Brace yourselves, Windows XP end of support is coming!

[Katamori]

WinXP support end within a few days. What do you think about it?

Also, what can I do if my computer can barely wun Win7 and I can't afford a hardware upgrade AND ALSO I don't wanna reinstall the whole OS again? (some of you may remember that I had a terrible crash at the beginning of the year, I had enough of OS installing at that point)

[MegaTurtleRex]

By support do you mean just technical support or are you saying the OS will stop working? I wouldn't worry about upgrading unless you have to.

When it comes to Windows I just go with whatever comes with the system, went with Vista for 3 years (everyone said it was terrible) now I am using Windows 8 (everyone says it is terrible). As long as you have the hardware to support the newer Windows they seem to work fine.

I also have Ubuntu on a laptop but running anything other than a web browser on it is kind of a pain.

[Cupboard]

Once service pack 3 came out for XP, that bitch was stable as a stone. Great OS, as long as you discount the security flaws that became evident after a while. It was a great OS for playing oldschool games and getting schoolwork done.

I'm on Windows 7 now. At times I think to myself, this is pretty stable and secure. And there are only a few horrible Vista features still stinking up the place.

Come hell or high water I don't want Windows 8 and I'm not eager for anything else they are cooking out in that meth shed of theirs. I'll reserve judgment until they give me a taste.

[Memfis]

Doesn't worry me much, I'll continue using it.

[Joshua Schäferhund]

Eh, it just means that they won't be giving any more security updates, which I don't care since Microsoft's updates are mostly useless anyway. Though I am gonna see if I can build a new computer sometime soon this year with Windows 7, as the comp I'm using right now is quite outdated.

[plums]

I've got a few things on this computer that I really like (fancy soundcard, silent gfx card) that are not so simple or cheap to replace. My graphics card runs terribly in Linux (yay ATI!), Win7 makes my system run noticeably slower and has problems with the sound card, and I use some old software that doesn't run properly in Wine or anything newer than XP. So, I don't see myself changing any time too soon.

Maybe when April 8th hits I'll stay logged into Linux for a day or two just to make sure there aren't any serious exploits that people are sitting on.

[Enjay]

I made this and posted it on ZDoom but it's relevant. The original XP default desktop merging into a picture taken in the Autumn/Fall of the same scene a few years later.

[Blzut3]

Katamori said:

Also, what can I do if my computer can barely wun Win7 and I can't afford a hardware upgrade AND ALSO I don't wanna reinstall the whole OS again? (some of you may remember that I had a terrible crash at the beginning of the year, I had enough of OS installing at that point)

Well technically you could hunt down a copy of Windows Server 2003 and use that with security updates for another year and 2 months.

But more seriously, Microsoft ending support will most likely have little affect on you as a user. It's mostly businesses that have to be concerned about that as most have policies of not using unsupported software. However, with Microsoft not supporting the OS any more, some developers will begin to drop support for the OS as well. Granted I don't think this will happen on a large scale until a version of visual studio is released without XP support (most likely the next version).

I recently saw some stats (such as the Steam hardware survey) and it looks like most of XP's user share is corporate these days (Steam says XP has 5%) so dropping support in apps may happen sooner than I previously thought. As I understand it games are already requiring DX10+?

Once things like new versions of your web browser require Vista+. Then it will be seriously time to upgrade.

[Blastfrog]

Huh, I thought they already ended support years ago. That's pretty bizarre that they haven't.

I will never use any version of Windows after 7 becomes too old to be useful (when it's a pain to use, not when MS officially drops it). I do not like the direction Windows is going, if 8 indicates anything. Given that MS has been talking about a "cloud based future", that's even worse. The last thing I ever want to do is tie all my computing to some corporate controlled externality, especially when said corporation is quite complicit with those hoovering assholes.

Enjay said:

I made this and posted it on ZDoom but it's relevant. The original XP default desktop merging into a picture taken in the Autumn/Fall of the same scene a few years later.

[image]

That's pretty surreal, seeing a well known field in a different state. I take it the image is supposed imply that XP has dried up?

[ETTiNGRiNDER]

Memfis said:

Doesn't worry me much, I'll continue using it.

This. I don't really see the fuss.

[MegaTurtleRex]

I still don't get what is so bad about Windows 8. Everyone keeps mentioning its direction but you just turn it on and run Steam\Word\whatever as usual.

You can disable the icon screen thing if that's what everyone is upset about, but it's pretty neat once you organize it so I never worried.

[Guest DILDOMASTER666]

Sodaholic said:

I will never use any version of Windows after 7 becomes too old to be useful (when it's a pain to use, not when MS officially drops it). I do not like the direction Windows is going, if 8 indicates anything. Given that MS has been talking about a "cloud based future", that's even worse.

I think it was either fraggle or Quasar that made a really good point relevant to this:

When Windows 3 was introduced, one of its selling points was that "hey, you can still run native DOS programs in a window!", effectively delegating what most people had become accustomed with to a mere "subset" of the new OS. That said, Windows 8 claims, "hey, you can still use the desktop!", and it troubles me that the desktop seems to have come to the same place that DOS did with Windows 3. Will Windows 10 or 11 remove all traces of the desktop as we know it? I recognize this sounds alarmist, but I think it's a legitimate point to be looked at when considering whether or not to jump ship with Windows. If Linux gaming ever takes off in a meaningful way, I'm abandoning Windows for good.

