Is windows obsolete now?

[exxos]

I really don't know of anybody else who was reinstalling Windows daily, I used Win95/98 for years until I migrated to 2000 and XP etc, and had none of the issues you're describing. I was changing hardware and drivers all the time and had a nice simple time of it.

I'm not entirely sure why you have so many issues, more so than most.

Moving from 98 to XP was a headache for me, and so was moving from XP to Windows 7. Even trying to move to Windows 11 now, would my programs even work, would they even install? That's not a one-off, that's every major jump I've actually lived through.

The main downside is that it's all work for you to do - Do you want to be doing it?

After playing that game for years on Windows, doing the same on Linux, who cares? I'd be doing tons of work either way, it's always the same.

Also Linux is super fragmented in terms of distros and you don't know what updates will arrive to mess up all your hard work. Sure you can retrieve your updates from GitHub, but they may no longer work.

Same uncertainty I just described with Windows though, and at least on Linux when something breaks I can go and fix it again myself, on Windows I've never had that option.

Also you'll find there is the same issue with publishers not bothering and do you really want all your time spent fixing more and more stuff just because you can?

That's a slippery slope and one of the reasons I gave up managing my own home infrastructure.

Same answer, it's tons of work either way, it's always been that way for me. With how Windows has gone since 7, I'm opting out of that ecosystem. If I'm going to be screwing about with stuff regardless, it's going to be Linux from here on.

[Kochise]

[Same uncertainty I just described with Windows though, and at least on Linux when something breaks I can go and fix it again myself, on Windows I've never had that option.

But what were you doing on Windows to break it that much ? XP SP3 was rock solid. Installation can be done with InnoSetup, based on Pascal language, very robust and install everywhere if you set things properly.

[rubber_jonnie]

@exxos

I'm not trying to convince you to stick with Windows, I get it, it's why I moved to Mac.

I just don't think Linux is really that much better than windows.

Get a Mac, you'll probably be happier...

[exxos]

Get a Mac, you'll probably be happier...

I have had a macbook air for years already .. Somehow think the GUI is still stuck in 1994

[Steve]

Most people knocking Linux haven't properly daily-driven it for years, if at all. I have literally zero problems and zero maintenance to do.

I went through a Mac phase back around snow-leopard era, while I enjoyed Mac OSX it had its own set of issues. While it didn't have disk defragmentation, you had to do something else similar: go into Disk utility and 'restore disk permissions' regularly, since HPFS was so crappy it slowly broke its file permissions as time went on causing the system to slow to a crawl. They probably don't have this issue anymore with their new FS? AFS I think.

But yeah I run standard Debian with Gnome UI on my machines which I just use as 'tools' ie; on my media player PC and on my MS Surface tablet (I love how debian does automatic updates these days, so smooth!)

On my 'main PC' I'm running EndeavourOS which is based on Arch, since it is a little more 'bleeding edge' it gets drivers for my graphics card faster than Debian does. It also has the AUR which contains almost any software I ever need.

[rubber_jonnie]

Moving from 98 to XP was a headache for me, and so was moving from XP to Windows 7. Even trying to move to Windows 11 now, would my programs even work, would they even install? That's not a one-off, that's every major jump I've actually lived through.

Yes and I've been through those steps too and upgraded from DOS to Win 3.11 to 95/98, 2000, XP, 7, 10, 11 etc

Obviously going to 2000 and beyond meant a change to NT technology so that did stuff up some apps, but never for long, at least not for me.

I just didn't hit the issues you seem to have had. If a program becomes incompatible I just updated it and things were fine again.

I find it a bit odd that you have so many issues.

[exxos]

But what were you doing on Windows to break it that much ?

Doing anything with it all really.

XP SP3 was rock solid.

XP was great, it was Microsoft first serious attempt at building a good OS. I only moved from it to 7 as chrome stopped working and I wanted to use a bit more modern hardware. Otherwise I would have stuck with XP.

I'm running a Ryzen 7 in win 7 with nvme drives etc, hardware isn't a issue. But sadly software support is. On one had, no support for old software / devices in updates, so thats broken. Forces me to stick to win7. Which now doesn't get antivirus updates. There is no simple solution. Linux is more forgiving for older stuff. but as to how much software I can get to run.. no idea. worst case, ill use linux for web and unplug win 7 from the net.

