What Are Your Plans for Your XP Machine?

[KLS52]

Those of you who are doing all of these changes are pretty cool. I give you a lot of credit. I didn't even try.

I was surprised to find out that we still have a few computers at work with XP. IT says they're working on it.

 

[Joe]

There's a fellow in town who takes old computers and fixes them up, then gives them away for free through an e-mail list. Lately, though, he has had no takers. The machines are fine, except they are running XP. It seems a shame that these machines are going to waste and that this fellow's hobby looks like it will be coming to an end.

 

[Second Summer]

There's a fellow in town who takes old computers and fixes them up, then gives them away for free through an e-mail list. Lately, though, he has had no takers. The machines are fine, except they are running XP. It seems a shame that these machines are going to waste and that this fellow's hobby looks like it will be coming to an end.

That would be a shame. I guess he needs to find another OS to install on the computers, and I suppose it would have to be some flavour of Linux, since that is probably the best no-cost alternative.

If he's not familiar with Linux, perhaps he could ask for help from a local Linux User Group (LUG). I found this list of LUGs:
http://www.tux.org/luglist.html

(... but there may be others as well. Several such lists of LUGs seem to exist.)

Linux should be fine for most purposes, except gaming, but presumably older computers aren't used for that anyway. What people usually want are a decent browser, maybe an email client (although most people tend to use webmail), word processing, some kind of media player.

 

[beancounter]

Linux should be fine for most purposes, except gaming, but presumably older computers aren't used for that anyway. What people usually want are a decent browser, maybe an email client (although most people tend to use webmail), word processing, some kind of media player.

I agree that there is nothing wrong with XP.

The inability to run games would be a deal killer for me personally. Also, all of my programs are Windows. I would need a high degree of certainty that Linux could run all of them, especially MS Office before I would be willing to switch over.

 

[Second Summer]

I agree that there is nothing wrong with XP.

Except for lack of support / updates / bug fixes!

The inability to run games would be a deal killer for me personally. Also, all of my programs are Windows. I would need a high degree of certainty that Linux could run all of them, especially MS Office before I would be willing to switch over.

If you want high degree of certainty, then there is a well-known commercial product called CrossOver Linux which I think works really well with MS Office, as well as many games:
https://www.codeweavers.com/products/crossover-linux/

Some of your programs you could potentially replace with native Linux programs.

 

[beancounter]

Except for lack of support / updates / bug fixes!


If you want high degree of certainty, then there is a well-known commercial product called CrossOver Linux which I think works really well with MS Office, as well as many games:
https://www.codeweavers.com/products/crossover-linux/

Some of your programs you could potentially replace with native Linux programs.

IMHO, XP was the best Windows OS ever. Every Windows OS after that has taken the product on a downward trend. Sort of like how Civ4 was the best civ ever, and Civ5 (and probably future versions) are taking it in the wrong direction.

 

[Blues]

I use kubuntu on my old netbook, I love it. If you run into problems, feel free to ask and I will promptly ask my son, The Installer.

Thank you for that ....I might have to call on the services of "the Installer " later , as I try and work out the geek terminology .

 

[Joe]

The fellow who does the computer fix-ups as a hobby wrote me to say
"AVG Free, Avast and Malwarebytes I think still will work" with XP.

Is this true? Are there any (other) antivirus or anti-malware programs that still work with XP?

ETA: To sort of answer my own question, someone referred me to this article that lists antivirus programs that continue to support XP.

List of Anti-Virus Software Working on Windows XP After April

http://news.softpedia.com/news/List...orking-on-Windows-XP-After-April-417767.shtml