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any thoughts on Windows 10?

I won't blame that on Microsoft, you find on any platform that functionality changes and old code frequently stops working sooner or later.
 
Problem is drivers for new hardware aren't written for old OS's.
 
My house has twenty windows so why would I want to downgrade to only ten?

Seriously though, I am signed up for the free upgrade when it happens. I figure why not, my work computer will automatically get upgraded because it is district policy to have the latest greatest windoze on our computers. It will just make it easier for me if my home computer and work computer are both on the same version of windows; I find it annoying right now when after using my work computer with 8.1 to hop onto my home laptop with 7 or vice versa. If I really hate 10 all that much I can always just boot up the Linux side of my home puter.
 
I'm obviously a dinosaur. Still using XP in my office and Vista (terrible) on my laptop. Afraid none of my programs and legal documents won't work in anything newer and I sure don't want to start all over again. Any thoughts?
 
I'm obviously a dinosaur. Still using XP in my office and Vista (terrible) on my laptop. Afraid none of my programs and legal documents won't work in anything newer and I sure don't want to start all over again. Any thoughts?

I have the same concerns regarding compatibility with certain programs. I have thousands wrapped up in software and don't want to spend ages getting it to work again if a Windows upgrade breaks something. My strategy is to upgrade the least critical machine first, and be a "late adopter" on the rest. By the time I update the critical machines there are fixes available for the newer environment. Currently, every computer we have is on Win 7 & we've been very happy with that. We'll undoubtedly go to 10 for business reasons but we'll take our time doing it.
 
Update from the dinosaur. I must have downloaded a virus today because my computer froze and won't connect to Google Chrome, my browser. It also got dog slow and something is obviously screwed up so into the shop it went. It will take at least 3 days and I have a real estate closing coming up on Tuesday. I have a laptop at home that I will have to press into service somehow. On top of everything, the City is taking my building for a new police station with a closing date of July 2nd. It is scheduled to be demolished. I need a new home for my office and rents are high around here.I just finished going through almost 60 years of old files - one by one. What a job. I now am the proud owner of about 75 black plastic bags full of old files for the shredder who comes on 6/23. I'm also finding out no one wants old office furniture and what do I do with old file cabinets and supply cabinets? I need help.
 
Macruim Reflect, 2.1TB external hard drive, it's like re-formatting if you get a problem.
I've done it once already when the hard drive puked.
I hope, really hope, I'm set to out last MS with my XP Pro SP3.
I am done with those clowns...and yes, cutting them down, not using 10..talked to enough IT guys to know a gussied up 8 is nothing I want.
 
I'm obviously a dinosaur. Still using XP in my office and Vista (terrible) on my laptop. Afraid none of my programs and legal documents won't work in anything newer and I sure don't want to start all over again. Any thoughts?
If you get past the virus and office relocation, Win 7 Pro allows you to run XP as a virtual machine. It's how I keep my no-so-old AutoCAD running.
 
Update from the dinosaur. I must have downloaded a virus today because my computer froze and won't connect to Google Chrome, my browser. It also got dog slow and something is obviously screwed up so into the shop it went. It will take at least 3 days and I have a real estate closing coming up on Tuesday. I have a laptop at home that I will have to press into service somehow. On top of everything, the City is taking my building for a new police station with a closing date of July 2nd. It is scheduled to be demolished. I need a new home for my office and rents are high around here.I just finished going through almost 60 years of old files - one by one. What a job. I now am the proud owner of about 75 black plastic bags full of old files for the shredder who comes on 6/23. I'm also finding out no one wants old office furniture and what do I do with old file cabinets and supply cabinets? I need help.

do you have a gas can and a match?

Sorry to hear - sounds like a lot of balls in the air.

In terms of the office furniture etc. looks like you have a freecycle in your area

https://groups.freecycle.org/group/freecycle-stamfordct/description

someone will want it - or if your neighbourhood is anything like mine metal by the street gets picked up instantly.

or craigslist.

good luck!
 
One of my problems more generally with software updates is that it often provides me with "freedom" and "opportunities" that I am not interested in.

Why devote an enormous effort into providing me a choice of thousands of colors and icons for a single function? Why would I really need to customize these things? To who's benefit (other than the software developer who has provided himself and his company with more work......which I'm sure is the real point).

