Did you buy these recently Carl ? I haven't seen any offers like that for ages
Lodge Road - shall I ever forget!
Hi Mike
Well about that time I joined IBM as a sales rep, but had to go thru training, one part of which was writing assembler level programs for clients.
Yes , I read a good article about that. Apparently they have been fighting to get an extension with MS without success, so they are looking very hard at alternatives , including Linux and Windows 7.
To be fair though, hacking into an ATM from outside a Bank would be comically funny , I mean where would I plug my keyboard in ;-)
Yes, and it's not half bad. I use it when I have someone who sends me docx files, otherwise I tend to use Google docs which offer really good compatibility. They all work perfectly with any operating system, as long as you have a good standards compliant browser - Mozilla , Google Chrome , Opera or IE.
Microsoft is moving more towards this model , as it fits in better with their services strategy. Also makes what you run on your desktop far less important - works fine on a Google Chromebook for instance.
I also noticed this post today about Microsoft Office for iPads and Android being part of their new plans.
All part of their move to the cloud.
Only if you think they'll be looking up what needs to be done on Wkipedia whilst you are on the table :-)
A surprising number of cash machines still use XP, more than 50% !
I noticed yesterday that the hospital in Aurillac (Cantal) is using Windows XP. I have a minor operation scheduled on April 8th! Should I be worried? :-)
Small addition: even Microsoft Office is now available "in the cloud", for free !
Hi Peter,
Sounds like we have similar histories, 47 years ago I started writing Assembler programs for an IBM 360 with 16K core storage, when memory was ferrite rings strung on wires........!
So I have grown up over a time when Microsoft has been the only game in town.
I am still using a magazine give-away version of Photoshop that I have become very familiar with and don't want to change. But it doesn't work with SP3, so I have to keep it on an un-updated XP partition. I also have a Ubuntu partition that I use rarely, but I can see myself going in that direction if life gets too difficult with MS.
The main thing I have learned after a long life with technology is - simple things work better!
Mike you wrote:
"Many of us have grown up with Microsoft and our learning curve has stretched over decades.
Ask yourself how you would get on with Win 8 if you had never seen a previous version. In my experience, there is nothing in Unix that is any worse than sorting out a Windows "Blue Screen of Death". It's mainly a case of familiarity."
-------------------------------
"Ah, yes I remember it well!"
Of course you are right but I am used to living with changes, from the very early IBM BOS to OS working in Assembler and Fortran. Happy days, long gone, but the experience learnt then is very useful when doing stuff on my PC which is not so far as I know documented - doing literal string searches in Excel for example -
And I am reconciled to the eventual requirement to change and I will cope but I am hoping that the next release of Windows (9?) will provide me with a decent OS for the sort of use that I make of my PC.
The post by Nick A-H starting "The irony here Peter is that, from my perspective there are no arguments" again I entirely agree save that it is not, in my opinion, about being pro or anti M/soft but that for most people I think it is less messy to use M/soft products.
I see many posts from individuals who are struggling to get this to work with that when I never encounter these problems with M/soft and M/soft "approved" products. Being retired my time is free but for me I would prefer not to spend any more time than I do in front of a screen trying to work out what does not work and why.
I have often contemplated switching to Apple as that always gets good reviews but I fear the difficulty of the transition.
Peter
Hi Peter,
Welcome to the club! ;-)
Your incomplete reply is at the top of Page 5 on my computer.
Hi Mike
Obviously I got cut off. But since I cannot find the post you are referring to I have no idea what I said or why. I am after all an "old fogey"!!!
So if you wish please let me have some text that I can refresh my thoughts with.
Peter
Lies, Damned Lies and Statistics. We can all pull numbers out of the proverbial , but they prove nothing.
Here is a set suggesting Microsofts overall market share - from their own Channel director - when taking all forms of computing device into account - which is the most accurate today - is down to 22% of the Market.
So with this new information , should you all now delete Microsoft off your hard drives? Of course not , as I mentioned numbers can be twisted to make any case.
I love the old adage, just because everyone drives a Ford doesn't mean I will ever want to own one.
I just happen to love the fact that this whole discussion is taking place on servers powered by Linux, oh the irony.
Can we now just agree to disagree, as these posts and rebuttals are tiresome and achieve nothing. I think we all get your a Microsoft fan, and I like a more open approach.
I have made concrete suggestions in this thread on how people can move forward from XP, and I recommend everyone just concentrates on offering alternatives or better advise - as that is what Glyn asked for.
Peter,
But what? Desperate to know.......!
Hi Mike Of course you are right but that
Personally I don't like Windows 8 and only boot into it when trying to solve a problem for a customer BUT i have set up two female customers "of a certain age" with Win8 machines and after a couple of initial problems, they are managing to do all they have to.
Peter,
Many of us have grown up with Microsoft and our learning curve has stretched over decades.
Ask yourself how you would get on with Win 8 if you had never seen a previous version. In my experience, there is nothing in Unix that is any worse than sorting out a Windows "Blue Screen of Death". It's mainly a case of familiarity.
Yes, but.......
Linux isn't a commercial organization. No sales office, no advertizing budget, no expensive perks for manufacturers who sell machines with the OS pre-installed.
It is sad to think that we now live in a world where nothing can succeed unless it makes someone rich.
Like......
Just to let everyone know I'm working on an XP virtual machine that will allow you to run XP into the future for as long as you like - without internet connectivity for security - on most any other operating system you like.
This means you will be able to return to an old friend and install the apps' you have and love in an environment your happy with, regardless of the operating system running underneath.
This is designed as a stepping stone to a new system eventually, and you will need certain minimum specs to get this to work, but it could well help some people in the short term.
It will be freely available, and you will be able to use it as you see fit.
I will update with more information and a separate how-to when it's done.