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My long goodbye to Windows XP (2022)

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Re: My long goodbye to Windows XP (2022)

#171

Post by ogurechny »

branon wrote: post #57

This is not a sensible or technically sound thing to do. It is purely irrational. Win7 is already stuck on Chrome 110/111(?). You are not gaining much by doing this, and are assuming significant risk. Even if specific portions can be quantified away, it's the unknown unknowns that should scare you. Try a Linux distro again maybe? With some non-default themes and Wine, it really should make a better WinXP than WinXP.…

This is a perfect example of modern day superstitions, in no way different from superstitions of stereotypical hairy cavemen sitting around the fire. You react to a program release that is mere three months old with a perfectly capable layout engine that has gathered enormous amount of functionality over who knows how many man-centuries across itself and its library dependencies as if you were told to drive an ox-cart. The talk about “safety” has long become a creed repeated thoughtlessly again and again. There's an evident manipulation in making people fear hackers and viruses so much when those who make the most money on controlling users' systems are in fact the ones who offer “better safety”.

Updates for the sake of updates is not a passive, neutral status quo. It benefits certain participants (both the ones on top of the power hierarchy capable of rotating the hamster wheel faster and faster, and the ones on the bottom, who, in accordance with this or that fashion, slap together something that is not supposed to work at all unless you update everything) while others pay the price. And it's the path of least resistance that people choose.

In the end, it's just marketing. If you can add a couple of commas here and there to make the whole thing crumble, which allows you to announce “newer better version with support for new technology, etc.”, it's way easier than explaining what you change, and why, to the inquiring public. The IT public, as we can see, is pathetically neutered, and acts like careless kids in the free-for-all amusement park.

Also, the author can totally get Linux with the leanest DE he can still stomach, and have all the fresh software. Core 2 Duo with 4 GB of memory is still a decent system, especially with an SSD. However, his problem is NOT the software, his problem is that the websites he uses stop working.

Re: My long goodbye to Windows XP (2022)

#172

Post by rkagerer »

jollyllama wrote: post #64

Many times have I lost hours, days, or functionality that was never regained to an update/"upgrade." Never have I had my personal computer owned by some exploit that resulted in data loss/breach. Thus, undesired upgrades are a greater risk for personal computing than security. Simple as.

Wish I could upvote this a hundred times.

Once upon a time updates were something I'd get excited for. Now it's a dread of what will break next, what new advertising will assault my eyeballs and waste my attention, and what telemetry will subvert my privacy or deteriorate my control over my device.

This is why I've "just said no" to Windows ≥ 10. I really want it, but these anti-features need a reliable off switch.

Re: My long goodbye to Windows XP (2022)

#173

Post by GoblinSlayer »

jimbobimbo wrote: post #5

"My belief is that computer security is highly overrated. [...] This can actually be quantifiable. [...] In 2021 Project Zero registered 10 0-days that concerned Windows. [...] None affected Windows XP." Clever! Security by running an OS which none of the exploit authors are targeting anymore.

That's why GNU/Linux is safe, but Android/Linux isn't.

Re: My long goodbye to Windows XP (2022)

#174

Post by rkagerer »

walterbell wrote: post #153

> It is also possible to piggyback on Microsoft’s extended enterprise support to receive security patches at least until next year. Is this an option for individuals?

0patch is an additional tool that is worth checking out. Their engineers reverse engineer Windows patches and backport certain ones to out-of-support OS's.

Re: My long goodbye to Windows XP (2022)

#175

Post by 5e92cb50239222b »

slim wrote: post #165
extr0pian wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The author said that their experiences with Linux was slow (Debian and Lubuntu were examples) and had no intention of using Linux because of these experiences. Personally, I don't know what they're talking about, but I've always had a smoother/faster (albeit a bit clunky/glitchy sometimes) with Linux than Windows. Even when I dual booted Win7 and Ubuntu, Linux was always faster. Currently, I'm using XFCE w/ Arch on a…

You should try, say, Debian 12 on an old computer with encrypted disks. it's unusable

How old is old? I use Debian on an 11-year old cheap laptop, and it runs fine. No GNOME, of course (it's the performance equivalent of Windows on pretty much any hardware).

The laptop was something like $300 back in 2012.

Re: My long goodbye to Windows XP (2022)

#176

Post by password4321 »

rkagerer wrote: post #166
Jerrrry wrote: post #43

I actually RTFA and was thinking, "this dude should upgrade and run Win7 like me," - and was pleasantly surprised to find he is. The only issue I've had was a few months ago Google Chrome now gives a small nag-bar on startup - supposedly dismissisable with a -flag, but the flag itself is either no longer functioning for some smirk sanctimonious reason, or more likely, hilariously not tested, and has since ironically…

The only gripe from XP->Vista->7 is the respective mediocre, to amazing, to abysmal local search functionality. Grab a copy of FileLocator Pro and wire it up to Ctrl+F in Explorer. It's fantastic.

If filenames are the issue, use https://antibody-software.com/wizfile/ WizFile (free for personal use) or https://www.voidtools.com/ Everything (free; regex and UNC).

Re: My long goodbye to Windows XP (2022)

#177

Post by interfixus »

asddubs wrote: post #70

I do still like the 95/98/XP paradigm best in terms of, start button, non-grouped buttons for the different windows, and some quick launch icons. luckily because I run linux I can have my pick of the litter, cinnamon, MATE, even KDE with some heavy configuring will do it. I wonder what the author didn't like about linux, seems like it's perfect for someone who's stuck in the past like me, if it's not a software compa…

Exactly! I have run this setup forever; for years and years in Xfce, these days in KDE. Recently I found a couple of screenshots, 1996 and 97, from my Windows days. I was surprised - and maybe slightly concerned - to see how precisely they matched my current layout, right down to ridiculous details. Way back then, I needed a third party utility tweak the clock in the lower right corner to my liking. These days the tweaking is integral, but damn it, the clock looks the same.

Re: My long goodbye to Windows XP (2022)

#178

Post by barbs »

lionkor wrote: post #168

Ubuntu has always been this weird OS for me. Its not free enough or fast enough to be linux, it feels like a knockoff of something, but i cant put my finger on it. Their DE is just such a horrible POS. I had one extension/addon (?), which, due to some JS problem (all those extensions/addons are written in js), was slowly, over hours, hogging more ram, until eventually OOMimg the entire DE. Sure, this is just a one-of…

I believe they tried Lubuntu, which uses LXDE and in my experience was almost too fast so I'm curious as to why the author found it slow.

Re: My long goodbye to Windows XP (2022)

#180

Post by justsomehnguy »

rkagerer wrote: post #166
Jerrrry wrote: post #43

I actually RTFA and was thinking, "this dude should upgrade and run Win7 like me," - and was pleasantly surprised to find he is. The only issue I've had was a few months ago Google Chrome now gives a small nag-bar on startup - supposedly dismissisable with a -flag, but the flag itself is either no longer functioning for some smirk sanctimonious reason, or more likely, hilariously not tested, and has since ironically…

The only gripe from XP->Vista->7 is the respective mediocre, to amazing, to abysmal local search functionality. Grab a copy of FileLocator Pro and wire it up to Ctrl+F in Explorer. It's fantastic.

If only filename search is needed the Everything would be enough, free.

But, surprisingly, most of the time I find what I need with built-in search in the Win10 Start Menu. Although I had to slap her hands not to show me web results.

[0] https://www.voidtools.com/

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