Posted on 02/01/2014 1:57:57 PM PST by ShadowAce
The Windows XP death clock is ticking away. While Microsoft has extended support for malware protection, do not be fooled -- XP will be officially unsupported on April 8. If Microsoft has its druthers, these XP users will upgrade to Windows 8 and maybe even buy a new computer.
However, there is a problem with this -- the Windows 8 UI is radically different from XP and people do not like change (especially people clinging to an operating system from 2001). Also, they may not need to buy a new computer, because their existing is probably fast enough... for Linux!
Yes, Linux is far less intensive than the arguably bloated Windows. And so, if a user wants a supported operating system that should work well on their existing, but aging hardware, a Linux-based OS may be the best choice. The problem is, what distribution should a user choose? What software is available? No worries, I'm here to help.
Introduction
First things first, what exactly is Linux? Well, technically Linux is a kernel -- not an operating system, but an aspect of one. However, there are operating systems, called distributions, that utilize that kernel. It was invented by a man named Linus Torvalds in 1991. Yes, Linux is hardly new -- it has a long history and a large user and developer base.
It is used in many things such as web servers and even Android phones. Believe it or not, if you own an Android phone, you are already a Linux user and probably didn't even know it -- nice job! Don't confuse this to mean that Linux distributions will run Android apps, they are not exactly compatible.
Why
So, why should you switch from your comfortable Windows XP operating system to a Linux one? Besides Windows XP support ending on April 8, here are some other compelling reasons:
Backup
Before you do anything, I urge you to backup your files -- pictures, documents and anything that is important to you. You can do this a number of ways, but the easiest is to use a fat-formatted flash drive or external hard drive. You can copy the files back once the new operating system is installed
User Interface / Environment
Before you can pick a distribution, you must decide on an environment. You see, many distributions come in various "flavors", which offer different environments or user interfaces. Let's be honest, if you are still on Windows XP, you probably do not like change. With that said, the ideal environment for an XP user would be KDE, Mate or Cinnamon -- all of which resemble the classic Windows Start button philosophy.
However, my suggestion would be the Mate environment. While KDE and Cinnamon are great, they are likely too intensive for an older XP machine. Mate is a lightweight desktop environment that isn't flashy. It is easy to use and a Windows XP user should feel very comfortable with it.
Distribution
So, which distribution do I suggest? Linux Mint 13 LTS Mate. What is nice about this operating system is that it is LTS, meaning Long Term Release. What does that mean? Well, it will be supported until April 2017. This means you will have access to updates and support for many years. You will not be on the bleeding edge, but you will be very stable.
Most importantly, it is based on the popular Ubuntu distribution, which is a rock-solid foundation with access to a lot of software (packages). It is available for both 32-bit and 64-bit processors as well. You can download the operating system and user guide here. Please follow the guide to install it.
Software
OK, so let's assume you've successfully installed Linux Mint by following the user guide. Now what? You want to install Microsoft Office and Internet Explorer right? Not so fast there. All of your favorite Windows programs are not here. Don't panic though, there are plenty of fine alternatives that are not only great, they are free. Yes, you will no longer need to purchase software for your super-cool Linux computer. Below are some suggested programs and the Windows equivalent.
That is just a small sampling of what is available. There is a cornucopia of programs available in the Software Center. This is much like the app store that can be found on modern smartphones. You can search for, install and remove software using this one-stop-shop. This is unlike Windows which makes you search all over the internet, at various sites, to get programs. Not only is that time consuming, it can put you at risk of malware too.
Speaking of malware, Linux can be considered, for the most part, free of things like viruses. While some viruses do exist, they are few and far between. Besides, whenever you install something in Linux, you are prompted for your system password. If you do not know what is being installed, do not enter your password.
Conclusion
So, congratulations, your computer is now supported until 2017 and it cost you nothing. You have a powerful operating system that is chock full of useful software and is less likely to get viruses. You should be proud of yourself. While Microsoft may have lost a Windows sale, you now have extra money in your wallet -- take a loved one out to dinner, courtesy of this BetaNews guide.
Do you realize how many millions of XP desktops are left “out there”? It is not the U.S. alone we are talking about here. Since XP, the linux kernel has come a LONG way and the desktop builds around the kernel have become very powerful and fully featured, so much so that companies like Microsoft are working on protocols and ways to break open source rather than embrace it.
The games and stuff don’t have to be free.
Someone can port an older game, with permission, but then have a paying version with improved graphics and stuff. It would be interesting to see something like that.
Not just games of course but other programs too.
“XP has been rock solid for nearly 10 years running all that equipment.”
See my post #79. You may be able to run that CNC equipment on Linux using Wine. Your specialized software won’t appear in Wine’s online catalog of software, but it may not have to. Often older programs written back in XP’s day can run just the same in Wine. You’ll never know until you try. If it installs and runs, then you’ve saved a bunch of money.
