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Windows XP - Yes or No?

 
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Windows XP - Yes or No? - 10/15/2001 6:49:00 PM   
Warrior


Posts: 1808
Joined: 11/2/2000
From: West Palm Beach, FL USA
Status: offline 		Well, since I like to have all the latest bells & whistles for my computer, I'm now considering an upgrade to Windows XP. Could those who have it offer some comments about whether it's worth the cost, and in particular how it's working with SPWaW?

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Post #: 1
- 10/15/2001 7:16:00 PM   
Les_the_Sarge_9_1

 

Posts: 4392
Joined: 12/29/2000
Status: offline 		Warrior your decision should be based on whether you have to actually "buy" XP or you can just get a copy. Yes that means giving MS the finger of course. As I understand it though XP is more or less user friendly to older games. I guess SP qualifies as "older games". But I myself wouldnt put XP on my computer unless I was capable of a backwards option of ditching it off the computer if it didnt cut the mustard. And we all know that just because MS made it doesnt mean its good. This has been a non users comments based on reliable print articles in favour of XP, that I am merely passing on to you.

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Post #: 2
- 10/15/2001 8:11:00 PM   
john g

 

Posts: 984
Joined: 10/6/2000
From: college station, tx usa
Status: offline
quote:

Originally posted by Warrior:
Well, since I like to have all the latest bells & whistles for my computer, I'm now considering an upgrade to Windows XP. Could those who have it offer some comments about whether it's worth the cost, and in particular how it's working with SPWaW?
Back 20 some years ago, I was given the advice regarding buying computers (and what operating system to put on them): Pick the programs you want to run, then buy the computer to run them. Most people do it the other way around. If none of the programs you want to run require xp then why switch? I for one will be happy running dos 6.22 on one machine and win98se on the other. That combo allows me to run virtually every program written for msdos/windows. When programs get written that require xp, then I'll make the decision whether that program is important enough to me for me to "upgrade" to xp.
thanks, John.

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Post #: 3
- 10/15/2001 8:21:00 PM   
Larry Holt

 

Posts: 1969
Joined: 3/31/2000
From: Atlanta, GA 30068
Status: offline 		The real XP deal as revealed by Brian Livingston who has written books about Windows (is this enough for you to decide?); THERE'LL BE NO XP FOR ME Posted October 5, 2001 01:01 PM Pacific Time
MANY READERS have written me with the question, "Faced with the choice of Windows 95, 98, Me, NT, 2000, and now XP, which operating system is the best one to standardize on?" After looking at the changes Microsoft has made in its forthcoming Windows XP, I'm recommending that most companies and individuals avoid it. I won't be adding to my line of books a Windows XP Secrets (although someone else will inevitably write a work with that title, and if it's good I'll recommend it). Instead, I'm planning to keep Windows 2000 running on my office network indefinitely. The following are some of the reasons that XP feels to me like a downgrade rather than an upgrade. * You need a Passport. Despite the severe security
weaknesses of Microsoft's Passport authentication
system (see www.avirubin.com/passport.html for an AT&T Labs analysis), XP repeatedly requests the user's e-mail address and password to create a Passport e-commerce account. And Microsoft made Passport a requirement to use Windows Messenger and other features. * Spam I am. The Passport agreement, which you accept when you click OK, permits Microsoft and its partners to send you an unlimited number of commercial e-mail messages. Furthermore, you can't rescind Microsoft's permission to use your e-mail address. You must unsubscribe from every partner's e-mail list individually. One marketing study found that many well-known companies won't take you off their e-mail lists even after several requests (see brianlivingston.com/011008). * We don't need no stinkin' contract. The same
agreement says that Microsoft can change the
contract's terms at any time, merely by editing a Web page. Every time you use Passport, you're supposed to reread this page to see if you detect any changes. Right. I predict that one day the contract will read, "If you use Passport after the 1st of next month, a $4.95-per-month charge will be placed on the credit card number you registered." * Weak Java. Instead of including the latest version of Java support, as a recent Sun-Microsoft lawsuit settlement would suggest, XP will default to a 4-year-old version. Users can get a new Java download, but its 5MB size will discourage many. * No plug-ins. Internet Explorer loses support for all Netscape-style plug-ins, including embedded QuickTime clips (unless you download a kludge from Apple). New users surfing the Web under XP will undoubtedly run into sites that IE will no longer handle properly. I haven't even gotten to XP's Product Activation
scheme. I'll discuss this in a future column. What all these new XP "features" have in common is that they make Windows more convenient for Microsoft but less convenient for users. I think I'll stick with Windows 2000 for a few more years. And after that? Stay tuned. Brian Livingston's latest book is Windows Me Secrets. Send tips to tips@brianlivingston.com. Go to http://www.iwsubscribe.com/newsletters to get Window Manager and E-Business Secrets free each week via e-mail.

