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My long goodbye to Windows XP (2022)

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Re: My long goodbye to Windows XP (2022)

#271

Post by estebank »

barbs wrote: post #186

Wasn't there a Linux distro that was trying to look and feel almost exactly like Windows XP? I'm sure it's not perfect but it'd be worth a shot if you were so used to XP. EDIT: Found it - https://zorin.com/os/

There have been many attempts over the years (remember Lindows?), but I would argue that making Linux look like Windows XP is an excercise in frustration because small differences become even more annoying, as they crop up when you don't expect them, lulled by a false sense of familiarity. An OS Unvanney Valley, if you will.

Re: My long goodbye to Windows XP (2022)

#272

Post by lurtbancaster »

Hey, Congratulations on your upgrade to Windows 7!

Not 48 hours ago, I spoke highly of the benefits of Windows 7[1], as a user myself.

It is absolutely possible to use Windows 7 reasonably securely, if you take the appropriate precautions(again, see my comment)

> I can use the latest versions of Google Chrome

Firefox? Yes. Chrome? No.

Chromium 109 is the last version to support Windows 7. Here's the last working ungoogled variant [2].

Switch to LibreWolf[3] Firefox based browser with user.js modifications[3] pre-installed. Or if you don't trust librewolf, use Firefox and manually add the same user.js[4]

It's better for security than Chrome could ever hope to be.

Your web browser's javascript continues to be the predominant way for malware to make its entry. So just make sure to take the appropriate security precautions elsewhere, as mentioned in my comment [1].

> When Firefox stopped receiving upgrades I switched to Mypal browser, an open source browser specially made for Windows XP. It is cruder than Google Chrome but does the job most of the time.

Have you tried K-Meleon on Windows XP[5]? It's Old Firefox(pre-Australis) based, and still gets updates.

-----------

Windows 7 is the last legit good Microsoft Operating System.

It truly is a wonder and a delight to use and modify.

Anyway, all the very best on your Windows 7 journey. May it serve you well.

Cheers!

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35431587

[2] https://github.com/macchrome/winchrome/releases/tag/v109.541...

[3] https://librewolf.net/installation/windows/

[4] https://github.com/arkenfox/user.js/blob/master/user.js

[5] https://kmeleonbrowser.org

Re: My long goodbye to Windows XP (2022)

#273

Post by ogurechny »

ptx wrote: post #263
sylens wrote: post #225

So many problems with this piece >> My computer is also not some old rubbish. It has an Intel Core2Duo CPU with 4 Gb RAM. It was top of the line in 2009. Just because you had a top of the line PC in 2009 does not disqualify it from being 'old rubbish' in 2023. A Core2Duo is ancient at this point. >> The truth is I have never been hacked once in the eight years I have had this computer. Or something has been compromis…

> opening your CD-ROM drive automatically Speaking of the CD-ROM drive, Windows XP is vulnerable to malicious CD-ROM discs thanks to AutoRun [1] and can be compromised just by inserting a CD, from which Windows XP will happily execute code automatically. Firewalls don't protect against that. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AutoRun#Issues_and_security

That's why everyone and their dog held Shift when inserting any disk. Moreover, CD-ROM autorun is nothing at all compared to the real issue of autorun on USB flash drives. That's how viruses really spread among commoners, and specific tools were invented to fight it. That you haven't mentioned it, and focused on something that has existed since Windows 95, when non-factory-made (i. e. burned) CDs were rare, probably means you've had zero experience with any of that.

Re: My long goodbye to Windows XP (2022)

#274

Post by II2II »

gambiting wrote: post #226
codedokode wrote: post #220

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem with Linux is that people buy random hardware without any research and expect it to support Linux. Try installing MacOS on a random laptop or Windows on M1 Mac and get the same result. There should be official compatibility list for laptops of all price ranges and whoever buys something not from the list needs to deal with issues themselves.

The problem with this argument is that the exact same crowd of people is saying "just use linux instead of windows!" at the same time as "you can't expect linux to work on everything! do your research!" So which one is it? Is Linux an OS that you can just replace Windows with straight away, or is it not? Most people don't care about the underlying reasoning why their printer doesn't work on linux - they just know it…

Are you sure it's the exact same crowd? There are many Linux users who are quite fine with suggesting it as an option, while proposing a more rational approach to transitioning. Heck, part of the reason for live media is to ensure that everything works before taking the dive.

Re: My long goodbye to Windows XP (2022)

#275

Post by LeFantome »

sylens wrote: post #225

So many problems with this piece >> My computer is also not some old rubbish. It has an Intel Core2Duo CPU with 4 Gb RAM. It was top of the line in 2009. Just because you had a top of the line PC in 2009 does not disqualify it from being 'old rubbish' in 2023. A Core2Duo is ancient at this point. >> The truth is I have never been hacked once in the eight years I have had this computer. Or something has been compromis…

I have a 2008 iMac that I use every day—more than my i7 laptop. This iMac is also a Core2Duo.

