If I might get back to the original question for a mo, this might be useful for anyone with XP
The irony here Peter is that, from my perspective there are no arguments , just choices that people may or may not take. So, lets all get back on track with the initial post, and to ignore the hostile personal rantings of the pro Microsoft brigade here are the simple choices you have if you wish to do something about the end of security support for Microsoft Windows XP. This problem has by the way has been created by Microsoft - no one else to blame here.
Always backup up your important data files before you do anything - v important.
A) Stay with your current hardware.
Look to see or ask here if it is possible to upgrade your hardware, as some more memory and new hard disk can improve performance without having to shell out for a new machine.
1) Check you hardware on the Microsoft hardware compatibility list to see if it will support Windows 7. If yes, then you have the chance to buy this software to replace your windows XP.
2) Linux will run on virtually any modern hardware , so you can test this out on a USB key to see if that can replace what you have and you like it - I recommend you try Ubuntu Linux to start. It is not 100% compatible with Windows, but offers a wealth of software and applications for free - always a good help in these financially difficult times.
B) Buy a new device to replace your existing machine
1) There are many PC's that can be bought from many sources, but for people moving from Windows XP, be very, very careful before buying a machine with Windows 8 - without a touch screen. Windows 8 has many speed improvements under the hood, and increased security, but the interface is radically different and requires a touch screen - it's what it was built for. I recommend you visit a large store, and try some out and see how you get on with it, before making the plunge. It is worth noting a lot of applications have chosen not to support Windows 8 natively - notably Mozilla Firefox - so don't assume everything will just work as that is not the case.
2) Seek out a new machine that comes pre-installed with Windows 7 - there are many - as the shock of the new interface will be greatly reduced to all Windows XP users. Most technology advocates say that Windows 9 may start to fix the many problems in Windows 8, so this gets you into a position of upgrade ability , should that turn out to be worth the wait. You should also be able to run all you current applications - but check them out first if they are important.
3) Google has been hugely successful with Google Chromebooks, and there are now a multitude of options from many suppliers - the good news is they are all very inexpensive. Now you will have to visit a store and try one out, and except that this is a cloud device, so although apps do run locally while off-line , your buying into the whole cloud ethos. This choice really depends on what you use your computer for. If you mainly use the browser, then it could fit the bill perfectly, and save you a lot of money.
4) Perhaps it's time to try something new and look at what Apple has to offer. The machines are more costly, but they offer excellent specifications for the price, and the Mac Mini desktops start from around £500. Now, again make sure you go and take a look at the options, have a play and see if you like what you see. They will run most applications , but not all applications you can get on Windows.
5) There are many cheap Laptops that will run Linux perfectly, and if you don't like and can't get on with Windows 8, as many people can't, then this offers you another option to consider. Ubuntu is about to launch it's next major version which will install on all new hardware - worth taking a look.
6) If you are used to a laptop/desktop then this last option might not be for you. However Tablets are increasingly powerful and offer a wide range of choices and prices from Apple, Google Android and Microsoft Windows 8 (two distinct types). Be very careful with Microsoft Tablets as the RT model does not run your normal Intel applications - tread very carefully there.They have excellent battery life and are very portable, but if you use the keyboard a lot, then you will need a keyboard add on for all of them.
To a large extent the truth is that all of these choices will work, as the future of home computing is mobile and applications are all rushing into the clouds - so within the next 2-5 years , your end operating system will be completely irrelevant as long as it can run a decent HTML5 browser. Google Drive, iCloud, Dropbox , Skydrive Ubuntu One - all the major players are moving to the cloud , and the end devices are going to change - so now would be a good time to re-evaluate what the machine you have does, what you really use it for, and what you actually need to get things done, you may be surprised at the answer.
Hi all
Poor old Glyn.
All he asked was a very simple question and he ha s ended up in a bun fight between IT geeks.
For most PC users, the simple, and yes and expensive, solution is the standard products used throughout the world.
I spent my entire life in IT from 1962 onwards, ended up as VP for Europe and the only thing that ever really frightened me was my "techies" coming up with another whizz bang solution that invariably didn't work as proposed, cost much more and etc.
Linux, Ubuntu and etc may be great, better, cheaper and etc but for most users best avoided.
