Despite Imminent Retirement, More Users Move to Windows XP

If you’re wondering what’s going to happen with Windows XP in two months, the answer is becoming quite obvious. Plenty of users will still be running it when the end of support comes, as new stats show that Windows XP actually boosted its market share last month.

Read the rest here:Despite Imminent Retirement, More Users Move to Windows XP

 

[whs]

What's the use of upgrading to a new OS if the PC with XP is still functioning properly just for occasional email and browsing with no sensitive data stored on the computer

You can still use XP in that context. Just make sure you have up-to-date images in case you get hit by a virus. With an image you can easily set back. This imaging program works well with XP. Imaging with free Macrium - Windows 7 Help Forums

 

[kenwitt]

will XP users have to go to Norton for protection

 

[whs]

You have to check with Norton whether they will keep updating the definition files for their XP product.

 

[Edwin]

will XP users have to go to Norton for protection

Microsoft antimalware support for Windows XP - Microsoft Malware Protection Center - Site Home - TechNet Blogs

 

[popeye]

XP was (is) pretty sweet for a business environment. Including system controls like HVAC. I believe many companies have control systems dependent on XP.

 

[Tepid]

Yeah, but most businesses can not afford to be on an unsupported/unpatched OS for long,
so many will upgrade to Win7 in the mean time, where they can.
And should secure as best they can through policies and firewalls, the ones they can not.

 

[CountMike]

XP was (is) pretty sweet for a business environment. Including system controls like HVAC. I believe many companies have control systems dependent on XP.

That's because of NT, Win 2000 heritage, very easy to switch from.

 

[dskiller]

XP was (is) pretty sweet for a business environment. Including system controls like HVAC. I believe many companies have control systems dependent on XP.

and then there is Target.....

 

[alphanumeric]

XP was (is) pretty sweet for a business environment. Including system controls like HVAC. I believe many companies have control systems dependent on XP.

When I was still working for NavCanada years ago, XP was installed on the Maintenance terminals for a lot of our equipment at remote sites. Radar and TACAN. They were isolated from the Internet and used a dedicated line to the monitoring station. The maintenance software that ran on them was very proprietary. I do believe it communicated with the equipment over the serial port. There would be no advantage to replacing XP with something else in that situation. The PC hardware actually becomes the issue if it fails. We're talking old single core PC's here.

 

[dskiller]

XP was (is) pretty sweet for a business environment. Including system controls like HVAC. I believe many companies have control systems dependent on XP.

When I was still working for NavCanada years ago, XP was installed on the Maintenance terminals for a lot of our equipment at remote sites. Radar and TACAN. They were isolated from the Internet and used a dedicated line to the monitoring station. The maintenance software that ran on them was very proprietary. I do believe it communicated with the equipment over the serial port. There would be no advantage to replacing XP with something else in that situation. The PC hardware actually becomes the issue if it fails. We're talking old single core PC's here.

I used machines with windows 95 for setting up programmable logic controllers.....


actually that was back in 2001. but it still was a nightmare

 

[MIKLO]

What's the use of upgrading to a new OS if the PC with XP is still functioning properly just for occasional email and browsing with no sensitive data stored on the computer

RommoR welcome to the site I was born in Philippines at Sangley Point Cavite. In my opinion a new OS allows a person to use and enjoy the internet in a manner that was intended, just like its also my opinion that even though most ppl think IE browser SUX it also the browser that developers had in mind when making a site for example, although I don't think its as true today as it once was with all the browsers now out there for speed and convenience. In general an older machine doesn't have the ROM,RAM, or larger disk drive that is often needed these days.You are of course correct if a person is completely satisfied with XP or any other OS there is no need to change. As you know XP is probably the most security vulnerable OS out there and its not just stealing your files they also wanna steal your bandwidth or use you as a "BOT" if possible. Hope this lets you see that there are many ways to look at this and what's right is what the user wants, likes, and is most comfortable using after having all the facts.
MIKLO

 

[alphanumeric]

XP was (is) pretty sweet for a business environment. Including system controls like HVAC. I believe many companies have control systems dependent on XP.

When I was still working for NavCanada years ago, XP was installed on the Maintenance terminals for a lot of our equipment at remote sites. Radar and TACAN. They were isolated from the Internet and used a dedicated line to the monitoring station. The maintenance software that ran on them was very proprietary. I do believe it communicated with the equipment over the serial port. There would be no advantage to replacing XP with something else in that situation. The PC hardware actually becomes the issue if it fails. We're talking old single core PC's here.

