The 2014 Operating System Thread

[Dan81]

Re: The 2014 Operating System Thread

Ah...how the time goes so fast.......it was like yesterday I've first seen Windows 95 and today I am using Windows 7....and fixing PS2s .

Pretty sad that XP dies.Microsoft should keep support for it a few more years.

[Elysarian]

Re: The 2014 Operating System Thread

the start button is there but if you make the mistake of left clicking it you get the nasty start screen.

I do wonder though... if the internet was as big as is now back in 1995, would we have had the same discussions about the move from progman to desktop?

[Kiriakos GR]

Re: The 2014 Operating System Thread

Pretty sad that XP dies. Microsoft should keep support for it a few more years.

XP will live because the customers base likes so.
If Microsoft have other plans I do not care.

And regarding trends, the companies with incompatible products with Win XP they will pay their decision too, by watching their sales records crawling than walking.

[Topcat]

Re: The 2014 Operating System Thread

XP will live because the customers base likes so.
If Microsoft have other plans I do not care.

And regarding trends, the companies with incompatible products with Win XP they will pay their decision too, by watching their sales records crawling than walking.

My way around that, my office machine has server 2003 on it, which is basically XP....and thats fully supported for another 1.5yrs. I hated to give up XP as well, but if XP follows the same suit as win2k, it will become a disaster for malware and no security updates/fixes for it. Granted, if you're careful with it, dont have live IP's, and don't keep any critical information on it, yea, it'll be ok......but unfortunately, the time came to move on for me.

Sevrer 2008 STD configured as a workstation looks and functions identical to XP....except a few control panel changes, and of course windows update that isn't through a web browser. The logon screen is also newer-ish, but being plain jane, I actually like it....but being server, still uses the 3-finger salute to logon...I do not disable that feature....infact all my XP systems I enable it.

[goontron]

Re: The 2014 Operating System Thread

If an admin cant do it, a mod sure cant.....I could have before it had votes, but not now.

I always use MS Security Essentials. Had no issues with it on S2K8. I couldn't get my defrag utility to install though, wanted a more expensive server version of course, so I just used the one provided with windows.

great thing about linux: you dont need seperate server versions!

[Topcat]

Re: The 2014 Operating System Thread

great thing about linux: you dont need seperate server versions!

Linux is fine for servers, that's what powers this place.....but as much as I like linux, I still find it to be pretty useless for a production/workstation machine....but that said, we aren't steering this thread into a linux versus windows argument thread.

[goontron]

Re: The 2014 Operating System Thread

Linux is fine for servers, that's what powers this place.....but as much as I like linux, I still find it to be pretty useless for a production/workstation machine....but that said, we aren't steering this thread into a linux versus windows argument thread.

fair enough. it does what i need (coding and art and the document every once in a while and hardware repair, legacy hardware use etc.) so i use it. plus it doesn't have the GUI in the kernel space and it has USB drivers in the kernel, unlike windows. so, to each his own.

[Dan81]

Re: The 2014 Operating System Thread

The logon screen is also newer-ish, but being plain jane, I actually like it....but being server, still uses the 3-finger salute to logon...I do not disable that feature....infact all my XP systems I enable it.

CTRL-ALT-DEL,isn't it?
I used to see that on Windows 2000 Server.Very cool.

[Topcat]

Re: The 2014 Operating System Thread

CTRL-ALT-DEL,isn't it?
I used to see that on Windows 2000 Server.Very cool.

Yes, that is it. It's on by default in all windows server OS's. I've always used it, back to the NT4 days, and I'm very used to it and like it....so on server OS's, I always leave it on, and I enable it on my workstations. If you want it in XP Pro or Win7 (pro and higher), you have to manually turn it on. Here's how:

1. Go to Administrative Tools and click Local Security Policy.

2. In the Local Security Policy editor expand Local Policies and click Security Options.
In the right pane search and open Interactive logon: Do not require CTRL+ALT+DEL and choose Disable. Hit OK, and there ya go.

[TELVM]

Re: The 2014 Operating System Thread

... I do wonder though... if the internet was as big as is now back in 1995, would we have had the same discussions about the move from progman to desktop?

The BIG difference being that progman.exe was still present in W95 (and up to XP SP1 in fact) for you to use if that was your CHOICE, even though few people chose so as the then new desktop interface was well engineered and thoroughly tested and become an instant success.

That's how it works, you seduce people into a better product, as opposed to raping them into an inferior one.

