Or anything that has updates. But both BSD and Linux are aggressively updated when security issues are found. If all his PC can run is XP, there are lightweight Linux distros and BSD variants that should run on it. Support for desktop applications and peripheral hardware tends to be best on the Linux side. Heck, there are window managers you can make look just like XP though I see no reason to model that old fugly OS when you have pretty desktop environments and window managers like KDE and e17. XP looked ok in its time but looks so dated now, not so much compared to modern Windows(though that too) but especially compared to some of the newer UNiX based solutions.
And I added BSD depending on his needs. With Linux, I made sure to emphasize a little bit that if his PC can barely run Windows XP, he would have to look into light distro as even Linux can get a bit hefty with all the bells and whistles, of which many are nice but unnecessary. I agree with you 100% he needs to dump XP for security reasons, as my noting it is fugly is only in the eye of the beholder, but security is a necessity for everyone. I finally pried XP from my grandmother's cold dead hands by taking the opportunity to encourage her to get that new PC when she was thinking about it, as she considers an OS install an ordeal. Sure, she bought a Windows 8 PC which I am never comfortable dealing with(she is fine with it as she does mainly basic things), but I am much more comfortable having her run Windows 8 with improved security and updates vs still running Windows XP. I got her away from XP just in time in March
If you want a Windows 7-style Start menu and have no intention of using Modern apps, Microsoft has good news for you. After removing all of the apps, you get a Start menu that looks a lot like the one from Windows 7.
Amazing, a desktop os with a desktop centric gui, oh wait, Win 7 already was along that course.
The virtual desktops, and the notifications remind me of what I already have in linux. I have a feeling I can't wait to disable the notifications as I'm sure many programs will want to use it for inane information. Oh look your anti-virus wants to have you do a facebook poll.
In one of the videos I saw the a control panel shortcut on the start menu finally so that's good.
Can anyone help me understand what the improvements over Windows 9 has over Windows 7?
There isn't much out on Win9 vs 7. But if you look at the changes in 7 to 8 there are several. Most visable to people is the boot time, generally half the boot time on 8 vs 7 especially on UEFI setups an example on my machine Win7 boots in ~14.2 seconds, Win8 boots in 5.2-7.3 seconds the change of using hybrid-boot is most responsible for that.
Under the hood stuff include a pile of memory, heap, fault, fast fail, exception handler security related work. Better tick-tock cycles for handling idle calls for the kernel, improvements to DEP along with the inclusion of protection via HEASLR. Better memory usage and heap usage handling over all.
There's a lot more under the hood stuff too, with any luck 9 will be an improvement on all of this. There are problems such as the way they changed ring security causing problems with some really old apps and sound drivers. But a bit of fiddling around and you can fix that.
Amazing, a desktop os with a desktop centric gui, oh wait, Win 7 already was along that course.
The virtual desktops, and the notifications remind me of what I already have in linux. I have a feeling I can't wait to disable the notifications as I'm sure many programs will want to use it for inane information. Oh look your anti-virus wants to have you do a facebook poll.
In one of the videos I saw the a control panel shortcut on the start menu finally so that's good.
I was kind of amazed too to see Microsoft getting it finally that us desktop users are using a desktop for a reason and don't want to use a 27" tablet(size of my largest monitor). I have a tablet for casual tasks including updating my Linux desktops remotely, reducing wasted time at home, for example, and simple web browsing. Your posting tag would probably fit me when it comes to some of this supposed modern and improved stuff-"Burnt Out Cynic".
I accept well designed gui when it suits the purpose in an appropriate context, and doesn't reduce functionality. I'm no stranger to a tablet, or smartphone. With that said I would have never called metro well designed. I also have no desire to clean fingerprints off my large monitors.
I accept well designed gui when it suits the purpose in an appropriate context, and doesn't reduce functionality. I'm no stranger to a tablet, or smartphone. With that said I would have never called metro well designed. I also have no desire to clean fingerprints off my large monitors.
I can't help stop laughing.
Someone finally gives Microsoft the honest opinion and feedback I was after.
