ah, you mistook that.
I was talking about MS themselves.
get Comodo for windows and forget about the security updates.
MS thinks they're scaring WinXP users because they won't be protected.
that's only true if you ONLY use MS products, which is what they expect.
MS wants your life to revolve around them,
which is what I'm seeing more clearly as MS releases new products.
(take the XBox One for example, which aims to control your life.)
@Tcll The all bells and whistles version of Comodo costs 39 USD a year. So even if that software is sufficient then the cost of upgrading to Windows 7 etc is not as expensive, given a year or two. Given that Windows 7 is more secure than XP.
sry, didn't mean to direct to comodo... heh
yea, they're expensive for being fully featured.
I use Avast for my local protection and Comodo for my browser/firewall
I definately recommend comodo browsers since they have better security than even Opera can provide. ;)
what's ironic is Comodo takes Chrome from having pretty much no security to having, I do blieve, full security with malware protection.
as well as a DNS forward which can block harmful sites before they even reach the browser.
When you dump Window XP. You just don't dump the computer but also other printer and devices that has been working with Window XP and doesn't work with Window 7/8. For example, I got a Lexmark all in one printer that has been working fine with Window XP but doesn't work with Window 7 at all and no driver to be found anywhere so I have no choice but to revert back to Window XP to be able to use it again. If I will to upgrade to Window 7/8, it will make a huge dent in my budget.
I am not sure that XP will die easily, and I'm pretty sure that this thread won't, either.
indeed
I just saw on the news about MS pushing users off XP.
they're (of course) not informing users that it's only their updates,
and that trusted free 3rd-party security can protect you even better.
MS wants your money, of course they're gonna be blatent and shady and not tell you how the new kernals watch everything you do.
7 is a legit kernal since it's basically Vista.
this was at the time when they didn't know too much...
but beware, you're still more likely to be spied on by MS and the gov't than with XP where you can easily block it.
(I think this is why they want users to switch)
MS wants your freedom, plain and simple.
My daughter had a printer that worked perfectly well with XP but didn't with Vista. I tried to download a driver from HP but it wouldn't install, long story but her network wouldn't work properly one of the other desktops being Windows 7 pro. That one got bugged with Microsoft Word and other Office programs not closing as they seemed to be searching for the printer. She was about to scrap the printer when I was able to sort out the issue. I can't remember what I had to do. I think I installed the printer as an Ethernet printer ( or rather Device). I don't think that Microsoft considered the situation where, especially in a home network, that users would have a variety of computers running different versions of Windows. And to make matters worse Windows Easy Transfer (WET) messed up her email.
just a heads up, using a local email is very bad. ;)
I understand why you use local, since you don't want outside access to your private emails,
but using local is VERY dangerous to your system.
but yea, MS redid the kernal entirely with Vista, and forwarded the improved upon failures to 7 with a new shell.
which is why networking (in general) just plain sucks with Vista/7
We still use an old verions of SCO Unix at the winery where I work. To tell you how old, when I used to write spray orders, it said I was in year 1904. It is not 2000 compiant, but it still works fine. Use a Dejavu NT emulator to access the Unix from our Windows XP machines. Networking it 200% better with XP than it ever was with 7 !!!!!
"but yea, MS redid the kernal entirely with Vista, and forwarded the improved upon failures to 7 with a new shell."
This means that any real-time software (software that controls and reads external equipment in real time) will NOT work. Every time the OS kernel is changed, the real-time part of the software must be rewritten to work with the new kernel.
I have worked with real-time software for over 30 years, amnd have had the same problem every time Microsoft changed the operating system.
I was actually able to use the same software during all of the DOS years. It bypassed the operating system and accessed the ports directly. But you can't do that with a time-sharing OS.
Every time MS changed Windows, the system timing changed enough that the software vendor had to issue a new version so we could continue using the same hardware. We had to buy the new version each time. There was no9 "update" because the main system of the software had to be totally redone.
Now the new computers will not take the hardware we have.
Most real-time vendors do not offer versions that work with any kind of Unix-based OS, because there are not enough customers to justify writing yet another version for that.
Several vendors of real-time software have gone out of business because they could not keep up with Microsoft's changes.
Well now!! If this offer ever gets to cover the entire cost of switching to Win 8, I might consider taking the plunge. But I don't MS will go that far.
Take a peep at this:-
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/03/22/microsoft_windows_xp_100_dollars_windows_8/
@MS: I don't want $100 dollars for you to rob me of my freedom... no thank you.