[Topcat]

Re: The 2014 Operating System Thread



That's so very accurate!!

[Elysarian]

Re: The 2014 Operating System Thread

good point, I'd forgotten how long progman was available as an option.

there's also the option to switch between classic start menu and luna theme in most versions up to vista (I didn't spend a lot of time with that one so don't recall if it was an option)

what particularly annoyed me about the current Microsoft line up though is Server 2012 (their excuse for using the win8 interface here is apparently to push sysadmins toward using powershell from what I hear)

[TELVM]

Re: The 2014 Operating System Thread

They had to ruin Server 2012 with the same tiles crap, otherwise it would have left an open door to escape from their walled garden. Smart third parties would be transplanting the server interface into client, or people would be doing as Topcat (dodging the client version and using the server one), etc. etc.

It's all about zero choice and "you'll eat up the tiles like it or not" now.

[Rulycat]

Re: The 2014 Operating System Thread

Sticking to Windows 7. When it loses support I'll use Linux. (Don't think ReactOS will be ready by then)

[ratdude747]

Re: The 2014 Operating System Thread

I voted other:

Arch w/ gnome shell: my personal favorite for anything single screened (laptops) and with a well supported GPU. I currently run it on 4 laptops, all of which are dual (or in one case, tri) booted.

Win 7: my choice for Dual+ display systems and for newer, multi-core systems for programs/hardware/tasks where linux doesn't work. I currently run it on 3 laptops (plus a 4th I plan to rehome in the next few weeks) and both of my 2 personal workstations.

Xp: my choice for older systems where there is hardware (often GPU's) with crappy linux support (read: ATI/AMD and older intel) or as part of a multiboot where x64 doesn't agree with software (in my case, Autocad2000). Or when linux is precluded and I'm out of 7 keys and SLIC'ing a bios isn't feasable (one of my 7 installs may qualify here actually). I presently have it on 4 laptops (two of which are multibooted).

[Topcat]

Re: The 2014 Operating System Thread

^
The problem is EOL and XP. I do not use EOL operating systems, its a disaster waiting to happen, this was the case with win2k. A knowledgeable user and being careful will typically avert disasters (typically malware-related), but theres a huge element of risk involved....and MS is going to hold their ground this time and not extend EOL for XP except for embedded and of course S2K3....but XP Pro x86 and x64 are history. If I sell an XP machine now, I'd also fully disclose that the OS is no longer supported, and there's no guarantees with the machine!

I held onto XP to the very end.....but like all great things, they must come to an end!

[goontron]

Re: The 2014 Operating System Thread

I held onto XP to the very end.....but like all great things, they must come to an end!

[Topcat]

Re: The 2014 Operating System Thread

I dunno.....When is the last time you got 13 years out of a single distro of linux?!

MS made XP too well....in that they had a very hard time killing it off. win95/98/ME died easy when win2k came out. XP killed win2k with no strain.....but XP is the cockroach after the nuclear attack, it just wont die. Vista couldn't do it, 7 couldn't do it, and 8/8.1 certainly couldn't do it..... EOL and 7 are finally ganging up on the old war horse.... Windows 9 better be something very special, or I sense a very dismal future for Microsoft!

[ratdude747]

Re: The 2014 Operating System Thread

^
The problem is EOL and XP. I do not use EOL operating systems, its a disaster waiting to happen, this was the case with win2k. A knowledgeable user and being careful will typically avert disasters (typically malware-related), but theres a huge element of risk involved....and MS is going to hold their ground this time and not extend EOL for XP except for embedded and of course S2K3....but XP Pro x86 and x64 are history. If I sell an XP machine now, I'd also fully disclose that the OS is no longer supported, and there's no guarantees with the machine!

I held onto XP to the very end.....but like all great things, they must come to an end!

I'd dump it too for the old laptops... but 7 COA's don't grow on trees and decent linux support (read: not vesa) for any ATI/AMD gpu HD4000 series and older is non-existant. Same for intel chips i915 and older... IIRC no support for the latest xorg (but I don't have any more laptops in running condition with those, short a D400 needing charging repairs). What else am I to run on those? Vistrash?

[ratdude747]

Re: The 2014 Operating System Thread

I dunno.....When is the last time you got 13 years out of a single distro of linux?!

I'm sure there are people that have. Once arch gets that old I;m sure there will be plenty... once you go arch (and get the hang of setting it up), you seldom go back.