Windows XP Will Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night
duo.sc
duo.sc
They're older peripherals of course, but perfectly serviceable still, except for the lack of drivers. For the scanner I did actually find a third-party driver package (http://www.hamrick.com/) that'll make it work for $40. But for $40 you can just buy a new scanner and junk the old one, as wasteful as that sounds. It'd be nice if Microsoft would just buy this guy out and include his drivers as Win7 standard.
Some scientists I know have bigger upgrade problems, because equipment more specialized than scanners isn't always so easy to replace, and there is a bunch of miscellaneous lab equipment that connects to an XP computer for basic data-logging and control. On the plus side, you can at least isolate those computers from the internet.
As you say, getting a new multi-functions printer/scanner was under 10€ price difference to a third party driver. Which then did as well.
This is one area where open source drivers shine, but as software developer I do understand the need of said companies to push for new models.
There are those people that want to have a seamlessly integrated UI that just works, so they use Apple.
There are those people that want their toolchain to just work, so they use Linux/BSD.
And finally, there are those that want their computer to just work until it breaks and they have to buy a new one. Those people are "still on Windows".
Luckily, it would seem that the major non-IE browsers support it (almost) everywhere.
The sad thing is they aren't getting security updates. If it was open-sourced, then people could keep their systems secure.
edit: If you are suggesting that users would go back to XP once it's opensourced then you don't have much faith in people.
That's a good number of people, I think. I would love to see them empowered to maintain their computers however they want.
Security updates don't magically happen. But with open source, people who want to do them can put in the effort. That's the point. You could maybe sustain a business of being paid to maintain security updates for this magical open-source-XP. Or maybe some enthusiasts would choose to do it. Maybe they wouldn't. But we'll never know, because opens-source-XP will not exist.
That mess will cost billions to businesses still running on XP...
I can only imagine how many hackers are licking their chops right now. I'm pretty sure some groups have been working on exploits for a while now, getting ready for the coming gold rush.
The big risk is remote exploitation[most of the time].
I've got several clients with various systems and software that probably won't run with 7 or 8.
I was under the impression that they had the same kernel and other things that made them very similar.
Might even be that you'll get a better price for a computer without windows than for one with vista.
Many people regard their computer as an appliance. To be told that you need to spend several hundred dollars to buy a new computer (or less to buy a new OS and find someone to upgrade you) is hard to swallow. From their perspective, it's working perfectly fine - why should they throw away $400? Does that mean they'll have to do it all over again in a few years? My grandfather was especially perturbed by that idea. I suppose I would be similarly perturbed if someone told me I needed to upgrade or replace my dishwasher even though (as far as I could tell) it was working perfectly fine.
(Just to be clear, that's not how I think of it - I am running 8.1 on my old Vista for a reason.)
If MS isn't going to issue patches, there ought to be some way for someone else to be contracted to. Buildings are essentially open source so that is easy to do. Software isn't necessarily.
My point was that most buildings aren't kept around forever either, as you were implying.
How?
Microsoft already issued a patch( not that they didn't support XP a long time over its lifespan ), it is called Windows 7, Apple does this as well, with their yearly OS releases, even though in a more clever way.
Microsoft's support of old crap is already at a heroic level. They've already gone above and beyond what anyone should reasonably expect. If people persist in using old junk well after it's obviously a bad idea, that's their own problem.
A bridge should be maintainable and upgradable forever,just like Linux. Windows obviously was a poor choice to begin with !!!
must of been hosted from windows xp.