Why Your Grandchildren May Be Using Windows XP #2

Microsoft can’t compete fairly against free Linux, so they are giving away Windows XP for free.

Windows XP is 8 years old and does not have the capabilities or performance of a modern Linux system.

OEM’s are putting Windows on because it’s not only free, but by installing the smattering of OEM crapware they can make $25-$50 to ship it, suddenly Microsoft is dumping an ancient operating system and the OEM is getting kickbacks for putting XP on the thing.

Windows Starter Edition is crippleware designed to be dumped for $3 a copy in 3rd world countries where piracy is rampant. If I was in one of those countries *I* would not give up pirate Windows over that nor Linux.

Microsoft is in a pickle with that because people won’t use Vista: Crippleware Edition, but if they uncripple it too much, the people in those countries would be selling the licenses to people in the first world for like $15 or so and then MS is eating into their own business.

I’ll be using it until something better comes along, which might be forever. Ever notice, if the topic of O.S.’s come up, and anyone admits to using vista, everyone elses eyes roll heavenward? When queried, as well, they have no rational defense. Guess P.T. Barnum was right man.

I have no problems with XP Home, Pro or Tablet PC Editions running my computers. From my PII-300 laptop (with it’s five digit Service Tag) to the P4-3000 desktop, it does what I ask and I don’t see any compelling features in Vista or Win7 that make me want to use either. I have a few computers running Ubuntu, but I find that multi-monitors and wireless networking are easier to get along with for now under XP. I also have an Athlon64 3400 running Win7 7000. It’s okay, but I do not see any reason to run and buy Win7 later.

I’ll be looking forward to teaching my grand-nieces and nephews how to use XP.

The problem with Microsoft is that they can’t do 6 month releases of Windows because they want to resell you what amounts to 90% or more of what you already have.

XP is something they NEVER want to repeat again, that’s why it’s the last OS where the Home edition gets the full 10 year support cycle (5 years Mainstream + 5 years Extended), since Vista and 7 are only supported half as long, you have to upgrade twice as often unless you have the Business edition. This effectively doubles the price (and most likely more than that since the new version will require an expensive new PC more often than not)

My recommendation to everyone that has to have Windows, is buy the Professional/Business version, it may seem more expensive, but you get that extra 5 years of support that no longer applies to Home.

So when Vista Home support expires in 2012, Vista Business will at least get critical patches to 2017 :).

An OS that lives as long as the hardware is not something MS wants everyone to have.

Also what amuses me is that Microsoft releases total malfunctioning crap (Think Windows 2000 RTM, Windows XP RTM, and Vista RTM) which breaks _everything_, then a couple Service Packs later, when they’ve beaten it into shape, they announce that it’s being replaced with something else that most likely won’t work right either.

This is where the “First Service Pack” rule came into being.

Personally I hated Vista RTM, it was total fail, but two Service Packs have now beaten it into shape, just in time to replace? Me thinks not

I still think that WinXP Pro is still superior compared to the newer versions on Windows, until then, I’ll stick to this OS.