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Do you still use XP? (multiple choice)

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    #92
    200motels
    Registered Users Posts: 2,602 ✭✭✭200motels


    whizbang wrote: »
    Windows XP is still available, in the unfortunately named POS ready 2009

    http://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1101401-windows-xp-like-windows-embedded-pos-2009-supported-until-2019/
    Interesting but why bother installing that on a PC or Laptop.


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    #93
    dr.fuzzenstein
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 16,635 ✭✭✭✭dr.fuzzenstein


    200motels wrote: »
    Interesting but why bother installing that on a PC or Laptop.

    I used to work in a lab and we where using a densitometer, it measured print density of toner samples.
    There was also the particle sizer and a few other machines I can't remember off the top of my head.
    All the software for those machines ran on XP and it's possible at least some of it wouldn't have worked on 7, let alone 8.
    If you think scientific machines are bowel-evacuatingly expensive, you haven't tried to purchase software for them for another OS.
    So companies are very reluctant to pay money to upgrade something which will then not work and then having to pay more money to arrive at exactly the same situation as before.
    Emulators or embedded systems are a much cheaper alternative.
    So, while using XP in a regular office setting is silly, in a lot of applications involving software for machinery it makes all the sense in the world.


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    #94
    yoyo
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 11,011 Mod ✭✭✭✭yoyo


    dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »
    I used to work in a lab and we where using a densitometer, it measured print density of toner samples.
    There was also the particle sizer and a few other machines I can't remember off the top of my head.
    All the software for those machines ran on XP and it's possible at least some of it wouldn't have worked on 7, let alone 8.
    If you think scientific machines are bowel-evacuatingly expensive, you haven't tried to purchase software for them for another OS.
    So companies are very reluctant to pay money to upgrade something which will then not work and then having to pay more money to arrive at exactly the same situation as before.
    Emulators or embedded systems are a much cheaper alternative.
    So, while using XP in a regular office setting is silly, in a lot of applications involving software for machinery it makes all the sense in the world.

    In fairness using XP (or 2000, 98, 95 for that matter) on a machine not connected to the internet/network should be safe enough. I did some work in a place that had Win 98 machines still in use due to the machinery they supported not having software supporting XP.
    The problems start happening when XP machines are still on the network/used day to day with USB keys etc.

    Nick

    My Beer Glass collection site 🍺

    My Irish Callcards site



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    #95
    dr.fuzzenstein
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 16,635 ✭✭✭✭dr.fuzzenstein


    yoyo wrote: »
    In fairness using XP (or 2000, 98, 95 for that matter) on a machine not connected to the internet/network should be safe enough. I did some work in a place that had Win 98 machines still in use due to the machinery they supported not having software supporting XP.
    The problems start happening when XP machines are still on the network/used day to day with USB keys etc.

    Nick

    I actually managed to install Windows 98 on VMware Player the other day. :D

    296205.png


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    #96
    dr.fuzzenstein
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 16,635 ✭✭✭✭dr.fuzzenstein


    What the hell, one more pic:

    296207.png


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    #97
    PropJoe10
    Registered Users Posts: 5,253 ✭✭✭PropJoe10


    dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »
    What the hell, one more pic:

    296207.png

    Nice, did the same a while back. Talk about a trip down memory lane. You'd start questioning how you ever used this software!


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    #98
    dr.fuzzenstein
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 16,635 ✭✭✭✭dr.fuzzenstein


    PropJoe10 wrote: »
    Nice, did the same a while back. Talk about a trip down memory lane. You'd start questioning how you ever used this software!

    But yet, while setting it up, I noticed that if you had even windows 7 and chose the basic, no-thrills poverty display mode, its not a million miles from 98 or even 95. You still have your desktop, start button menu, folder layout, command prompt and as for the windows themselves, virtually nothing has changed. It's funny how similar they are in many ways.


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    #99
    Cuddlesworth
    Registered Users Posts: 13,981 ✭✭✭✭Cuddlesworth


    dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »
    I used to work in a lab and we where using a densitometer, it measured print density of toner samples.
    There was also the particle sizer and a few other machines I can't remember off the top of my head.
    All the software for those machines ran on XP and it's possible at least some of it wouldn't have worked on 7, let alone 8.
    If you think scientific machines are bowel-evacuatingly expensive, you haven't tried to purchase software for them for another OS.
    So companies are very reluctant to pay money to upgrade something which will then not work and then having to pay more money to arrive at exactly the same situation as before.
    Emulators or embedded systems are a much cheaper alternative.
    So, while using XP in a regular office setting is silly, in a lot of applications involving software for machinery it makes all the sense in the world.