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Never take counsel of your fears.

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Post #: 4
- 10/15/2001 10:26:00 PM   
Warrior


Posts: 1808
Joined: 11/2/2000
From: West Palm Beach, FL USA
Status: offline 		Thanks all, you've confirmed what I suspected. I'll stick with my reliable (more or less) 98SE.

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Retreat is NOT an option.



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Post #: 5
- 10/15/2001 10:50:00 PM   
Panthyr

 

Posts: 1
Joined: 10/15/2001
From: USA-PA
Status: offline 		Geez..All I her is critisism of the MS Licensing agreement in Win XP. I'm not sure I have not agreed to the same stuff before with ME or 98... Who reads that stuff anyway.
I have been Testing WinXP RC1 and RC2 for 3-4 months now and I am VERY impressed. I am an OS Upgrader..I have installed and USed 98,98 SE, ME and now XP. I have to Say that XP is by far the most stable OS yet. Now if you have Win 2K don't bother grabbing XP. But if you are using ME or 98 I would whole heartedly reccomend XP.
Besides.. Steel Panth runs great under XP..G! Just my 2 cents!

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Post #: 6
- 10/15/2001 11:17:00 PM   
x6ftundx_slith


Posts: 69
Joined: 12/21/2000
From: fort myers, fla.
Status: offline 		Panthyr hit it right on the head. I've been running XP for a while now and it works great. The best thing I love is NO MORE BLUE SCREENS OF DEATH. I have found that some games don't work at all on XP (B17 bomber) but hopefully as soon as they start selling XP on October 25th that should all be taken care of. I will say that I have had no problems running SPWAW. On my 98 machine it used to die one or two times a month but not anymore. Oh by the way some of the games that you install into XP say that they will not work with NT or 2000 but they do! I also have to commend microsoft (yeah you heard it right) I haven't had to upgrade a single device driver yet. Though as soon as they come out I will do it (commend yes, trust no). Well thats my 2 cents. Commando Solo

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Post #: 7
- 10/16/2001 1:56:00 AM   
Halgary

 

Posts: 52
Joined: 6/4/2001
From: Oulu, Finland
Status: offline 		+ Inbuilt firewall
+ Better looking
+ DirectDraw -graphics seem to be faster (e.i. Steel Panthers: WaW is somewhat faster)
+ Better accessibility. You find what you want more easily.
+ Taskbar has huge improvements
+ As stable as Windows2000
+ Starts faster than any other Windows -version so far. Then again... what's the hurry?
+ If game worked on Win2k, it will work on XP.
+ It is claimed that old DOS-games (Duke3D, Doom) work better with XP than with 2000. Haven't tried though. - Drawing of the GUI-graphics (windows, menus etc) is MUCH slower. Had to switch most of the fancy stuff (shadows, animation) off even though I have 800Mhz Athlon with 256MB of RAM.
- Opera is MUCH slower. Could be inbuilt code: "IF OPERA OR NETSCAPE WAIT 1000;" -feature
- Keeps insisting that information has to be sent to Microsoft. Every time a program crashes I am offered an option to report this to microsoft with my IP-address etc.
- My scanner doesn't have the drivers it needs to operate. Waiting...
- Sun's Java VM crashes now and then (coinsidence?)
- F-secure Anti-virus crashes now and then (does MS have it's own anti-virus software? ;-)
- This colourful, irritating, overly cheerful circus graphics can not be totally swiched off!! I'm running a corporate edition, so I don't know anything about the product registeration -stuff.

