Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
Users petition to keep Windows XP
Zorvan
Member CommonPosts: 8,912
www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/04/14/microsoft.xp.ap/index.html
Users petition to keep Windows XP
- Six-year-old operating system set to be pulled off store shelves in June
- Vista complaints: Hardware requirements, performance, incompatibility
- Save XP Web petition gathering more than 100,000 signatures, comments
- User: Microsoft thinks "if they just close their eyes, people will have no choice"
Washington (AP) -- Microsoft Corp.'s operating systems run most personal computers around the globe and are a cash cow for the world's largest software maker. But you'd never confuse a Windows user with the passionate fans of Mac OS X or even the free Linux operating system.
Unless it's someone running Windows XP, a version Microsoft wants to retire.
Fans of the six-year-old operating system set to be pulled off store shelves in June have papered the Internet with blog posts, cartoons and petitions recently. They trumpet its superiority to Windows Vista, Microsoft's latest PC operating system, whose consumer launch last January was greeted with lukewarm reviews.
No matter how hard Microsoft works to persuade people to embrace Vista, some just can't be wowed. They complain about Vista's hefty hardware requirements, its less-than-peppy performance, occasional incompatibility with other programs and devices and frequent, irritating security pop-up windows.
For them, the impending disappearance of XP computers from retailers, and the phased withdrawal of technical support in coming years, is causing a minor panic.
Take, for instance, Galen Gruman. A longtime technology journalist, Gruman is more accustomed to writing about trends than starting them.
But after talking to Windows users for months, he realized his distaste for Vista and strong attachment to XP were widespread.
Don't Miss
- InfoWorld: Save XP petition
- Microsoft: Support timeline
"It sort of hit us that, wait a minute, XP will be gone as of June 30. What are we going to do?" he said. "If no one does something, it's going to be gone."
So Gruman started a Save XP Web petition, gathering since January more than 100,000 signatures and thousands of comments, mostly from die-hard XP users who want Microsoft to keep selling it until the next version of Windows is released, currently targeted for 2010.
On the petition site's comments section, some users proclaimed they will downgrade from Vista to XP -- an option available in the past to businesses, but now open for the first time to consumers who buy Vista Ultimate or Business editions -- if they need to buy a new computer after XP goes off the market.
Others used the comments section to rail against the very idea that Microsoft has the power to enforce the phase-out from a stable, decent product to one that many consider worse, while profiting from the move. Many threatened to leave Windows for Apple or Linux machines.
Microsoft already extended the XP deadline once, but it shows no signs it will do so again. The company has declined to meet with Gruman to consider the petition. Microsoft is aware of the petition, it said in a statement to The Associated Press, and "will continue to be guided by feedback we hear from partners and customers about what makes sense based on their needs."
Gruman said he'd keep pressing for a meeting.
"They really believe if they just close their eyes, people will have no choice," he said.
In fact, most people who get a new computer will end up with Vista. In 2008, 94 percent of new Windows machines for consumers worldwide will run Vista, forecasts industry research group IDC. For businesses, about 75 percent of new PCs will have Vista. (That figure takes into account companies that choose to downgrade to XP.)
Although Microsoft may not budge on selling new copies of XP, it may have to extend support for it.
Al Gillen, an IDC analyst, estimated that at the end of 2008 nearly 60 percent of consumer PCs and almost 70 percent of business PCs worldwide will still run XP. Microsoft plans to end full support -- including warranty claims and free help with problems -- in April 2009. The company will continue providing a more limited level of service until April 2014.
Gillen said efforts like Gruman's grass-roots petition may not influence the software maker, but business customers' demands should carry more clout.
"You really can't make 69 percent of your installed base unhappy with you," he said.
Some companies -- such as Wells Manufacturing Co. in Woodstock, Illinois -- are crossing their fingers that he's right. The company, which melts scrap steel and casts iron bars, has 200 PCs that run Windows 2000 or XP. (Windows 2000 is no longer sold on PCs. Mainstream support has ended, but limited support is available through the middle of 2010.)