And I do not wish to sound patronising but my test is always, could my wife, who is an extensive user of the internet but NOT IT knowledgeable, do this when I am dead? If the answer is NO, then leave it alone and use software and the like that in general is user friendly.
And before you say anything, no M/soft and the like could also be more user friendly.
Peter S
Carl, have you thought about this: swarm intelligence can also cause that products or services are completely unfounded overvalued. As an example from nature allow me to give you the example that thousands of flies can't be wrong. Thankfully, this is not the rule, otherwise we would never have had an Oppenheimer, no Madame Curie, not James Watt, etc... Incidentally, it is not a Mac vs. Win vs. Linux because many factors play a role in product comparisons, - also manipulation to buy something, or not...
I think we are coming at this from different places Nick.
I am not pro Microsoft. I am pro-whatever-works-best
I look at computing from all the angles at once and come up with Microsoft as my only option for PC's and laptops.
Apples are just to pricey for me and Linux does not do what I want. Microsoft slot in the middle somewhere being correctly priced vs the functionality I require.
I'd love Windows 7 to be free but it isn't. That said I'd love Linux to be more useful to me but unfortunately it also isn't.
On the subject of stats I can only show you what wiki showed me. If you can show us any stats that tell a vastly different story then please, go for it.
I did not mention vista because it was pants and like alot of people I skipped it staying with XP until 7 came along.
I intend to skip 8 for a different reason. Windows 7 does everything I want it to so there is no need for me to change right now.
I played with Windows 8 a for bit and could not understand why they made it so awkward but as I have no intentions of changing over I guess that is neither here nor there for me.
Sorry about the 'fools' comment. I have no excuse for that.
It has been said before that any questions in the computer corner are always met with "You wanna get a Mac" or "You wanna install Linux" and the simple fact is that most people do not want to do either of those things.
Wow, old Bill really has got his claws into you Carl - I'm really glad you find it so useful. I'm afraid your stats are horribly out of date, and to be fair prove nothing these days, the world has gone mobile and Microsoft are nothing but a rounding error in that world.
No one here has stated Linux is perfect, as it isn't, neither is Windows - I notice you fail to mention the quality of Vista or Windows 8, both abject failures for users worldwide. I also don't remember describing people who do choose to use it as as being fools - a cheap shot by any measure.
Windows works for you, and thats fab. It works for millions of others daily , which is also great. However, millions of people worldwide also choose to use Linux ,Apple, ChromeOS and Android successfully and equally usefully daily.
All I'm offering is a possible alternative - not forcing, just politely suggesting another route - so why the hostility? I'm most certainly not anti Microsoft - just open to other options.
If you wish to keep giving Microsoft money thats fine, the last time I checked we still live in a free society, but others may not wish to keep handing over large sums of cash when they can get things done for free. They may want to squeeze the last drop out of the hardware they paid a lot of money for. Thats what the choice is , a potential alternative.
I completely agree sir but that day is some way off.
The best of anything will rise to the top. It is how the world works be it a wristwatch or a computer.
A balance of performance, quality, price, marketing, accessibility, etc will all conspire to make 'the best product'.
We can always tell which one is the best by looking at how many people choose to use it.
As an example
I'd love to buy one of the new Mac Pro's as they look amazing and the specs make it look pretty quick but the pricing is just plain stupid.
£2.5k is the price of admission into the Mac Pro club and that is where it fails. I do not need to spend 2.5k to get those performance numbers.
Based on what I said earlier this product fails for me because while the machine is awesome the pricing stops me owning one.
well, alternatively there would be Win 7 which is great, but what is bothering me is this permanent hassle with hard ware compatibility and, of course, new machines are coming with Win 8 only. They would not recognize some older accessories like scsi, plotter and scanner. So many things need to be considered before upgrading to newer version of windows if you don' want to run into hardware conflicts that can easily out number the costs, I guess its part of the game to make people buying new hardware...
Graham, Nick is right, use Gimp or Draw, convert draw file into pdf and print it just don't forget to adjust the printresolution to 300dpi not sreen resolution. Sribus is great for lager projects.
Carl,
I wouldn't claim that Linux is perfect, but it is free and there are a lot of dedicated enthusiasts out there, trying to make it better.
Because Microsoft puts so much effort into preventing piracy and hacking, it sets itself up as a target for bored geeks with nothing better to do. The result is an arms race with no prospect of a truce.