Agreed
It looks like this discussion will outlive XP...only another 10 years to go. Who wants Windows Hate sorry windows 8, I have to setup three new servers shortly what choice? 2003 (XP ish but not supported) Windows2008 (7ish) or the dreadful 2012 (Hated) even if they want you to buy it by bribery. Even Mr Gates wouldn't defend Vista, 7s ok, 8 or better still ****** * enuff said. I even saw an article by some T*** who said stand alone PCs not connected to the internet could be used to compromise a companies security, what?. Everyone who recomends upgrading is doing it for money reasons, Its a way to make even more money. Security is stated as the main reason, keep your security software upto date and scan and you minimise the problems. The other thing that has gone /going with XP is the lack of service packs, every rebuild now has to be patched from day one with all the single patches they have released. No one is listening or are MS shifting or shuffling towards listening to their captive audience. Xp will carry on, see previous posts, use a emulator or switch to Linux and scare the pants of the MS lawyers! Android is ahead in the phone department, so something similar will make a dent in MS attitude, the worlds disinclination to suck up the latest dreadful O/s points it up
Like I had posted earlier, if you want to substantially increase your security wile using XP, just log off of your "Administrator" session and log into some "name" of a limited user account and in that setting you cannot install software, make system changes, change registry, etc and probably neither can someone out on the net. One other thing. In Services of XP PRO, change the default of the "Remote Registry" from "automatic" to "diabled". Then it won't let someone remotely change your registry, only through local access.
That's useful advice AKsarben thanks :)
and probably neither can someone out on the net.
maybe in most cases, but not all...
(mainly the cases such as rootkits and other shifty things)
I run on my admin account, and I have security installed to tell me everything that runs before it does anything.
Avast has already reported 3 viruses from Opera's temp and security directories...
(I'm loosing my faith in Opera and about to report it only a bit safer than IE8)
I have nothing reported from Dragon, nor have I had any untrusted popups from my firewall.
(nothing malicious has tried to run while I've been using Dragon)
now I can verify, if you wanna be REALLY safe, your options aren't limited, but I'd recommend Comodo Firewall paired with Dragon/IceDragon and a virus protection of your choice.
(I'd recommend avast or kaspersky, or even comodo perhapse)
I'd also recommend NOT using AVG as it seems to break computers rather than clean them.
for the browsers:
even though they have built-in malware blockers and even use comodo's own DNS,
I still recommend blocking cookies and JS by default and only allowing the sites you want to allow.
PAY ATTENTION when allowing sites!
you don't want to allow a 3rd-party site that can really mess up your compy.
EDIT:
for added security, I also use the add-ons that come with Dragon and:
- WOT (rated links based on trust)
- Popup Blocker Pro
- PrivDog (recommended installation by Comodo)
- Avast
- AdBlockPlus
NOTE:
the avast add-on has been reported to cause page loading problems,
but I havn't had any issues with the add-on myself. :)
would someone please make my posts noticable D:
I'm not just tooting a trumpet here...
I'm giving useful info in every post I make that's a paragraph long.
Been using Eset NOD32 for some time and runs in machine language code, very fast, and non intrusive. Stops things instantaly, and includes websites that are not good. Also use Web Of Trust in my browsers. Things are going pretty well.
I heard NOD32 was really good before, but you have to pay for it right??
my recommendations are free. :)
btw, avast removes things instantly, however you have to stop your web filter or comodo firewall will cause your system to hang.
I've set my firewall to paranoid mode XD
so yea, I want it to notify me of literally eveything, which is better than avast can do.
my brother had to reinstall recently because a rootkit got through avast causing it to report a threat every second.
(I'll be able to detect that with comodo)
of course though, he was using chrome, so it comes as no surprize... heh
@Tcll,
Just how fast does your machine run? With all those 'Security' programs you have running there, browsing the net must be a pretty laborious task for your poor old XP! Don't you run a router?
Over the w/e I uninstalled the MSE from my XP as it started nagging about April the 8th and I couldn't stand that orange flag either.
Avast is now back on-board, it's the only 'Free' AV that I have ever recommended to my clients over the past 12 years. Will see what MS are going to do post 'Doomsday' and if the meeeeelions of XP users out there are still digging their heels in, I will use the Pro version of Avast again.
well my games have no performance issues other than what's limited by my hardware,
but Dragon eats up a good 50% of my RAM so I usually have to close tabs...
(probably because it's base is chrome)
not sure if IceDragon will have the same results... >.>
I know FF has been known to eat memory... heh
anyways my system usually runs pretty good though :)
for a Dual-Core AMD Athlon II 2.71GHz (havn't checked the socket)
here's a current performance image:
http://lh3.ggpht.com/-PpznTN5bmvo/UzijoIEm-eI/AAAAAAAAGOk/EV7CbC5kymo/s2560/current_performance.PNG
no lag. ;)
yes, I have a dual-monitor setup with a custom shell :P
look at the upper left for my RAM and CPU.
most of that usage is skype, VS2010, and Dragon.
also, I usually don't recommend virus protection due to performance issues and large memory usage, so for me to actually recommend security software must mean the software is pretty good. ;)
Ok now the question is why XP...
