XP, it's back . . .

[dgsg]

at least on Dell machines.

http://earthlink.com.com/2100-1046_3-6177619.html?part=earthlink

 

[Shawn]

That's a shame. Good thing Microsoft will no longer sell XP to Dell after 2008.

 

[bendixG15]

That's great ... The public has spoken ...

 

[tatteredpotato]

I assume this means that when you customize your computer it will just have a little bubble for windows XP. For those that want a bottom of the line PC it isn't a bad idea, because Vista won't run too well on those machines.

 

[Lemon law]

In MHO, XP is really the first GUI OS that microsoft basically got right. But XP's huge weakness is and remains its vulnerability to malware. And now out comes Vista to correct this
at the expense of incredible OS bloat---adding some nice features and a pile of features that someone like me will never use. And it only took five years to produce.

What I question is that we should have to pay to see microsoft screw ups getting corrected---if microsoft screwed up XP---they can and should rewrite it to correct the malware defencies. And no, mere band aids like service pack 2 do not count as corrections in my book.

And the real question now---given Vista put too many security eggs in one basket---if that OS gets compromised big time---will microsoft expect us to wait another five years?
Howling mobs and home land security may have other ideas.

 

[mechBgon]

What I question is that we should have to pay to see microsoft screw ups getting corrected---if microsoft screwed up XP---they can and should rewrite it to correct the malware defencies. And no, mere band aids like service pack 2 do not count as corrections in my book.

Service Pack 3 is coming. I don't know what it will be, but I put in my suggestion: sandbox IE, WMP, Windows/Live Messenger and Outlook Express so they run at a low-rights level, even from an Admin account. Sort of like "econo-UAC." I don't think the malware writers would like that very much. :evil:

Tangentially, if you read Microsoft's report here, based on data from the Malicious Software Removal Tool, and note the overall impact of SP2, it actually looks rather substantial when you look at the stats.

 

[Lemon law]

Point taken MechBgon---but where was this before Vista came out?,

But then there is another consideration if Bill Gates wants to bring computers to the next billion---is Vista---which requires double the memory and more hardware the platform to
bring it to them---when whats needed is something that will run and run well with minimal hardware. And vulnerability to malware and new users is also a non-starter.

 

[tatteredpotato]

You can turn off aero to run on older machines still a little better. Still I wouldn't advise running less than 1 gig of memory. And MS is licensing XP not Vista to the third world countries.

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: Lemon law
Point taken MechBgon---but where was this before Vista came out?

SP2 came out well before Vista. It fixes the two most severe WinXP problems as I see them (other than that it continued the Windows tradition of making everyone Admins): it turns on the firewall by default, and if the user breezes through the installation with the default settings, they get Automatic Updates enabled. If Microsoft had done that when WinXP was initially released, I think the Windows world would've been a much safer place. Some guy at Microsoft is probably still kicking himself over those decisions. :evil:

But then there is another consideration if Bill Gates wants to bring computers to the next billion---is Vista---which requires double the memory and more hardware the platform to bring it to them---when whats needed is something that will run and run well with minimal hardware.

Consider this: in ~2000, I paid $396 for one 256MB memory module. Today you can get about 4GB of RAM for that price. I also paid $560 for one 450MHz Pentium3 CPU, and later got a second one for my dualie for about $400 more. Today I can get a Sempron64 for about $35 or a dual-core Athlon64 X2 for $65. There are plenty of motherboards in the sub-$70 range with onboard video that'll run Vista Aero if you want (I run Windows Classic, myself).

So from a dollars perspective, Vista doesn't look that bad to me. If you look at the pre-built systems available today, the video and CPU are going to handle Vista, hard drives are all plenty big enough... OK, maybe you will want to buy more RAM. So sue me. :evil:😀

And vulnerability to malware and new users is also a non-starter.

Then no OS is safe. Because you can make a Trojan Horse program for any mainstream OS, and gullible newbies will run it and pwn themselves, and their computer will be spewing Spam and worms for someone in short order. I hope you're not going to pull a Quinton McLeod on me and say that Windows ought to be miraculously malware-proof 😀 At any rate, it looks like Microsoft has certainly tried, with the restrictions they've put on services and whatnot.

 

[Nothinman]

And vulnerability to malware and new users is also a non-starter.

That's like saying a car that a new driver can wreck is a non-starter, everyone has to learn how to operate each properly. The only real difference is that cars require a little bit of testing before you're allowed to legally operate one but anyone can go buy a computer and wreck any kind of havock on the Internet.