Time to leave XP?

[bx9889]

FYI - Mac OSX is a Linux variant, but its been patched, modified and tweaked so much that its unique to itself. In a similar fashion, a lot of servers use different variations on the Unix/Linux theme.

Mac OSX is NOT a Linux variant, it is a BSD variant, specifically FreeBSD & NetBSD, even more specifically Apple's purchase of NeXT Computer, which was Steve Jobs' company that he started when he was booted after Apple.

Apple did something that no other unix vendor has been able to do for 40 years and that is put a beautiful Window Manager/GUI on a *nix system.

I do not use a Mac, because they do not make me money, I use Windows, FreeBSD, & Linux both for home and business.

[steve91104]

FreeBSD FTW!

http://www.freebsd.org/

[Richard Erichsen]

I have one last machine on XP SP3 and I'm on the verge of moving on. It's a P4 socket 478 OC'd with 2gb of ram on a reliable Asus board. The only reason I've kept it on XP for so long is because I use it to backup my CDs and DVDs.
I'm contemplating two possible directions. A move to Windows Server 2008 R2, or bumping it over to Ubuntu.

Decisions, decisions...

Any of you guys still have a legacy XP system around?

NSR500,

XP is showing it's age with regard to IPv6. The last block of IPv4 address space was handed out by IANA just last week - by Sept of this year, ARIN will be out of IPv4 address space. After that, it will be down to whatever the remaining address space is that the ISP has on hand. Optimistically, that could mean as much as an additional year, or as little as 3-6 months.

XP has an incomplete IPv6 implementation so it is dependent on the IPv4 stack even when IPv6 is enabled. DNS lookups are one example.

In choosing an operating system, you need to start by looking at the applications you run, or plan to run. If you can get work-alike applications that are file format compatible on Ubuntu (OpenOffice, etc.), it's got some advantages (significant self-help community, a mostly "free" GPL license with certain minor exceptions). Ubuntu will also effectively eliminate viral infections and worms that are written for Win32/Win64. While virii could be written for Unbuntu, currently no one bothers with less than 4% of the worldwide operating systems being Linux based. IPv6 support, the essential secret sauce for surviving the transition to IPv6 over the next two years, is well sorted out in Ubuntu and fairly efficient in Windows 7's codebase.

As for Windows Server 2008 - what apps do you need that requires a server OS vs. a desktop? Unless you are getting a special deal, it's on the polar end of the spectrum from Ubuntu and on the same hardware won't really give you any performance or reliability advantage over Ubuntu.

Good luck,

-R

[NSR500]

Thanks Richard E.!

I ended up moving to Ubuntu 10.04 LTS on the machine. The machine is doing desktop duty at the moment and I will be migrating it into a MythTV Front/Back end machine to serve media in the house. That's the reason I had Windows Server 2008 R2 under consideration.
Historically, this machine is used to back up all the media in the house. Since it's getting long in the tooth my goal is to have it pull more server type duty, but still be able to backup media. Ubuntu has certainly given the machine new life and I don't worry as much about the machine as I did the WinXP image.

[pdugan6]

windows 7 for sure. My dad just replaced his windows 7 OS with XP. its like going into a time machine.

[loose_electron]

Strange then that your friend does not know that OSX was developed out of NeXTSTEP. I would think someone involved in its development would know that little fact. OSX is a direct descendant of NeXTSTEP and there is no GNU code in NeXTSTEP since it is closed source.

He was part of NexT, and part of the "human shuffle" associated with the "re-coronation" of Jobs about 10-15 years back.

Luck SOB got Apple options at $10/share.

[NSR500]

It's your personal choice but for me XP is the best and it has all the features that I need.

That's good for you.

Technology is about advancement and XP is an anchor I no longer need to have.

[CalBear]

I went through the same discussion with a family member recently. They were getting a new computer and were so used to XP they figured they should just keep on with it on the new computer. I insisted they get W7, and after they couldn't be happier. W7 has a much improved UI, and driver installation and system management is much, much better than XP.

[NSR500]

Windows 7 is a lot more stable and user friendly. I have a machine on it already and it has been very good. My old P4 desktop now on Ubuntu runs like a new machine and I'm very happy to have 86'd XP.

[rynando]

Windows 7 is a very good OS. I wouldn't hesitate giving it a spin, even on older hardware.

[altxf4]

I Run W7 64bit, and dual boot Ubuntu....its interesting learning a Linux distro.

[Richard Erichsen]

I Run W7 64bit, and dual boot Ubuntu....its interesting learning a Linux distro.

Wise choice - A bit of Linux knowledge certainly won't hurt and you can always use it to fix the Windows 7 environment if required (NTFS drivers are just a download away using the Synaptic tool). Every computer in my house is running Ubuntu, some dual boot for apps I must run for business use that aren't available on Ubuntu or have a work-alike (yet). Since making the change, my "home IT support" time on my kids and wife's computers has dropped to 2 hours total per 90 days. Under Windows 7 and Vista, it was 2 hours per week and more than I could allocate. Supposedly automated antivirus, file system management and other routines eat a lot of that time. I haven't had a virus infection or worm problem on my wife or kids machines now in a couple of years. For simple file/print/web browsing/word processor and presentation software - unbeatable. For more complex applications, it takes more work to set up but is on par or better in many regards going the GPL/Ubuntu/Open Source apps route.

G'day.

-R

[Richard Erichsen]

Thanks Richard E.!

I ended up moving to Ubuntu 10.04 LTS on the machine. The machine is doing desktop duty at the moment and I will be migrating it into a MythTV Front/Back end machine to serve media in the house. That's the reason I had Windows Server 2008 R2 under consideration.
Historically, this machine is used to back up all the media in the house. Since it's getting long in the tooth my goal is to have it pull more server type duty, but still be able to backup media. Ubuntu has certainly given the machine new life and I don't worry as much about the machine as I did the WinXP image.

No prob. I'm glad that worked out for you. With much of the fluff and chaff stripped relative to Windows code builds, it's often surprising how much life the older hardware can have just running a proper Linux distro. You can achieve similar rejuvenation doing a full reinstall of the Windows OS on a clean install - though the effects are less dramatic and invariably unravel as you install new apps and actually use the system.

If you want a patch for a Linux distro - it may be available in as little as a few hours. You could be waiting months or years for Microsoft to do the same - if ever (depending on severity). New features are created in most Linux distros at such a pace you can decide on how stable you want the code to be before you actually download and install it be configuring your package manager appropriately. Drive letters? Silliness - Linux has a hierarchical file system and a labeling system with support for both soft and hard links (so you only need one file referenced in several places) which is a lot smarter. The file system is not prone to fragmentation and has been journalled for the last few years for rapid disk repair/block recovery. Ubuntu is not the ultimate Linux for programmers, it wasn't supposed to be. Debian/GNU Linux is probably the better choice for that crowd. For a good desktop or server OS, it's hard to beat. RH and SUSE would be my second choices for a server, but not much is added to justify the new cost models being used.

-R

[bruin556]

I love Windows 7.

[SnWnMe]

Vista was such a slow as molasses joke. I always wonder if anyone tested it before they released it. I'm using Vista until my puter is no longer capable of doing what I need it to do.