Analyzing my PC usage, I would say I — definitely someone who falls into the power user class — spend no more than 10 percent of my computer time on anything that requires more than these new, low cost PCs provide. Doesn’t take much to surf the web and post these stories. And I would guess the percentage of computer users who don’t even need that 10 percent is vastly larger than those needing the kick ass machines that Vista requires.
Do you think the low end will save XP?
Microsoft’s Windows XP Conundrum
Windows XP has quite a few fans left despite the fact that the operating system was first launched in late 2001 and has since been replaced by the newer, more feature-packed Windows Vista operating system. Despite XP’s age, many users stick to the operating system for its robustness, rock-solid driver support, and relatively bloat-free user interface (in comparison to Vista at least) which leads to better overall performance.
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Microsoft is now facing the grim possibility that it pre-planned funeral for Windows XP may leave it out of a lucrative, growing market for low-cost sub-notebooks. No one expected that the Xandros Linux-based ASUS Eee PC would be as popular as it became during late 2007; especially Microsoft.
The overhead of security software will kill the benefits of XP on low-cost PCs. Just think of the daily updates required for said software.
Except for three machines that run Vista mainly for test purposes, all of my office PCs are XP only and will remain so as long as they run stable and trouble free. I don’t have to retrain my employees and when issues do arise with the machines, the problems are generally well understood and easy to correct. We will eventually move to Vista or whatever else comes next but XP will have a presence much longer than I ever would have thought.
At work we have a critical application that is not Vista certified so we’ll be sticking with XP Pro for the foreseeable future.
echoes of the Windows 3.1 to Windows 95 switchover.
I still don’t know why M$ doesn’t just put out their own Linux distro. Dump all the crap code and put their efforts into Linux. Does anyone really think Windows 7 will be any better then Vista. It will be bigger, more bloated and require even more system resources then Vista.
#4–Uhmmm, because Gates doesn’t want to get lower than the 10th richest man in the universe?
gquaglia, if they do that, they’ll have to give their OS for free… GPL requires any Linux derivatives or distros code to be available… They wouldn’t want to lose their stranglehold… All I can say, is that they’re doing a great job pushing people to Linux since people will be fed up with the crawling speed of Vista or Win7…
I smell a conspiracy with MS and Intel though… like the Intel GMA chips being “Vista Capable”, they’re pushing out more bloated software to force people to upgrade hardware…. even though a P4 with Ubuntu already kicks ass in productivity speeds.
I recently bought an EEE. It’s very handy and the Xandros Linux OS boots very quickly. It runs FireFox and that’s all I need.
The dark side comes when you want to install something new, or upgrade something, or you hit a bug in the OS. Then you’re in the “open source community” wonderland of command-line scripts, mutual fingerpointing, and no solutions.
Microsoft would have a big opportunity here IF they could deliver a really small, light version of XP. I don’t think they can, after spending 7 years of developing the wrong product. It will be too big, too slow, and cost too much.
Meanwhile, some Linux company could decide to get serious about the EEE and similar systems, and offer a small, well-supported distribution that really puts end-user Linux on the map.
Microsoft should dump Vista “Home Basic” – and just sell XP, rename it Vista XP. So they can continue to sell Vista Premium on PCs that are actually capable of running it, and XP on everything else.
Wrong…There are several commercial distros that charge for their versions of linux.
WinBloze, in any version, is BEYOND SAVING !!! Perhaps M$ will CHOCK ON THEIR OWN BLOAT-WARE !!! And it’s their own fault !!! Lightweight PCs don’t need to get CHOCKED BY WINBLOZE !!! Remember when Win3 came out and most people realized that you could do your Word work faster running DOS and Word for DOS rather than WinBloze and Word for Winbloze ??? WinBloze is a MAJOR MACHINE CYCLE WASTER !!! New users, using lightweight laptops are BETTER OFF WITHOUT WINBLOZE !!!
What everybody wants is that “MinWin” thing that MS was demoing last fall – the stripped-down kernel. Inside MS you can bet there is a group of engineers that’s been pushing hard for a product based on it. So far, they’ve been shut down by the bloatware marketers. Now, they must be looking pretty good – but so much time has been lost…
“Wrong…There are several commercial distros that charge for their versions of linux.”
What I said was : GPL requires any Linux derivatives or distros CODE to be available
CODE… C O D E…
I got burned when I bought ME on day 1 and everybody else was smugly continuing to run 98se. That won’t happen again.
I think the critical power level for running a word processor and browser was hit a while back, at the end of the P4. Aside from creative types who run Photoshop and video editors, the vast majority of us could do just fine on much simpler machines.
Heck, I’m typing on a Dell D600 with a 1.4 Pentium M, and it’s just fine for nearly everything I need. It could use an XP reinstall just for the housecleaning effect after four years of use, but otherwise, I’m good. It keeps up with my fantasy baseball updates, no problem.
if they do that, they’ll have to give their OS for free…
I would have paid for an easier to use desktop for Linux a couple of years ago, but a combination of a little getting familiar with it and later distros making the mysterious things like mounting and wireless work means there isn’t a opening for microsoft any more
I have a self-built pc running XP and an apple laptop running Tiger. I have toyed around with Linux Ubantu. I’m going to get serious in using Linux and plan to install it in a desktop.
Seeking advice on which distro to use. Should I stick with Ubantu or try another like Xandros?
#16 Stick with Ubuntu. Its the easiest and has the biggest online support community. For the record I have used Suse, Mandriva, PC Linux and Ubuntu.
Olo, part of the problem is the internet. Its getting more and more complicated with javascript and flash and the like.
My last computer was a dual PIII 600 – quite the machine in its day. About 2 years ago it got to the point where I really couldnt even surf the web any more. Certain websites would just bog it down.
The computer didn’t get slower, the net got more complicated.
We are in a constant struggle of bells and whistles vs computng power. Computing power is pretty far ahead but the race is by no means over.
If you look at the discussion treads, it’s surprising how many people put Windows on it.
I can’t imagine why I’d ever do that. I’m seriously thinking of getting an Eee because it DOESN’T have Windows.
My little Asus sits out of the way on the end table, along with the TV remote and maybe a coffee cup. It does exactly what I bought it for, enables me to access the internet from my living room, with a smallish form factor that makes it much easier to handle and/or to hand to someone else. The solid state hard drive and the no frills Linux O/S, coupled with sufficient RAM to run streaming video, is all I need, while the big mainframe in the studio handles the big stuff. And yeah, it runs XP Pro.
I’ve been running this 800 MHz Dell Latitude C400 since 2002, first on Win 2000 but now it runs XP Pro just fine. I’ve carried it all over the world and it has never, ever, crashed. I don’t know why all of your geek fans are always bitching about Microsoft.
Yea the EEE is so cool. Not so cool as an apple air. If ur new to linux use a Knoppix Live CD (runs the OS from the CD drive) first then try installing to the hard disk something like Slackware(for real men), or Manrdavia
#18, gquagli, Thanks for the response. I’ll stick with Ubuntu.
I like the instant on feature of linux on their upcoming DELL E.