This year Microsoft’s support for Windows XP ends leaving all of them high and dry without any support though normally this would not be a problem but Windows XP users are very loyal to the operating system itself mainly because it has been one of the best and reliable operating systems created by Microsoft.
I know for me that is a very strange thing to say but personally Windows XP does have its problems but of all the Microsoft Operating Systems it was very reliable, robust and most importantly easy to use. After Windows XP Microsoft’s operating systems have gone downhill both in usability and efficiency of resource usage to a point it is absolutely ridiculous in Windows 8.1!
This stopping of support of Windows XP by Microsoft is going to cause major problems with the XP users as they are very loyal to the operating system and like the interface and feel of the operating system and bar a few are very dubious about Windows 8.1 especially because of it’s looks, feel and lack of real usability.
My personal recommendation to these Windows XP users who do not want to use the later versions of Windows is to take the plunge and move to Linux especially those distributions which use desktops which look similar to Windows XP so the learning curve in the switch is minimal. Add to this it would also mean the Windows XP user would not have to change their hardware as if anything the Linux will give their old hardware a new lease of life.
There will be those Windows XP users out there who will say that such a change would mean they could not run software they currently use but this would of also be true if they were to upgrade to Windows 8.1 as they would have to change the software anyway so they would be in the same position.
The other worry some Windows XP users will have is the loss of data in the change of operating system which simply will not happen as Linux will still read the Windows files and large majority of associated Open Source software will allow the import of Windows files so not a real problem.
In conclusion I recommend that Windows XP take the plunge and convert to Linux especially those Linux Distributions which use similar desktops to Windows XP as they will find they will continue to use computer with a familiar desktop and use their existing hardware saving them money and heart ache in the long run.
Finally the Linux distribution I would recommend because of it’s closeness to Windows XP in looks with a wide availability of easy to use Open Source packages and the fact it works on old hardware so well is Linux Mint with the xfce desktop which can be found following the link http://www.linuxmint.com/
Please Note: If you are interested in a more personal journal of mine just follow the link to Acta Spiritu Amisso.
The Chronicles of a Steam Powered Storyteller 