11:32 am Post subject:

Put Linux on it?
_________________
We hate rut, but we fear change.

System error, strike any user to continue...

Karlsweldt · Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2013 9:12 am Post subject:

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