Under the hood stuff include a pile of memory, heap, fault, fast fail, exception handler security related work. Better tick-tock cycles for handling idle calls for the kernel, improvements to DEP along with the inclusion of protection via HEASLR. Better memory usage and heap usage handling over all.
There's a lot more under the hood stuff too, with any luck 9 will be an improvement on all of this. There are problems such as the way they changed ring security causing problems with some really old apps and sound drivers. But a bit of fiddling around and you can fix that.
It had to happen though and the sooner the better, even if it means we loose some old software. I wish though to help it all along someone developed a XP type VM to allow functionally of older software in the interim so more time is allowed for new third party software to evolve. No body can really keep up with all that is happening for everything to be locked down and operate efficiently, and give end users their functionality required for applications and usages. (We loose that, it soft of defeats the computer in the first place, Windows only travels so far in a user's daily needs.
How much time do you want to give? How long was the stopwatch counting down until the death of Windows XP? Three years! Probably more.
Microsoft was saying that they were going to pull support for Windows XP for a long time and people stuck their fingers in their ears and said "lala lala I can't hear you." They always thought that Microsoft was going to keep Windows XP alive indefinitely. Well, they were wrong. And now people are scrambling for a solution to the XP issue even though they had years to come up with it. Now they're stuck between a rock and a hard place all because they didn't want to hear the fat lady singing.
I wouldn't quite look at it that way. Kernel patching - Vista and all it's issues. It took till Win 7 to clean it up. It worked and most seemed happy with it over all. Software makers can start really exploring where they can go.
Win 8 out, and then patch updates and we are looking a Win 9 already. Software vendors on the back foot again.
Maybe not an XP mode, but something has to work between Microsoft updating and trouble shooting their own issues before software vendors can really work solidly.
At least how I view it, you are allowed a differing view of that of course, and neither of us want to go back no forth on it.
How much time do you want to give? How long was the stopwatch counting down until the death of Windows XP? Three years! Probably more.
Microsoft was saying that they were going to pull support for Windows XP for a long time and people stuck their fingers in their ears and said "lala lala I can't hear you." They always thought that Microsoft was going to keep Windows XP alive indefinitely. Well, they were wrong. And now people are scrambling for a solution to the XP issue even though they had years to come up with it. Now they're stuck between a rock and a hard place all because they didn't want to hear the fat lady singing.
Sorry, Tom, IMNSHO, you're too caught up in the MS FUDD.
Plus, how they [mis]handled the Win 8.x era (and are still doing so, by postponing the UI fix until Win 9) only serves to keep many XP users on XP, at least until the dust settles, because many of us DON'T BELIEVE THE FUDD !
Remember that it is the same company who screwed us on the UI who is spreading this FUDD.
BTW, the extra 'D' in 'FUDD' is 'deceit'. (Fear, Uncertainty, Deceit, and Doubt)
I still use XP and Win2K and Vista machines on the Internet, and they are doing fine.
Sorry if that invokes some negative feelings/opinions from some of you out there.
I still use XP and Win2K and Vista machines on the Internet, and they are doing fine.
Sorry if that invokes some negative feelings/opinions from some of you out there.
Only about your security and resistance to change going to the point of jeopardizing your security. You are talking to somebody who uses Windows strictly for work and to make money. All my personal machines are *nix variants. And no, I do not make money just because MS sells a new copy of Windows in what I do, so that is not a motive for telling you this either.
Antivirus, permissions, firewall, etc can only go so far in security. Ever hear of a kernel exploit? None of those are going to stop that. MS patches those regularly in security updates. Wait, there are none for XP!. But what XP does have is common code and APIs. That means MS updates can actually be used against XP by reverse engineering the patches, a fairly trivial task for the cybercriminal underworld. I mean they do patch the hole in Vista and up, but not in XP. So, by figuring out the exploit by reverse engineering the patch, XP is left wide open. Don't believe people who actually know what they are talking about either, even though we have no motive, unlike MS, to make MS money. Well, at least most of us don't.
quote:Microsoft to preview next version of Windows Sept. 30
Microsoft is expected to show off some of the enterprise-focused Windows "Threshold" features at an event in San Francisco at the end of the month.
It's official: Microsoft has sent out invitations to a Sept. 30 event in San Francisco, where the company is expected to show off an enterprise technology preview of its next version of Windows, codenamed Threshold.