I used machines with windows 95 for setting up programmable logic controllers.....


actually that was back in 2001. but it still was a nightmare

Our main communications system's maintenance terminal was an XT era PC running Windows 3.11. I'm sure its long gone by now, at least I hope so. That would have been around the same time frame 2000, 2001 or so. Its was outdated even before it went into service.

 

[CountMike]

When I was still working for NavCanada years ago, XP was installed on the Maintenance terminals for a lot of our equipment at remote sites. Radar and TACAN. They were isolated from the Internet and used a dedicated line to the monitoring station. The maintenance software that ran on them was very proprietary. I do believe it communicated with the equipment over the serial port. There would be no advantage to replacing XP with something else in that situation. The PC hardware actually becomes the issue if it fails. We're talking old single core PC's here.

I used machines with windows 95 for setting up programmable logic controllers.....


actually that was back in 2001. but it still was a nightmare

Our main communications system's maintenance terminal was an XT era PC running Windows 3.11. I'm sure its long gone by now, at least I hope so. That would have been around the same time frame 2000, 2001 or so. Its was outdated even before it went into service.

Oh you poor guys, I had to set programmable controllers from DOS, thru ladder diagrams, that and Unix being only options.

 

[alphanumeric]

I never got into anything like that. I cut my teeth on DOS and Windows 3.1. Then NT4 and win 2k workstation. Our maintenance software came with the equipment and was proprietary to that equipment. It's all equipment used in civil aviation here in Canada. Radar, Instrument Landing Systems, radio navigation and communications etc. All the ground based equipment an aircraft would use for navigation and communications. I did some basic circuit board design and fabrication but I never did any programing or code writing.

 

[CountMike]

I never got into anything like that. I cut my teeth on DOS and Windows 3.1. Then NT4 and win 2k workstation. Our maintenance software came with the equipment and was proprietary to that equipment. It's all equipment used in civil aviation here in Canada. Radar, Instrument Landing Systems, radio navigation and communications etc. All the ground based equipment an aircraft would use for navigation and communications. I did some basic circuit board design and fabrication but I never did any programing or code writing.

Automatic machines and cad-cam is the reason I got into computers to start with, so had to do it anyway. CNC machines were all the rage than. In the early '80s we started adding digital controllers to replace old RLCs (Relay Logic Controls) on automatic machines which were controlled by dozens or even hundreds of relays with up to 12 NO/NC contacts and timers each and miles of wires which could take space of 2 to3 door large cabinets with much, much smaller CLCs (Computer Logic Controll) units. At first we had to punch in programs in those controllers with small, calculator like programators with buttons marked in Boolean but later on was able to program all machines from only one PC siting n the office.

 

[alphanumeric]

:thumb:

 

[CountMike]

:thumb:

Yeah much easier than chasing wires going from contact to contact, from rely to relay, to micro switches to activators, valves or what not on a machine I didn't even have a schematic for. Two or 3 of (my favorite ) Omron C20 PLCs run for instance a 50 ton Boullard, six work station vertical lathe. Those C20s had 24 input, 24 output relays with 255 virtual timers and combinations were practically endless. One of them was the size of micro ATX computer case. 4 bit processors in them. Could transfer a program in to them from a cassette player.
Cut down the time needed to reset machines to make another product by 90%. It was job for 3 people to reset that Boulard to make another type of disk brake rotor whole day (that was 5000 to 10000 units a day loss) but with PLCs it was job for one man for an hour and even that on account of changing tools and just few minutes to reprogram machine itself. That way only couple of hundred units of rotor production time was wasted. Just imagine this : times 2 or 3, all reduced to size of micro ATX computer.
This is that controller:
Omron Sysmac C20 PLC | eBay

 

[whs]

Interesting story. I never worked with CNC machines, but tabulating machines were similar - 1000 wires all over. And the printers on early computers (end 50s/early 60s) used tabulating machines as printers. A real pain.

 

[alphanumeric]

We had 50 pair cables running from each rack of equipment to a intermediate distribution frame/rack. Interconnects from rack to rack were done in the IDF rack. Tons more wires in each rack linking equipment modules to each other. I did installation for a while and installed the cables and blocks and terminated the cables on the blocks. Then wired in all the interconnects. I started in 1980, there were lots of discreet components like relays etc on the go. Your OHM meter was your best friend.

 

[CountMike]

Interesting story. I never worked with CNC machines, but tabulating machines were similar - 1000 wires all over.

Well I guess we should all be thankful for the advent of PCs, made life much easier and productive. So when somebody complains of GUI "ugliness" it makes that complaint insignificant.