Wells usually replaces 50 of its PCs every 18 months. In the most recent round of purchases, Chief Information Officer Lou Peterhans said, the company stuck with XP because several of its applications don't run well on Vista.
"There is no strong reason to go to Vista, other than eventually losing support for XP," he said. Peterhans added that the company isn't planning to bring in Vista computers for 18 months to two years. If Microsoft keeps to its current timetable, its next operating system, code-named Windows 7, will be on the market by then.
Comments
The only reason to upgrade to Vista is DX10, and that is precisely why DX10 isn't available on XP.
I think I read somewhere on engadget.com that XP sales have been extended until 2010. At least it will definitely be bundled with the EEPC I think it is.
i just also wanna it. be used to using Win XP..why DX10 isn't available to it?
But whats the point of DX10?After-all there are VERY few programs out right now or in development that REQUIRE DX10. And about the only program i can think off that Requires DX10 is Halo2
Another great example of Moore's Law. Give people access to that much space (developers and users alike) and they'll find uses for it that you can never imagine. "640K ought to be enough for anybody" - Bill Gates 1981
DX10 will become more popular over time. Basically, it's "better" than DX9...that's the point haha.
Yea but that's the point isn't it? Right now and for the next year at least its not worth it just for DX10 alone.
Another great example of Moore's Law. Give people access to that much space (developers and users alike) and they'll find uses for it that you can never imagine. "640K ought to be enough for anybody" - Bill Gates 1981
Larger companies like ATI are also phasing out XP, such as thier new features only work on Vista. CrossfireX and DX10.1. With this trend it should be more likely that other software developers will actually start to support Vista. One of the biggest problems with vista aside from the bloatware and security issues is that many software developers didn't latch on to the OS and make Vista/64-bit compatible programs.
Problem I have with Vista is theres like 20 different versions, if they just released like 1 or 2 versions for a cheap price then i'd be happy but atm the cheap versions are gimped and the expensive versions just arn't worth the price. Windows XP works fine for me and I don't have to pay for it and frigging I don't want to use a buggy OS which is a resource hog and offers no performance boost in games.
DX10 I see no difference in against DX9 games because all they've done so far like in Crysis have just disabled things for DX9 to make you upgrade. However if you go into the config and enable very high then it looks esactly the same as the DX10 version. In gears of war they've disabled AA for DX9 to make you upgrade to Vista to use DX10 to be able to enable it.......
Just a scam tbh and I know how to get around it so what's the point of buying into it.
+ Before Windows XP a new OS and DX came out every year like so I know if i buy Vista then DX11 and Windows Vienna will come out a month later lol.
the way the display is handled was completely changed in Vista. Due to this they cut out all of the legacy code making Vista DX10 only and emulating DX9 and earlier. To do DX10 in XP they would have to throw in all kinds of legacy code which would have caused all kinds of stability issues as well as killed performance.
member of imminst.org
If you don't like Vista no problem, but I wish people would stop passing around BS and lies
member of imminst.org
Just becuase its being taken off store shelves doesnt mean its being taken off torrent shelves
Don't be a fucking IDIOT. Only something that gives a profit will earn any support, ANY OS without support and upgrades is a worthless POS it doesn't matter who made it or what OS it is.
I find it amazing that by 2020 first world countries will be competing to get immigrants.
IM keepin my XP.Hell I like it.
Trade in material assumptions for spiritual facts and make permanent progress.
I'm just about to buy a new PC and I specifically asked my tech to install XP on it since I was worried it wouldn't work with Vista.
Simple because they dont have the resources to run such a memory hog of an operation system, even the high end laptops have massive problems a lot of time time.
If you have the desktop, a good amount of both ram and video memory your fine most of the time, however with all new Operating systems their are glitches that are pure software.