I have similar annoyances with my Android tablet which every time it updates something else ends up being broken. Every update they want to either make icons bigger or make them smaller or space them out, move stuff around menus, hide stuff in non-logical places etc, I mean for God's sake stop screwing around with it FFS! Now half the shortcut links are chopped off the screen for some bizarre reason.

That swipe to refresh the screen people have been moaning about for over a decade and they simply won't fix it and every time that happens I end up having to restart whatever I am doing or I lose the work. It's just so insufferable. It just puts me off Android altogether now but this is what gets me back to the point that if I have an operating system I can actually fix things on and turn off annoying "features" then that is something worth pursuing. Windows has lots of annoying things.

So much could be done better with little effort, but stand no chance of microsoft doing any of it. I mean look at the mess it all ended in over them removing the task bar. At least they did listen to people at that point. I don't want to wake up one morning and have everything messed up just because someone at Microsoft decided "its time for a change". no thanks. I want my work PC to be stable and just work and so far, only windows 7 has given me that. Its been great it not auto updating anymore. No more trying to figure out what update broke my system. I really dont want to go though all that again. Probably will with linux, but its just time to move on from windows. it Linux turns out to be worse, then fair enough, I tried. I will unplug win7 from the internet and just carry one.

[exxos]

Yes and I've been through those steps too and upgraded from DOS to Win 3.11 to 95/98, 2000, XP, 7, 10, 11 etc

Obviously going to 2000 and beyond meant a change to NT technology so that did stuff up some apps, but never for long, at least not for me.

I just didn't hit the issues you seem to have had. If a program becomes incompatible I just updated it and things were fine again.

I find it a bit odd that you have so many issues.

It wasn't just me. People I worked with kept running into issues. We used to talk about it all for hours. Someone built me my first 3.11 PC. got it online for me. At some point the modem stopped working, and even the guy who built the PC couldn't work out why. He put 95 on it, then was the war of the blue screen which everyone knows about. Even Microsoft famously plugged in a USB stick and it blue screened during a demo. Thats just how things were.

[mrbombermillzy]

Ive read - and indeed sympathized with - what has been written here.

Rather than write a long winded rant, I will try to keep it short...

I too struggled with the same problems that you did, but found a working solution (for my purposes at least):

1. I have a Debian Linux laptop for internet use and file downloading but also any apps that are available for Linux (i.e. Hatari, Relaunch64, etc), as I generally dislike the later iterations of Windows.

2. I have a Windows XP laptop for my game engine development. This machine has been OFFLINE since its Windows installation process 10+ years ago.

I guess you could do the same with a 'static' installation of W98, NT4 or whatever OS your old legacy apps needed to run on.

Whilst it may be a minor inconvenience to transfer the odd file over by USB every now and then, I dont have to worry any upcoming OS updates trashing any programs or data I may have on the machine, or hackers snooping in my files. You can tweak away, changing things to exactly how you like them and they will still be in the same static (working) state YEARS later!


Im perfectly content with this setup, but then again, I prefer the 'spartan but focused' workdesk. i.e.:

* Im happy to use a £10 phone with just a snake game, rather than a modern smartphone. (Dont feel the need to have more than 3 methods of electronic communication).

* I tend to use Devpac 3 instead of all the modern 'feature rich/overwhelming' cross platform editors.

* If I could have apps run on the 4 colour GEM desktop, I would use that instead; I dont like over complex desktops.

I suppose its kind of like how I get my best ideas when in the WC! Theres less to distract in there and it actually does seem to increase the cognitive sparks!

Of course, it all depends on what you need out of your work environment.

Anyway, I'll leave it at that. Maybe give that setup a try @exxos ?

[rubber_jonnie]

It wasn't just me. People I worked with kept running into issues. We used to talk about it all for hours. Someone built me my first 3.11 PC. got it online for me. At some point the modem stopped working, and even the guy who built the PC couldn't work out why. He put 95 on it, then was the war of the blue screen which everyone knows about. Even Microsoft famously plugged in a USB stick and it blue screened during a demo. Thats just how things were.

Well as I said I find it weird. No terrible issues over the years and certainly no need to be installing the OS daily. All I got was a reliable OS with just the odd issue.