    There is a manufacturing line about a 100 feet from where I sit. There are 15 year old pc's connected to various line equipment. Nobody is too sure exactly what they do and they could not replace them if they tried. The installers are gone, the companies that made the programs are gone, the knowledge and experience involved in setting them up is gone. People are scared of even moving them. My company now spends a fortune on internal IPS systems to isolate factory floors from the rest of the company because of this.

    The sooner companies realize that software only has a lifespan as long as its support the better. Its very likely that in 10 years you will be in the exact same situation. The installers and skills required for the software to interface with the testing equipment will disappear. And then the machines start dropping off. Where will your company be then?


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    #100
    PropJoe10
    Registered Users Posts: 5,253 ✭✭✭PropJoe10


    dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »
    But yet, while setting it up, I noticed that if you had even windows 7 and chose the basic, no-thrills poverty display mode, its not a million miles from 98 or even 95. You still have your desktop, start button menu, folder layout, command prompt and as for the windows themselves, virtually nothing has changed. It's funny how similar they are in many ways.

    Yep, you can see the progression the whole way down the line from 95 to Windows 8. They went a bit off the rails with 8 in the basic design, but under the hood, its rock solid. 98SE was better than 98, as far as I recall. Much more stable. 98SE, XP and 7 have been great successes. The others.....not so much haha


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    #101
    beauf
    Closed Accounts Posts: 22,651 ✭✭✭✭beauf


    PropJoe10 wrote: »
    Yep, you can see the progression the whole way down the line from 95 to Windows 8. They went a bit off the rails with 8 in the basic design, but under the hood, its rock solid. 98SE was better than 98, as far as I recall. Much more stable. 98SE, XP and 7 have been great successes. The others.....not so much haha

    Considering you can make XP/Vista/7/8 all look like any of the previous versions, with a simple app, is shows theres very little different from a GUI and usability point of view between them. Turn off a few things and they are all the same.

    The main difference is better hardware support the newer they are. W8 has much more support out of the box than even W7.

    I have a good few XP machines around me at work. Most of them are ancient machines still used for testing.
    One that really bugs me is a 8 Core (Dual Xeon) Workstation. Thats just so wrong. Slow as anything with XP, but flies on W7.


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    #102
    bonzodog2
    Registered Users Posts: 6,210 ✭✭✭bonzodog2


    I wonder how many XP machines are running critical process control stuff, or even critical national infrastructure roles. Or, indeed other OS's, there must be loads of companies praying that their elderly kit won't die any time soon.


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    #103
    beauf
    Closed Accounts Posts: 22,651 ✭✭✭✭beauf


    A few years back I saw a lot of that when I was contracting. Only then it was machines running NT and 98 being migrated to XP. You'd find machine with notes, do not turn off, or do not upgrade all over them.

    In our place we have some critical machines older than XP (non windows) still running critical jobs. Some of them are 20yrs ish old.


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    #104
    dr.fuzzenstein
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 16,635 ✭✭✭✭dr.fuzzenstein


    beauf wrote: »
    A few years back I saw a lot of that when I was contracting. Only then it was machines running NT and 98 being migrated to XP. You'd find machine with notes, do not turn off, or do not upgrade all over them.

    In our place we have some critical machines older than XP (non windows) still running critical jobs. Some of them are 20yrs ish old.

    ENIAC.jpg

    :D


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    #105
    beauf
    Closed Accounts Posts: 22,651 ✭✭✭✭beauf


    Some people here started with punch cards.


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    #106
    dr.fuzzenstein
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 16,635 ✭✭✭✭dr.fuzzenstein


    beauf wrote: »
    Some people here started with punch cards.

    Sorry, ZX81 is as far back as I go. With the 16k extension though!


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    #107
    Dude111
    Registered Users Posts: 1,771 ✭✭✭Dude111


    PropJoe10 wrote:
    Nice, did the same a while back. Talk about a trip down memory lane. You'd start questioning how you ever used this software!
    I cant stand all the brainwashed responses about this OS........