[MegaTurtleRex]

Fisk said:

I think it was either fraggle or Quasar that made a really good point relevant to this:

When Windows 3 was introduced, one of its selling points was that "hey, you can still run native DOS programs in a window!", effectively delegating what most people had become accustomed with to a mere "subset" of the new OS. That said, Windows 8 claims, "hey, you can still use the desktop!", and it troubles me that the desktop seems to have come to the same place that DOS did with Windows 3. Will Windows 10 or 11 remove all traces of the desktop as we know it? I recognize this sounds alarmist, but I think it's a legitimate point to be looked at when considering whether or not to jump ship with Windows. If Linux gaming ever takes off in a meaningful way, I'm abandoning Windows for good.

It's not really alarmist and might be possible in future Windows, but Windows 8 kind of relies on the desktop for anything other than web-browsing.

The tablet interface is just a Start menu run in full-screen. Some apps run directly through it but anything like firewall settings takes you straight to the desktop. Or you can just press the windows key and jump to the desktop.

[Infirnex]

Windows 8.1 had the ability to have a start button. It wasn't a menu, but it gave it more familiarity.

The start menu was confirmed to return in a future update for Windows 8.1 not long ago, as well as apps appearing as a window on the desktop if you desire.

So they are cleaning up the OS slightly. And if anything else it is still faster than 7.

[NuMetalManiak]

d'aww, I grew up with XP, and still have it used sometimes. my dad had installed it a long time ago. glad I still have it around.

[Katamori]

Enjay, that GIF is so heartbreaking and awesome.

Blzut3 said:

Well technically you could hunt down a copy of Windows Server 2003 and use that with security updates for another year and 2 months.

But more seriously, Microsoft ending support will most likely have little affect on you as a user. It's mostly businesses that have to be concerned about that as most have policies of not using unsupported software. However, with Microsoft not supporting the OS any more, some developers will begin to drop support for the OS as well. Granted I don't think this will happen on a large scale until a version of visual studio is released without XP support (most likely the next version).

I recently saw some stats (such as the Steam hardware survey) and it looks like most of XP's user share is corporate these days (Steam says XP has 5%) so dropping support in apps may happen sooner than I previously thought. As I understand it games are already requiring DX10+?

Once things like new versions of your web browser require Vista+. Then it will be seriously time to upgrade.

Thanks for helping! I really hope Steam is gonna be supported for at least some additional months.

[geo]

I thought that they already pulled the plug on that years ago.

[Nomad]

I know a couple grandpas that still insist on using XP. I don't understand the obsession--I tried using it again a while back on my last computer and it wouldn't even fucking recognize a thumbdrive I had. Ancient remnant from the past that should have been forgotten a long time ago.

[Clonehunter]

Enjay said:

I made this and posted it on ZDoom but it's relevant. The original XP default desktop merging into a picture taken in the Autumn/Fall of the same scene a few years later.

http://i.imgur.com/wD6snLt.gif

Man, it makes me feel kinda sad.

[GreyGhost]

I'm not about to abandon XP any time soon so my plan of action is to backup my current systems, do fresh installs which are updated to SP3 and activated, backup those installs and create a slipstream disk of post-SP3 updates, then restore my current systems and I'm (hopefully) prepared for just about anything.

All I'd like from Microsoft is a patch to remove the need to re-activate XP after some arbitrary number of hardware changes.

Fisk said:

If Linux gaming ever takes off in a meaningful way, I'm abandoning Windows for good.

The smartphone/tablet sector appears to be the only glimmer of hope for Linux gaming right now, but probably not the sort of games you're looking for. I don't often buy new games, so I'll probably jump ship sooner rather than later and see what the indie developers have to offer.

[MegaTurtleRex]

Isn't the new Steam OS Linux based?

[Nomad]

MegaTurtleRex said:

Isn't the new Steam OS Linux based?

Yes, and that is probably going to be a deciding factor in whether or not the big studios start making Linux ports or not. Mac has been getting a lot more love from the game industry lately so it might not be that unlikely, but we'll see.

[fraggle]

Enjay said:

I made this and posted it on ZDoom but it's relevant. The original XP default desktop merging into a picture taken in the Autumn/Fall of the same scene a few years later.

I love this. They should issue a final Windows XP update to change the default background to this.

[Tylerisepic1]

I can't wait for the dropping of support for Vista, so I actually have a reason to upgrade!

[GreyGhost]

Enjay said:

I made this and posted it on ZDoom but it's relevant. The original XP default desktop merging into a picture taken in the Autumn/Fall of the same scene a few years later.

http://i.imgur.com/wD6snLt.gif

I'd like a copy of the Autumn shot in hi-res if it's available, maybe turn it into a homage/sequel to Kracov's BlissDoom, which is my current desktop background.

[fraggle]

It's on Wikipedia.

[Blastfrog]

Tylerisepic1 said:

I can't wait for the dropping of support for Vista, so I actually have a reason to upgrade!

I don't think official support matters much at all. What matters more is if the OS you use runs the software you want it to, and well. There's nothing wrong with using an OS long past its expiration date as long as it does what you want. If it doesn't do what you want, like play games that require newer versions of DirectX, that's enough reason to get an OS that does support it.

If you want to upgrade so badly, why not just do it? What's the point in waiting for it to be officially abandoned? Hell, even XP has too old to be useful for years now, but it still has not been officially dropped yet.

[wildweasel]

This image seems relevant...



Courtesy of the silly - and occasionally disturbing - Windows95tips.

[Waffenak]

No problems since using windows 7 which is savior between horrible vista and win8

[Zed]

WildWeasel said:

This image seems relevant...

*Win95 Image*

Courtesy of the silly - and occasionally disturbing - Windows95tips.

This one (from one of my laptops) also seems relevant:



Why upgrade if you can play Doom in Win 98?