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Post #: 8
- 10/16/2001 2:14:00 AM   
Jasper

 

Posts: 174
Joined: 5/29/2001
From: I am from Mars
Status: offline
quote:

Originally posted by Les the Sarge 9-1:
Warrior your decision should be based on whether you have to actually "buy" XP or you can just get a copy. Yes that means giving MS the finger of course. As I understand it though XP is more or less user friendly to older games. I guess SP qualifies as "older games". But I myself wouldnt put XP on my computer unless I was capable of a backwards option of ditching it off the computer if it didnt cut the mustard. And we all know that just because MS made it doesnt mean its good. This has been a non users comments based on reliable print articles in favour of XP, that I am merely passing on to you.
Just for your record...I ahve tried all the OS recently, Win 2000 can run SPWAW so win XP should be able to do so...buy me the software...I dont mind trying for anyone

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Post #: 9
- 10/16/2001 3:09:00 AM   
john g

 

Posts: 984
Joined: 10/6/2000
From: college station, tx usa
Status: offline
quote:

Originally posted by Halgary:
+ Inbuilt firewall
.
What sort of firewall? XP seems to be the hackers target of choice for worms and DDS attacks. I'll still be running zonealarm, but xp systems will be naked to hackers throwing out sub7 and other backdoor programs.
thanks, John. This from Steve Gibson of Gibson Research: On Thursday, June 28th, 2001, I was invited to attend a multi-way telephone conference with seven of Microsoft's top Windows XP executives and developers. I was not told beforehand about the conference's goal, but since only one person would have been required to tell me that Microsoft had changed its mind about XP's inclusion of full raw socket support, I presumed that their top guys had been assembled with the purpose of convincing me that I was wrong. As the meeting got underway it was soon clear that this was the case. Even though it was what I had been expecting, I was disheartened and disappointed; one always hopes. So I had scant expectation of learning anything during the hour we spent talking . . . But I did:
With a bit of horror, I learned that Microsoft's
developers have no understanding of security.
I know this statement comes as no revelation to seasoned security professionals who have watched Microsoft stumble over security time and time again. It's certainly something I've heard said often enough. But to be confronted by seven very smart guys, who quite literally hold the future of the Internet in their hands, and to listen to them rationalize the decision they have already made by explaining why less security in Windows XP does not really matter was nevertheless unnerving. These smart Microsoft techies did not argue about the power for malicious exploitation of full raw sockets in Windows XP, they know it well enough.
Microsoft's argument for full raw sockets' inclusion was
that since there were other — admittedly more difficult —
ways for malicious hackers to achieve the same thing,
there was no point in making things harder for them.

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Post #: 10
- 10/16/2001 5:10:00 AM   
LonChaneyJr

 

Posts: 31
Joined: 10/10/2001
Status: offline 		If you have a Voodoo card you should be aware that Microsoft removed all support for Glide rendering. nVidia was responsible for that decision in case your wondering.

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Post #: 11
- 10/16/2001 7:28:00 AM   
David Heath


Posts: 3274
Joined: 3/29/2000
From: Staten Island NY
Status: offline 		As a Matrix staff memeber let me say that out of all the Windows versions I have used (and I have used them all) this is by far the best. It seems to have taken Mr Gates a while but he has finally gotten it right. I been using it since it first came out and NOT ONE CRASH. It plays everything game including DOS. NO and I mean NO Blue screens of death. Talk about a fast OS. This thing flies. I STRONGLY recommend getting it the day it comes out. I will be one of those guys waiting in line to get it.