Another idea is to take all those XP machines off the internet completely. A virus can only get a system that is online. If you’re running them as dedicated CNC machines they don’t have to be. Have a Linux box for all internet stuff and the XP machines disconnected. And make sure no one can plug in an infected USB.
I TOTALLY agree!!!
Your ‘average’ Win XP user would be FAR more at home on Linux rather than Windows 8x. I couldn’t imagine deploying that pile of crap in a business of any kind(Windows 7 was bad enough).
My daughter bought a new machine last year with Windows 8 on it, and I found it to be barely usable(I didn’t spend much time on it). As a matter of fact, just the sight of the UI angered me for some reason. It also caused our cat to get sick, and made our garbage disposal stop working.
What sucks is how the XBoxONE has the same look to it, and it causes me to spend more time playing the PS4 instead.
Oh my God! Be careful what you wish for. Could you just imagine what kind of feedback the spelling/grammar features would give?? If you create a duplicate file name, rather than prompting for an overwrite, the newer one would just disappear. Also, if you get too far out of line, your computer could become unusable, because you'll be banned from your OS. ;^p
“Windows XP home users should upgrade to Linux”
Yeah. Right. Most home PC users don’t even know what a Folder is, much less how to install an entire operating system, including drivers unique to their hardware PLUS a whole set up applications, particularly a system like Linux that STILL ultimately involves a plethora of text-based configuration information.
That’s pretty much like saying all homeowners should quit buying pre-built houses and build their own houses from scratch.
“If you create a duplicate file name, rather than prompting for an overwrite, the newer one would just disappear.”
No, no, no! On the FReepOS 2014 Edition files are randomly double-duplicated. You also can’t delete or edit them once you save them.
That’s a FEATURE, not a bug. :-)
Games: Valve’s Steam service and indie game developers are making more and more new games that run on Linux. I was really surprised at some of them, like “Amnesia: The Dark Descent” for example.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M627-obxNzg
Gabe Newell, who used to work at Microsoft back in the early days and is a co-founder of Valve, has good instincts about gaming and thinks Linux is going to be the future dominant OS of PC games.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gzn6E2m3otg
Just make sure that 32 bit system is selected.
Red Hat is a billion-dollar company.
I agree with you completely.
lol!!
I have two machines running on my desk. One runs XP and the other runs Ubuntu as a virtual machine host(Hex core and 28GB of ram). The only thing that keeps me from running all Linux all the time is my favorite programming editor PSPad. Although I could probably just run it on a XP virtual machine under Ubuntu. I like having two machines, though, hardware is always breaking.
Have you ever checked out the Linux releases that have been tailored to ham radio users’ needs? Pretty nifty software bundling.
I have some old programs on the XP that also work great but will not probably not work on newer platforms
Try running them on Linux using Wine.
If you are thinking of, or need to stay in a Windoze environment and positively don't want WinAte, keep in mind that both Win 7 Pro and Win 7 Ultimate have the 'run as XP' option not available on Win 7 Home. Whether that would work for any of the programs or hardware you have mentioned I don't know, but I do know it works here for an older scanner for which there are no Win 7 (or even Win Vista) drivers. It is at least something worth investigating.
On this end I'm either re-braining with Win 7 if the machine will handle it or going Linux. Have one desktop already on Linux (Mint 16) and one laptop ready to do a Win 7 install on.
And then there's the oddball that is fighting me but I'm pretty sure I can beat it into submission and get a Linux distro of some flavor on it. (Problem that has arisen is that it seems that to run off a Linux live DVD it wants to load the entire iso into ram so the libraries are available. This then maxs out the ram on this laptop and strange things happen. Something I'll get back to next week. Working on music for tomorrow right now.. ;-)
I’ll confess. I fear all this monkeying with my working computer. What I know about all this Linux, Wine, Mint, Win7 Pro/Ultimate, etc is what I just wrote in this sentence......nothing more. Life is so nice turning the computer on and happily and effectively using my functional XP, Office 97, Firefox or IE, Photoshop, a half dozen weekly hackercrap-finding, and a dozen or so old very useful and functional programs. Right now my life does not need this frustration and assured outrage.
What do I fear? I try to load some major brain content transplant and the computer boots to a blue screen with lines on nonsensical words and numbers. Then as I load the programs I love, they won’t work. In comparison to the average person, I’m probably have good technical abilities but the years of experience practicing those abilities have established my FEAR.
even with STEAM it is a slow start so far
lol
In reality it would most likely simply be a redressed distro
Lol, people complain of a few things in windows 8 that are annoying and easily fixed and the solution is an OS that has never been mainstream and practically requires one to recompile the kernel on a regular basis as part of its standard operation. This is a friggin joke.
I upgraded to Windows 8.1 and liked it a lot.
I actually however, use Linux. Windows 8.1 is very nice however.
My compliments to Windows this time.
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