A moment of pleasure, a lifetime of
regret. That is how I see my decision to run Windows years ago.
Back in the day, I had a Mac and an SGI and neither of them would run
Java or PC - based games. Since I wasn't giving up the SGI and since
two computers was my limit at the time, I switched to Windows in
order to learn Java. Its been hell ever since. If at first you
walk down the dark path, forever is your destiny affected.
The time has come to upgrade from
Windows XP to another operating system. The Internet has become a
cesspit of loonytoon right wingers and malicious code and one can no
longer surf to your favorite porn sites at leisure without serious
potential ramifications. Fixes to XP security problems will no
longer be provided for the general public, so one must move on. But
why run Windows at all at this point? The PC game business has
died, and besides, any game I developed would not be for Windows.
The only reason I continue to run Windows is that I have a handful of
applications that I use in my work and I am loathe to give them up.
One of them is Canopus ProCoder, a very good software only transcoder
and there are a few others. Everything else, including all my
writing and spreadsheets and so forth can be done very reliably on
Linux.
So your "choices" for upgrade
are Windows 7 or Windows 8. I already run 8 on a very inexpensive
laptop and I can tell you flat out that I hate it. Maybe I will
learn to love it, that happens quite frequently with me, but if so it
hasn't happened yet.
In order to help others make this
existential choice which will affect the rest of your so-called life,
this are the reasons I chose to go with Windows 7.
1. There is a feature in Windows 8 that
makes it impossible to delete a file unless you are logged in as
Administrator. The only people who use this feature are people who
write malicious viruses (virusi) for Windows 8.
2. But as distributed not only is there
no Administrator account on Windows 8, the possibility of having such
an account is deliberately disabled. So first you have to figure out
how to go behind Microsofts back and disable the Administrator
disabling code, and then create your administrator account and then,
only then, can you delete a file on *your* fucking computer. Not
their fucking computer, but your fucking computer. Life is too
short for this kind of bullshit.
3.Windows 7 Professional has an XP
compatibility mode that is actually a virtual machine with a licensed
version of Windows XP already installed. By definition, this
compatibility mode will work with your old XP application, albeit
perhaps slower depending on things like graphics. Windows 8 hides
this mode from you, and may have some other compatibility mode that
may or may not work for you. Again, who needs it.
4. Windows 7 has been out for a while
and is a mature OS. Windows 8 is a new OS. All new OSs are buggy,
period. Its a law of nature. Just like all new rendering
technologies are slow.
5. The only reason to use Windows is
because one has learned to be productive on it. The Windows 8 UI is
completely different and all productivity goes to hell.
6. One can get around the Windows 8 UI
with third party software that tries to defeat the new UI and bring
back the old one. These third party programs work pretty well, but
the new UI creeps in occassionally in spite of this and then you
waste minutes trying to figure out how to get out of it and back to
work.
7. I hate the way the new UI looks.
8. I hate the way the new UI works.
9. In order to download updates or
"apps" you need a Microsoft account so they can violate
your privacy and track everything. I don't think I have any
privacy on the Internet but I am still loathe to be forced to give
Microsoft marketing information on me just to download updates that
contain their bug fixes. Its not that big a deal, but I do it under
duress. I believe that the concept of your Microsoft account, to let
you use their "cloud", big whoopee, is integrated
throughout Windows 8.
So down another path to hell and
Windows 7 Professional it is.
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