Why? Well, I really like the screen and it happens to be setup in the nicest spot I have in my home to work. In particular, it is the best place to video conference ( Zoom, Teams, or GoToMeeting ). The real answer though is because I when I sit down at it to get things done, I rarely run into a limitation that makes me want to move something more powerful to that spot. I am lazy, and it works. The machine is fast and responsive. Mostly I just forget that it is old. When I am thinking about it, I guess I also get a kick out of it. So, it adds a bit of fun.

I do email and office work ( documents, spreadsheets, presentations ) and browse the web of course. I author and run a few containers ( Podman ) to verify stuff engineering is creating for a key project. I am using it to teach myself Kubernetes and a bit of DevOps. A lot of the “heavy processing” I do it “in the cloud” anyway. Obviously I am not gaming or editing hi-res video. That said, I do so a fair bit of audio processing on this machine. It is my “work from home” computer.

I originally put Arch Linux on this machine to “get through a few days” when my laptop got damaged. “A few days” has been a couple of years now because it has worked so well. MacOS was really slow on the few apps I tried. Worse, like the author, I found that none of the modern software I want to use worked. With Arch though, everything is up to the minute. For browsers, I have Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and Slimjet ( all the very latest versions ). All my compilers are right up to date ( Clang, GCC ). I am even running .NET 7 on this machine. As Arch is a rolling release and I update every day, I have the very latest security patches for everything.

I am not advocating we all use old computers. I guess my point is that, for most of my day to day professional life, a machine much like the one the author had has been just fine. It surprised me too.

Re: My long goodbye to Windows XP (2022)

#276

Post by robinsonb5 »

bee_rider wrote: post #94
lmm wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does it matter? An attacker has to know about a vulnerability to use it. Unless there's some reason that security researchers would be more focused on vulnerabilities in new systems than attackers are, or something like that.

I would assume that security researchers and most attackers go after what the general public has. But I wonder, are there still a bunch of old industrial/medical machines running XP? Now I have the mental image of some intelligence guy working on a “get into our geopolitical rivals’ grid in case there’s a war and we need to cause a blackout” discovering the author of the post. Maybe he will meet up with some friends…

I'd be amazed if there aren't still a number of Win2k or older machines in industrial settings. Until a few weeks ago I was using an Imagesetter at work which had a Windows Server 2003 machine running its RIP software. (Apparently it's just about possible to massage the custom PCI card's driver into working on Windows 7 - but it's easier just to use the intended OS.)

Just the other day I found myself capturing a Vista machine into a VM just to preserve some perpetually-licensed software that we can't ever install again because the activation server's gone away

Re: My long goodbye to Windows XP (2022)

#277

Post by donedealomg »

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.…

[dead]

Re: My long goodbye to Windows XP (2022)

#278

Post by hestefisk »

kevin_thibedeau wrote: post #121
hestefisk wrote: post #85

If I could, I’d still be running Windows NT 4.0 just for the simplicity and GUI. It was the best OS to come out if Redmond. I wish they had stuck with their “workstation” strategy, but unfortunately not.

You can enable classic mode up to Win 7. Mostly the same experience.

You don’t get the white on blue boot screen, unfortunately.

Re: My long goodbye to Windows XP (2022)

#279

Post by hnarn »

The amount of people in this thread that like the author are not just comfortable with running EOL software but wear it as a badge of honor is truly staggering.

You would think that if there was one place where the dangers of not having the possibility of patches when the next “heartbleed” comes was obvious and understood by all (read: major software vulnerability affecting critical libraries) — it would be a forum mostly composed of software engineers.

Re: My long goodbye to Windows XP (2022)

#280

Post by M95D »

I still have a WinXP 64bit as my main OS, with Office 2003 too, same as the author.

I have a Win7 machine, for gaming, not directly connected to the internet. I hate it so much it's never going to be my main OS.

I'm forced to use Win10 at work, and I hate it even more.

I'm slowly switching to Linux (in a VM in WinXP64). From linux, currently I'm only using Firefox without a desktop environment; anything else is too difficult, too incompatible, too slow or too bloated. To me, Linux desktops really look and feel a lot like Win10, execept with a lot more bugs and lacking Windows' Control Panel (what's left of it, anyway...).

Anyone focusing on constant updates must be really young in my opinion. I understand your point of view. I was like that too. When you grow older you will start to notice how the OS you grew up with could do 90% of what your current OS does, using just 1% of memory, 1% disk space and maybe 10% CPU. At some point you will want to stop all this constant fight to get minimally better features (or even less features) at the cost of ever-faster new hardware and, at the same time, ever-slower UI.

Only then you will be able to understand my point of view.

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