My guess is that Microsoft is doomed to sink under its own weight. Maybe a Linux implementation will lead the way into the future, maybe something else. It would be nice if someone came up with an OS that is small, uncomplicated and stable. Is that too much to hope for?
Elsewhere on this thread, I have pointed out that there is no reason to stop using XP for offline applications like Photoshop, Word Processing, etc.
A Linux implementation on a USB key for browsing, email and social networking will serve the online needs of most home users without a steep learning curve. As they get more confident in using Linux, they might want to try other applications and maybe migrate completely over the course of time.
Hmmmmmmmmmm We've been here before haven't we.
I get it. Linux is the best OS ever ever ever and anybody using anything else is a fool... I get it.
Unfortunately according to Wikipedia, 98.52% of people using a desktop computer today think you are wrong. And I am one of them.
As someone else has already said. I also use Linux on my web server and everything else is Microsoft Windows or Googles android on tablets and phones.
Again, (according to wiki) 87.52% of the desktop market is owned by Microsoft with Linux picking up just 1.48%
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usage_share_of_operating_systems
I'm sorry if this all comes over as if I am being rude but the facts are the facts. Linux is not good enough and if it were then I think it might have a slightly better share of the desktop market.
I've tried Linux half a dozen times now and each time (for MY needs) it totally sucked. I always get things up and running in no time at all and marvel and what it does only to spend the next day marvelling at what it does not do... Then I get rid of it again.
I choose to be on the Microsoft bandwagon because I want to. Is that so difficult to understand? It does what I want it to when I want it to do it.
I DON'T (as I read earlier) pay £30 for a firewall (windoze has a perfectly adequate firewall for my needs).
I DO pay for Microsoft office because my wife wants to use it and she also has the ability to make choices.
ok, you sound like you will be fine for a switch, as Linux will do all that for you without too many problems, plus a whole lot more.
Firstly visit these web sites and have a read on how to get Ubuntu Linux onto your USB stick. If you have problems or it doesn't make sense then contact me again - either here or on the forums and we will make it work ;-)
Try using Libreoffice Draw or the GIMP. They are both top quality applications and will be more than good enough for Business cards etc.
Interesting you can't get it to print, as all Linux apps use the same CUPS printing sub-system, which abstracts that layer between the application and the OS.
I have never tried Scribus, so it may be doing something odd.
Let me know how you get on.
I'm one of those in your last sentence Brian. The engineer in me loves reading these posts but the old fart in me hasn't a clue what you're on about most of the time. I wasn't brought up using computers, don't understand the jargon & get scared sh*tless if I have to do something out of my comfort zone in case I mess up my PC. I can use them & most of the time they behave & do what I think I'm telling 'em. I have got so used to having a PC around I couldn't think about a life without one but don't ask me how they work. I've got a lot more important things to do in the time I have left than figure out the mysteries of computers & in this respect I really appreciate you peoples help as long as you adopt the KISS principle. Win 7 Does it for me but really gets my IPad using missus going when she tries to use it as a touch screen:-)
Thanks Nick,
I mainly use my computer as storage for photos which I print sometimes
I also write letters sometimes which I print out
Other than tat it is all online stuff, social networking, emails, banking, online utilities, etc.
I do not use my computer for much else really. Not used for work at all now.
JAN
If you want to keep XP for your favorite applications, there is no reason why you shouldn't go on using it for ever - so long as you don't go online. For online applications, you can have a Linux partition on your HDD, or even launch it from a USB key.
Yes, I read that HP have good Linux support.
I don’t really need the printing or copying side of a multi function machine… just the flatbed scanner part as our printing needs are well supported by our HP 3600n and inkjet cartridges are messy.
If I need a copy, scan it in and print without saving works for us.
That said, I downloaded Scribus this afternoon to replace MS Publisher on the XP side. Couldn’t get it to print to the HP even though it found the printer which works tres bien in other Linux apps. General impression: not very stable s/w so still looking for a suitable solution to print off our home made business cards. 
I use an HP officejet which has a built in scanner , and it works perfectly with built in Linux scanning software. It will just detect it and scan for you. We use it all the time, as we are digitising all our paperwork to get rid of all those boxes of paper ;-)
To type French accents using an English keyboard, try AX - it's free from http://vulpeculox.net/ax/. It works with Libre Office - much easier than remembering ISO codes!