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Why do people still use XP

Started by topdog, June 19, 2013, 01:00 AM

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topdog

Thought I'd start a new topic because I'm thinking of replying to some comments in others but don't want to fill up "help" threads with chatter.  :-X
they call me domesticated ..... I CALL THEM FOOLS !!!

scarface


humbert

Interesting topic, Topdog! Why are so many people still on XP despite it's age? I think XP'ers can be broken down into 2 groups as follows:

Group One consists of people who, for one of an infinity of different reasons, are simply stuck with old hardware that won't even run Windows 7/32. I've also seen people who depend on an ancient, long discontinued peripheral where not even Windows 7 support is available. This also includes those people who do nothing more than send e-mails, visit web sites (especially Facebook and such) and play Solitaire. If this is pretty much all they do, I believe any kind of upgrade is unnecessary, even if they can afford it.

Group Two consists of these people whose hardware is more than capable of running Windows 7 or 8, yet for some reason insist on XP. Unlike Group One, I've yet to see one of them give me a good reason for their insistence on such an ancient OS. I've seen this sort of thing happen since the day I brought home my first computer. I even remember one lady who told me there was no reason to run Windows, she was happy with plain old DOS! These people are inevitably forced to upgrade. To give you a simple idea of what I mean, I've already posted many times that Micro$haft said officially that support for XP will be discontinued as of 2014. This means no more updates - you're at the mercy of hackers who will find way to exploit security holes which MS won't bother to patch.

I suppose there's also a 3rd group too. These are huge companies whose many PC's have XP (or older) installed. For these guys, upgrading is a major headache. They don't have the luxury of simply getting Windows from the torrents as we do - they have to pay for it. And of course, it also means downtime - "technicians" have to install the upgrade and their staff has to be re-trained. In many cases we're talking about people who can barely click a mouse. You can't begin to imagine how many offices I've walked into that are still running XP or worse. It goes without saying these guys, sooner or later, will have to bite the bullet and forcibly upgrade.

topdog

Yeah, I'm mostly group one (32 bit hardware)

And partly group two (don't see any good reason to install 7 on my one 64 bit PC and learn it when I intend to shift to 8 next Jan/Feb)

they call me domesticated ..... I CALL THEM FOOLS !!!

humbert

Quote from: topdog on July 09, 2013, 05:40 AM
Yeah, I'm mostly group one (32 bit hardware)
And partly group two (don't see any good reason to install 7 on my one 64 bit PC and learn it when I intend to shift to 8 next Jan/Feb)

I totally agree that you should go directly to Win8. However, when it comes to upgrading, I say the sooner the better. No upgrade comes without growing pains. Also, you've got the benefit of tons of specialist here who can guide you. And of course, never forget that a 1000 km voyage must begin with one step.

When you finally decide to give it a go, you'll probably wonder why you waited. The problem with XP is nothing other than the fact that it's old.

topdog

I am slow at learning new ways and even slower at unlearning old ways  :-[
I installed Win8 on a laptop when it first came out and had a bit of a fiddle.
Decided to wait till I had a touchscreen before I got too comfortable using it with a keyboard only.
they call me domesticated ..... I CALL THEM FOOLS !!!

humbert

Quote from: topdog on August 11, 2013, 08:48 AM
I am slow at learning new ways and even slower at unlearning old ways  :-[
I installed Win8 on a laptop when it first came out and had a bit of a fiddle.
Decided to wait till I had a touchscreen before I got too comfortable using it with a keyboard only.

There's nothing difficult about Windows 8. I bet you in less than a day you'll be able to get by. Also, you don't need a touchscreen at all. My wife just got a touchscreen laptop with W8 on it and frankly I'll stick with the keyboard and mouse. I'd go as far as to say that using your finger isn't much different than using your mouse.

Also, never forget progress and upgrading are inevitable, and especially so in anything related to technology.

Naturally, if the reason you're not getting W8 is financial, then you belong to what I call `Group 1'.  ;) :)

kyrusty

But honestly, what is the point in upgrading from Win7 to Win8 on a regular machine without touchscreen? I do not see any reason..

Back to the topic: I think there are plenty of people who can not afford new hardware every 2 or 3 years in some countries on our planet which is btw. becoming somewhat over-trashed. And these people are not necessarily "dummies"; I think of many IT-professionals from India for instance.

humbert

#8
@kyrusty - I disagree. You DO NOT need to have touchscreen to use Windows 8. The mouse cursor does the same job as your finger. I mentioned once that my recently wife got a touchscreen laptop. I never use my finger on it. I hate having to stretch my arm all the way over when the mouse does the same thing.

Also, remember Moore's Law. The computer industry advances at an alarming pace. Only someone such as the Sultan of Brunei can afford to absolutely always have the latest gear. For the rest of us it's financially impossible. The golden rule is simply that there is no need to upgrade if your current hardware does what you want it to do. A perfect example is a lawyer I know. He still uses an old computer with an 8088 processor to run the DOS version of Wordperfect - and nothing else. Why should he upgrade - unless, of course, one of his old components dies.

humbert

Quote from: usmangujjar on September 29, 2013, 06:28 PM
may it is wrong place,
i want to discuss other OS than Microsoft Windows, any one having some information about other OS's? please discuss..........

You can download and install one of the 20 or more distros of Linux. Linux is a great OS, but sadly the lack of support compared to Windows is simply horrendous. There are many things I do that must be with Windows because with Linux it's not possible.

To get your feet wet one thing I suggest is to download Slax and/or Parted Magic. These can be run as live CD's and will not affect your current Windows configuration. You can go a little faster by booting them up from a USB flashdrive.