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Post #: 12
- 10/16/2001 8:16:00 AM   
Don Doom


Posts: 2446
Joined: 9/23/2000
From: Lost somewhere in the upper backwoods of Michigan!
Status: offline 		I doubt I will get it.
1.]My company has said they will stick w/2000.
2.]You are only allowed six hardware changes per year before it will lock you out and you have to get/purchase a software key from m.s. to unlock it, & the with all the changes I make in a year it would not work for me.
I will stick with 98se or upgrade to 2000.
don

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Vet of the Russian General Winter
For death is only the begining

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Post #: 13
- 10/16/2001 9:32:00 AM   
BomBeer

 

Posts: 85
Joined: 9/8/2000
Status: offline 		It is stable but it does not play all the games I like on my game boxs and Win2k works just fine on my main box. Besides its always best to wait about a year so that all the security problems are worked out with a service pack.

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IYAAYAS

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Post #: 14
- 10/16/2001 3:40:00 PM   
Halgary

 

Posts: 52
Joined: 6/4/2001
From: Oulu, Finland
Status: offline
quote:

Originally posted by john g:
What sort of firewall? XP seems to be the hackers target of choice for worms and DDS attacks. I'll still be running zonealarm, but xp systems will be naked to hackers throwing out sub7 and other backdoor programs.
thanks, John.
I really don't know the differences between firewalls, so I can't answer that. I guess it's at least better than nothing (which was the case when I had Win2000). And when the bugs and leaks are discovered they are fixed (I hope). It wouldn't surprise me if there were huge security holes in that firewall, but I have nothing secret in my homecomputer. I don't have even eMail-software. If someone wants to steal my SP:WaW saved games or my recent Nethack-score he can have them.

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Post #: 15
- 10/16/2001 7:22:00 PM   
john g

 

Posts: 984
Joined: 10/6/2000
From: college station, tx usa
Status: offline
quote:

Originally posted by Halgary:
I really don't know the differences between firewalls, so I can't answer that. I guess it's at least better than nothing (which was the case when I had Win2000). And when the bugs and leaks are discovered they are fixed (I hope). It wouldn't surprise me if there were huge security holes in that firewall, but I have nothing secret in my homecomputer. I don't have even eMail-software. If someone wants to steal my SP:WaW saved games or my recent Nethack-score he can have them.
So you have nothing secret on you home machine, that includes you password file for logging onto services like this? The big danger of xp based systems is not to the system, it is from that system. They can be used to implement a dds, where they dump packets onto the internet targeting someone else, eating up all their bandwidth until they can't get any of their own traffic thru. About a hundred systems will shut down a commercial web site, think what it would be like with millions of xp systems online, the entire internet could be clogged to uselessness with udp packet attacks. With the current tcpip stack (win98,me,2000,nt) it is possible but difficult to do. With xp it is easy, almost trivial to do. Microsoft has been warned of the problem, and continue to let the software go forward. Not to be paranoid, but could Microsoft have a backdoor built into xp which they will be exploiting? There doesn't seem any reason to have the different stack implementation there otherwise. It serves no other purpose.
thanks, John.

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Post #: 16
- 10/16/2001 8:15:00 PM   
Halgary

 

Posts: 52
Joined: 6/4/2001
From: Oulu, Finland
Status: offline 		john g, I guess you are right. Then again: My Anti-virus software is supposed to alarm me if any DoS-troyans or similar infect my machine, so I feel quite confident that this will not happend. What comes to the fact that someone could steal my password and used ID to - for example - Matrixgames -site... yes, I guess it is possible. I'll just have to take the risk. And if you see me posting messages such as saying that the matrix staff is bunch of idiots, you can be pretty sure I got hacked... Are those security holes present even WITH the XP's firewall?

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Post #: 17
- 10/16/2001 8:46:00 PM   
parusski


Posts: 4804
Joined: 5/8/2000
From: Jackson Tn
Status: offline 		Hello everyone. I just purchased a new computer with XP pr-loaded. I have now had the machine for 8 days and the computer has not locked up or crashed one time. The interface is more user friendy-not to mention nicer looking. One feature I am really happy with is the graphics. Colors are brighter and everything is rendered more smoothly. So far this is the best operating system Microsoft has developed. I have had no hardware or game conflicts.. And yes SPWAW works fine-and looks better.

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