The slow road to Windows XP

CNet ^ | 2005-0615 | Ina Fried

[softwarecreator]

.Net is a development framework while 2000 is an OS

No, Windows .Net Server is/was an OS ... yes, it is ALSO a framework.

Here's a link

[ShadowAce]

Ahhh. OK. I was thinking along the lines of workstations, rather than servers. Sorry.

[staytrue]

what is eol ?

Oh, I am still using word 2000.

[N3WBI3]

With the 'dependancy' issues inherit in Linux, the average user will find it too frustrating to 'convert'.

The is no serious dependency issue on modern Linux distros. Any dep issues now are no more than registry crawl on windows boxes.

yum install openoffice, will resolve *ALL* dependencies in the background away from the user. Do you not know this or are you being deliberately deceptive?

Why do people act like you can just plug in Linux and everything works perfectly, when we all know that this is simply not the case?

Here Ill say it outright for you. Linux is not perfect, but it is as good on the desktop as anything else out there, and better than many on the server.

[softwarecreator]

Ahhh. OK. I was thinking along the lines of workstations, rather than servers. Sorry.

No problem.  Actually, Microsoft is the one who should be sorry.  That was the most frustrating OS I have ever tried to install.  Luckily I have a MSDN subscription ... I would hate to have actually PAID for an individual copy of that junk.

[N3WBI3]

Just a general usability standpoint. The function helpers in Excel blow away calc.. If I could buy Office for my Linux desktop at work I probably would just for excel alone..

[N3WBI3]

sorry I can be a bit obtuse t times so I'm not sure your not joking or posting a question and an unrelated statement. EOL stands for End Of Life.

[softwarecreator]

Yes.  Mandrake, my personal favorite Linux OS, is as good as MS software.

But no, the 'dependancy' issue has not been resolved and until it is, most 'AVERAGE' users will find it way too frustrating, if not impossible, to overcome.

Again, I am not talking about 'gurus' or 'experts', I am talking about the average Joe-User.

[FreePaul]

I put XP Pro on my primary computer when I built it a year ago. I've had no major problems with it. I still have 2000 on some other machines and don't have problems with them either.

My main problem with XP is that I don't really own it. Microsoft just lets me use it on this computer as long as this computer operates. If I get rid of my current computer and build another I either buy a new operating system or check with MS to see if they will let me continue using thier program.

I've been told by MS representatives that if I build a computer with XP, OEM version and a major component fails I have to buy another operating system when I replace the component. I know of cases where they didn't hold builders to it, maybe because they didn't know, but that was their stated policy.

[softwarecreator]

Wow.  I didn't know that.  I've had an MS subscription since 1999, because of business, and never had to buy an individual copy of any MS software.  That would make me angry too.

[N3WBI3]

See I come at it thinking that for Guru's it will be more of a problem than it will be for the average user. The average user wants to install say Dia/Office/Firefox or the like. To install any of these modern Linux distro's have graphical YUM and APT interfaces that function both as update agents and install agents.

So I click the little icon that is in the GNOME, KDE, or XFCE menu bar that brings up a window with all the software I have, and all the software I can install from a repository. I click on what I want (say office or firefox) on it will go out and grab everything I need to put that on. Whens the last time you ran into dep hell and what was the app?

[wildbill]

Some people were able to resurrect their IT careers when the millenium came because they were the only ones who understood some of the old code.

Maybe someone should start a company with Microsoft experts in Win95, Win98, etc. to help people still running these older systems. Believe me, there are lots of individuals out there who won't pay to upgrade as long as their computers keep running on them.

[softwarecreator]

GNOME, KDE, or XFCE menu bar

My point is the average user will not know how to do this.

I know because at one point I was a total newbie to Linux and went crazy trying to track down dependancies.

Actually, N3WBI3, I think you were one of the guys who helped me get Mandrake configured correctly.  This was several months ago.

[softwarecreator]

Maybe someone should start a company with Microsoft experts in Win95, Win98, etc. to help people still running these older systems

Hmmmm, you may be on to something there.

[PittsburghAfterDark]

Again the Mac users on FR have to laugh at the "better" version of Windows being 5 years older than the current version.

Now there's progress for you!

As much as I hate Windows as an OS I absolutely love Office 2004 for the Mac and have over 100 Xbox games. So don't give me this BS that I hate MS because Gates is "teh rich" or any other crap.

[softwarecreator]

So don't give me this BS that I hate MS because Gates is "teh rich" or any other crap

When did I say this?

Actually, you hate MS because you don't know any better.

I'm kidding about the above line, couldn't resist.  =)

I haven't used Mac in over 10 years so I really could not say at what level of 'greatness' they are at.  For all I know, you may be right.

[Paleo Conservative]

For Microsoft, the fact that customers hang on to older versions of its software has become a chronic bugaboo. To some degree, the sluggish upgrade pace affects the company's revenue. In many cases, however, customers have already paid for a license to newer versions.

Win2k will run on less powerful older computers that just aren't worth upgrading to XP. One of the computers in my office is bundled with an HP scanner an printer. It has just an 800 mHz processor even though we bought it in lat 2003. There's no way it has the power to run XP and still do its job controling the scanner.

[Publius6961]

What does this statement mean?

I suspect they are talking abour server applications.

Meaningless to us workstation users...

[CDHart]

I use XP at home and at work. What is EOL?

Carolyn

[Poser]

"The company will still patch any important security flaws, but most other updating of the OS will cease. "

I don't see any problem here.