I will tell you my story...
My motherboard was literally dead... windows 7 was working as if i was using it on a pentium 1 PC.I tried Lubuntu(lightest(lxde) version of ubuntu) and even that was a bit slow(but working). Atlast windows XP came to my rescue. I was able to use all the softwares i require and do evrything what i wanted to do with the same motherboard.
XP is great and i think only a revolutionary hardware breakthrough along with appropriate software evolution is required to take XP out of the most used OS list.The issue is that win8 flopped and the last best version after XP is windows 7.So you cant expect XP to be out of the game.
Other issue with XP is the homeliness, it has been used for years in many organizations, schools , universities and thus it wont go that easily!!!
What is required at the moment :
1)cheap and efficient hardware(specially the existing hardware has to be brought at low costs)
2)innovation in hardware and new softwares not just supporting but enhancing those innovations.
Expecting a lot from windows 9....
Compare the cost and capabilities of today's hardware with what was available in, say, 1995. Now adjust for inflation. I use the RBC Calculator. How much cheaper and efficient do you want?
You ask for innovation but you do not define what that is. That would either be "give me stuff that no one has thought of before" (the definition of innovation) or "give me stuff that I've thought of but won't tell you what it is".
Office 2003 is no longer supported either. So for those who like to use Clippy you'll just have to get used to living without it :) Or will unsupported Outlook be a risk if we keep using it?
Cheap hardware? seems pretty cheap to me, except for Dell workstation power suppplies. Mind uou 1 USD = 1 GBP.
Rev Jim, and Ishaan, I'm not sure that innovation is the issue here.... XP users are a subgroup who have something that works well for them and their hardware/software, they aren't generally hunting for that next new thing but are satisfied with what they have. And therein lies the problem for Microsoft - there is a large group of users who are just plain happy with XP. I know I am. With XP I can do the mundane day work with ease and no silly complications or gewgaws, and I can sit off to the side of Jupiter or Neptune and gaze back at the Sun and Earth. W7 does not give me any advantage with the things I do. W8 gave me a horror episode with my existing files. Nope, the carrot just is not large enough to make me forsake good ol XP. And the stick? Well, with a router plus solid software firewall and no penchant for the dark parts of the web, plus commonsense, I feel secure. Have been so far.
And yes, I am aware that replacing/acquiring new hardware will eventually force a change. May be by W13 for some...
PS. Office? Give Apache OpenOffice a run. Free. The real free.
who even uses office 2003 anymore... heh
there's been much later versions that work with XP.
(not sure if the line is drawn at 2010 there like it is with VS)
however, I can't say I use office at all, or even outlook for that matter... heh
once MS decides to kick in their software control (which has kinda started in Win8), at least WinXP won't be affected and you can install and use whatever you want that isn't specifically developed for Win7.
won't be long now before you can't use Nitrous.io on a Win7 machine. :P
lol
if software devs wanna play those games, I should make sure my software only works with XP. :P
but I'm not like that... I play the game of convenience, but to a point.
(I refuse to dev on Win7 since I can't "play" with it)
^ that doesn't mean my software won't run on it.
The guys who play games are important as they fund the advance in technology that can be used for more serious applications. Before Windows every application had a different menu and way to use it, a nightmare! My first experience to draw a shape using a graph plotter required encoding the data and also write a program using FORTRAN (or use someone elses, which still had to be typed on cards). The data and program had to be fed into a computer using IBM 80 cards. One error a missing comma, for example, and the program failed. The error had to be searched for in the cards. The computer was a Honeywell 120. I think the 120 stood for 120 MB of memory!
Not wishing this to turn into a When I was a young lad... thing but I do remember when our service computers [based on PDP, and later, VAX, by DEC] received a RAM upgrade. One Megabyte. One card. Measured... oh... 16 x 9 inches. Heavy with chips. Heavy. Each was 8KB. You could replace an individual if it died, and they did. We were rapt, so much faster than the installed 256KB of RAM.
120MB... you musta bin born way after they walked on the moon...
not to nag... I enjoy the topic of old compys :)
heck, I had an i386 myself. :P
but can we at least keep this w/in range of the Pentium III CPU :)
I know 2 people who have one as their main compy (I mean their only compy).
who here can afford to upgrade them to a modern 4GB quad-core compy with XP? looks at MS
I say 4GB because you don't really need the 8GB... even with gaming.
8-cores maybe, especially for gaming, but that can get expensive... heh
(AMD FX8350 recommended)
^don't use copper tubing, use a copper block. (much better cooling)
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