A lot of the reason vista has a repuation for not working is it doesn't work well on laptops, which are a much larger share of the market then ever before thus more reports of problems.
98% of the teenage population does or has tried smoking pot. If you''re one of the 2% who hasn''t, copy & paste this in your signature.
Windows XP SP3 will start shipping to manufacturers and IT workers next Monday, 4/21. The Following Tuesday, 4/29, it will be made available for download over Windows Update. This is the final version of SP3, following the RC1 and RC2 builds offered earlier in the year, which promises to boost performance by 10% and network access protection.
Only problem i have with Windows XP is that i can only run 2 GB of ram. Also i cant get the full performance out of a quadcore processor with XP. And the fact that XP doesnt have DirectX10 is a probem. Dont want something that recomends you have 2 GB of ram just to run it.
the new "network axcess protection" will be hell to disable and in many cases necessary, because it doesn't look like its compatible with a majority of non windows wireless connection drivers, such as if you buy a different wireless card, and use its connection software SP3 will almost defintely conflict.
98% of the teenage population does or has tried smoking pot. If you''re one of the 2% who hasn''t, copy & paste this in your signature.
Most game makers have support for DX9 and 10 right now, it seems wise but I wonder how that will change in time.
I thought I'd heard that supposedly DX10 only games like Halo 2 had been cracked to allow DX9 use. If DX10 has compatability issues with XP, how'd they manage that (I'm not being a dick, I'm not computer saavy and am honestly curious).
wht ive always wondered if its possible is to do a upgrade shell instead of a downgrade shell.
The example of this would be something like a DOSbox to run old dos based programs.
If one could make the same with with a vista shell, it might be illegal but one could in theory run DX10.
98% of the teenage population does or has tried smoking pot. If you''re one of the 2% who hasn''t, copy & paste this in your signature.
Halo 2 is a DX9 game. it was programmed to require a check for Vista for installation, which is why the game was "Vista only". The hack was to merely remove the Vista check.Keep going. Might be onto something there........
Keep going. Might be onto something there........
there is no way i would have the skill to do it, i understand how these things work but the making them work is problematic at best.
In lamens terms video memory from varying Operating systems is entirely different, at some levels particularly with vista.
For instance one of the primary things a Dos Box does isn't just to open a dos shell, it has to create a different type of video memory, that no long exists in current operating systems.
If you remember trying to run certain dos based programs on windows 98 and 2000 even though dos does exist in windows 98 and 95 for the most part, you could get memory errors when running the dos inside the windows which was axcessable from the start menu, that was because we switched to more sophisticated memory.
to run an upgrading operating system "box" one would have to first be able to run it inside windows xp as an application, then this application would have to have the 3d interface vista is known for which is one of the primary reasons for DX10(more sophisticated display for OS requires better drivers).
The "vista only" games would probable require this.
Its possible but it would eat up an ass load of system memory as a result also because you are running the complexities of vista, possible the most complex part. Then on top of that you are running DX10, and DX9 might have to be involved(im not sure on this part).
It would be hell to make the programming alone requires a backwards enginering of vista, then putting what is basically a square block of wood in a round hole.
98% of the teenage population does or has tried smoking pot. If you''re one of the 2% who hasn''t, copy & paste this in your signature.
After-all there are VERY few programs out right now or in development that REQUIRE DX10. And about the only program i can think off that Requires DX10 is Halo2
Hell yeah XP ftw!!!
Feel sorry for anyone who bought Vista (gimmick), have fun playing one or two games with DX10 and having that ram hog vista running in the background.
I'll just wait 2 years for the next version of windows to come out.
O_o o_O
2) The only people that recomends 2 gig of ram for Vista are idiots. It runs beautifully on 1 gig (what is actually recommended) and even works well on 512mb as long as you're not using a ram intensive application. Just because people like to advertise their stupidity by greatly exagerating Vista's resource usage doesn't mean you have to believe it.
member of imminst.org
Halo 2 isn't a DX10 game
member of imminst.org