Sure, I understand improved memory management, security, improved connectively and things like that. But those functions can easily be arranged in the background without making 99% of users learn a new front end. The new appearances are jammed down out throat in an effort to make us think we have an "all new, improved product".

These "improvements" clearly come with from companies who want to drive users to the next big thing, thus expanding their profits (and they seem aided and abetted by legions of narcissistic software developers who actually believe they are doing something useful)

Many times, there is no real productivity improvement for most users and in fact, it can take a while to get back up to the same speed. For example, when MS came out with the "all new, improved" Moviemaker software, it took me quite a while to get to the point where I already was with the old software. Now that I have finally begun to master the newer version and am almost up to speed, I fully expect they'll bring out another "all new" version that will force me to re-learn again.
And when it comes to software like AutoCAD or Inventor, I'm much faster using the older versions of Windows. Interestingly even many of the young people I teach prefer the older Windows.

The tile/touchscreen setup for Windows 8.0 as provided on my new, standard (not touchscreen) laptop was absurd (luckily I got one of our IT guys to swap back to Win 7.....not a simple task I might add).

Much of the "benefits" of being able to customize is like telling me I can customize my car so that the brake is on the right and the gas is on the left. Why would I want to do that?

Sure, some of this is driven by the desire to pack lots of functions into small screen tools like Smartphones. Why are these features forced upon desktop and laptop users?

And since I've mentioned colors, why is the default colors in many software setups so subtle. It's not just me....even my students have a tough time discerning a white background from light grey text. Why in Heavens name would things like that be the default?

I'll stop now...... :mad:
 
Feeling a bit out of sorts, are we, Nial? :jester:

Have to agree with everything you've stated, though. Welcome to curmudgeonhood!

CURMUDGEON.jpg
 
Boy - do I agree with Nial on every point he makes. Not the least of which is the graphic designers who seem fascinated with just how little contrast they can display with grey text on a slightly less grey background. Good grief.

Of course, without constant "improvements", there would be hundreds of thousands of software engineers and designers out of work.

I used to use NOAA.GOV for my local weather. Now they've redesigned the page to make it "better" (?) for smartphone users. So now we have to scroll down three or four screens, just to see the details. The top of the first screen is a generic "welcome to NOAA" - with no info at all. Compare "old" to "new":

View attachment 37743View attachment 37744

Anyway, so have we officially given up on finding "Windows 10 reports" for J-P?

:jester:
 
Feeling a bit out of sorts, are we, Nial? :jester:

Have to agree with everything you've stated, though. Welcome to curmudgeonhood!

LOL! Thank you, my curmudgeonly brother! :smile:

.....
Of course, without constant "improvements", there would be hundreds of thousands of software engineers and designers out of work.....

And that would be bad how? ;)
 
I am not loading up W-10 in the laptop unless everything else is shut down! I don't think that will be in my lifetime. I had 8.1 but got rid of it and went back to just 8. With 8.1, It seemed like I was getting more of MS pushing other programs on me, which I ignored and some older programs would lock up. The wife has 7 in her computer and doesn't want to change it. My desktop has Linux Mint in it and works very well with no issues! PJ
 
FWIW I ended up signing up. I agree with all that has been said and, I would add the issue of bloatware. I am not a computer guy, but I do know that years ago programs were much more efficiently written. My sense is that that efficiency now manifests itself in apps rather than full blown programs.

That said, while I agree that even Windows 3.1 did everything I wanted and more, the reality is not just what I use but what everyone else uses. In theory you can drive a Model T on an interstate but you really don't want to. Likewise you can't can't drive 3.1 on the information superhighway. I don't live in a major tech world but I am constantly file sharing and do have a website to be responsible for etc. etc. - I have one dinosaur program - Microsoft Publisher because I refuse to pay $500 for the upgrade - it is a PITA because no one else can open the files, thank goodness for pdf.

Anyways, back to the LBC obsolescence that defines the rest of our lives :smile: cheers all :cheers:
 
Thanks, JPSmit. I'll give them a call. In the meantime, my laptop connected fine and after downloading the printer driver for my HP 2035, I'm back in business - for a while anyway. Anybody want any file cabinets, office chairs, desks and a dictation system?
 
I just got another tower today...big one..originally XP..Dell...license in BIOS.....so we're really gonna mess with MicroSlime's minds when ANOTHER XP box goes on-line.
 
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