    Win98se IS A BEAUTIFUL OS and I love her....... (Been my favourite for many years)

    Started with Windows on 95 and it was OK but then I got Win98se and I have loved it ever since icon7.gif



    98se is probably ONE OF THE BEST windows OS ever to be released..... Basic,does what it does WELL,DOES NOT SPY ON YOU and is very user friendly icon7.gif


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    #108
    stupid head
    Closed Accounts Posts: 114 ✭✭stupid head



    Windows XP use keeps going up


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    #109
    Charlie19
    Registered Users Posts: 11,728 ✭✭✭✭Charlie19


    The sales of XP from 2002
    http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/press/2002/jan02/01-07xpmomentumcespr.aspx


    How times have changed but I'm reluctant to believe this for a second, considering how popular W7 is.
    http://techcrunch.com/2014/02/13/microsoft-has-sold-more-than-200-million-windows-8-licenses/


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    #110
    200motels
    Registered Users Posts: 2,602 ✭✭✭200motels


    I got a call from a friend who has XP and he was having problems with it. when I opened the laptop it hadn't one update. no service packs or anti virus, it was riddled, I reinstalled it and updated everything and now it's fine, but it does go to show that a lot of people don't update their systems and have no anti virus, no wonder viruses and malware are rampant everywhere when people don't even do the basics, anyone else come across machines that are not up-to-date?


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    #111
    Hugh 2
    Registered Users Posts: 400 ✭✭Hugh 2


    Something in the news this morning
    " Microsoft may sell Windows 8.1 for cheap — or even give it away for free"


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    #112
    200motels
    Registered Users Posts: 2,602 ✭✭✭200motels


    Hugh 2 wrote: »
    Something in the news this morning
    " Microsoft may sell Windows 8.1 for cheap — or even give it away for free"
    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057159379


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    #113
    beauf
    Closed Accounts Posts: 22,651 ✭✭✭✭beauf


    I got the W8 upgrade for €19.

    The current price would push people to android. They should drop the price to keep people on Windows.


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    #114
    200motels
    Registered Users Posts: 2,602 ✭✭✭200motels


    beauf wrote: »
    I got the W8 upgrade for €19.

    The current price would push people to android. They should drop the price to keep people on Windows.
    I agree it's way too expensive, 119 Euro and 279 Euro for Pro, crazy, I wouldn't mind if it was any good but it's not, it's neither here nor there.


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    #115
    beauf
    Closed Accounts Posts: 22,651 ✭✭✭✭beauf


    Well its a little faster than W7 with better driver support. Other than there almost no difference to W8 and 7. For me a least.


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    #116
    stupid head
    Closed Accounts Posts: 114 ✭✭stupid head


    beauf wrote: »
    I got the W8 upgrade for €19.

    The current price would push people to android. They should drop the price to keep people on Windows.

    Cant remember it exactly and on my phone now but they are or did slash the price on lower value new machines during the wk so to compete with chromebooks and that.


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    #117
    anncoates
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,925 ✭✭✭✭anncoates


    Cuddlesworth wrote: »

    Windows 8 is a fine OS, with many back end improvements in performance again. They made a mistake trying to change the basic UI layout when it doesn't suit non-touch devices and have since backtracked.
    .

    Windows 8 just needs classic shell and it's great.


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    #118
    Manach
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 9,671 Mod ✭✭✭✭Manach


    Have it on my old laptop which I use occasionally, when I don't need the Win8 UI hassle.


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    #119
    Mr. G
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 4,621 Mod ✭✭✭✭Mr. G


    The start menu brought into Windows 8 confuses people I think, in that when they see things without a taskbar they go mad.

    One thing about Windows 8 is that it is lighter than W7. For a business setting though, W7 is the only option, unless the workforce is tech-savvy.

    You could of course go down the route of Linux, as long as the required software is supported.

    I know Amazon use Ubuntu for some of their call centre agent PC's. No doubt it is due to cost saving.


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    #120
    beauf
    Closed Accounts Posts: 22,651 ✭✭✭✭beauf


    Why can't the business not simply turn off Metro? Then most of the users won't know any difference from Windows 7.


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    #121
    worded
    Registered Users Posts: 4,540 ✭✭✭worded


    I'm still using windows 3.0

    Should I stick win 8 on my 386 ?


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