"Join us to hear what's next for Windows and the enterprise," the invitations say.
The invitations don't specify whether Microsoft will distribute the Windows Threshold tech preview bits at the event. But previous leaks have indicated Microsoft has been targeting late September or early October to make a first public preview of Threshold available.
Microsoft also is expected to release a first public preview of the Threshold version of Windows Server at the same time, sources have said.
I would really like to get my hands on a a public preview of Windows 9 (AKA Threshold) and run it either in a VM or on a new hardware build natively. I have tentative plans for a new (6 core / 12 thread Core i7 Haswell-E) system anyway of which I was going to run Windows 8.1 Update 1 and or some version of Unix but I would definitely give Windows 9 a try.
Personally, as I am sure I have said before, I'm OK with Windows 8.1 but I do like some of what I have seen thus far in Windows 9.
This obviously shouldn't be close to the finished product, technical previews are rougher, and the 3rd party support tends to be non-existent for any changes. Watch people install it on their machine, and come here trying to return to their stable os, however they never even made their recovery disks. There's often trouble getting them to work in virtual machines too. It's better to just look at pictures, and watch videos of these releases for those who just think of it as a free version of windows. Expect to have to wipe the partition it was installed to, it's not like they make it easy to just upgrade to the next beta from the previous beta.
I don't have a hdd without a os installed to it currently, and have no desire to risk the stability of a stable os, so if I can't get it to install virtually without too much fuss I'll just see what the articles say about it for now.
Just a reminder, the Microsoft event is in 5 days,.....
Edit,...
My Haswell-E build may be on hold for a little while. The Asus X99-A just started selling recently for about ~$274.99 and i have decided it might be a better fit for me then the Asus X99-Deluxe at about ~$399. I'd also like to see what the upcoming Asus X99-Pro is like with respect to features and price.
For now i have two different systems outfitted with a dual 2.5" SATA hot swap rack and at least one unused 240GB SSD. So if there is a release to test I might try that, which, is preferable IMO to a VM but not quite as good as a new system to test on.
I still use XP and Win2K and Vista machines on the Internet, and they are doing fine.
Like what Selenia said, with exploits good luck with it continuing to be fine. There are enough unpatched kernel vulnerabilities in 2k now that your machine is a walking security risk. The only thing that's stopping people from actually attacking it, is the lack of machines that are internet facing and exploitable. Give it a year or so, with the number of XP machines out there though and you'll see a huge upswing in the number of kernel related attacks--and if you look at something like security focus there's already a half dozen kernel exploits with PoC's available.
Ring0 has always been XP's problem. Wasn't that why Vista became a reality? (Deja Vu?)
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As for GUI: I just wish They didn't force that tablet design on desktops with monitors that are getting bigger and cheaper. I've not used a specific GUI feature of Win 8 and liked it. I'm so hoping they start to streamline a lot more in Win 9, rather than get heavier with GUI features. While a lot have complained about the start menu with Win 8, I still think the old design has to go, W8 just seemed way off the mark and jamming all those tiles into the start menu for Win9 looks even worse.
I'm finding after a few basic hacks it is starting to lighten up though, and I've not hit services and such seriously yet.
quote:Certainty Windows 9 is still not fully confirmed, but the CEO & President Director of Microsoft Indonesia Andrew Diantoro say that the last version of the operating system besutannya will be obtained for free. touted Microsoft itself ready to hold a special event on 30 September that predicted stage will be the birth of Windows 9 Improvisation is present on the successor of Windows 8 is the return of the start menu and buried digital assistant Cortana. Interestingly, according to Andreas, the latest generation of the OS that has the nickname Threshold can be obtained free of charge when it is released later. Provided that users already have Windows 8 already installed on his device. "Easy, when the OS (Windows 9) was launched later, users who have been using Windows 8 just need to do the update via his device. It will be installed automatically, "he said at the Hotel Mulia, Jakarta, Thursday (25/09/2014). , but the file sizes are usually quite large, good users who want to update to have a stable connection. As for users who do not use Windows 8, of course, obliged to buy Windows 9 when it is released later on if you want to feel it.