Have You Upgraded to Windows XP Yet?
written on Sunday, November 20, 2011 by Larry Chen
Please note that I am aware of the error in the title of this article... I'm just too lazy to correct it. Or... it could be there to catch your attention!
Are you still using Windows XP like an old man? There are pros and cons to not upgrading from that old and potentially "outdated" operating system.
When it comes to switching to a new phone or watching new TV shows, that seems to come as easy as a getting a piece of cake for some people. But for home PCs or computers, upgrading their operating system is something that they would like to delay for as long as possible.
Let's start the pros of not upgrading from Windows XP:
Windows XP is old.
Therefore, it's experienced and reliable, right? Sure, you could say that. For the most part, that is somewhat true.
It's also cheap.
Windows XP is now over ten years old, while many of its users bought and paid for their operating system a very long time ago. If you need to upgrade to Windows 7, you may very well need a new computer, unless you bought a computer with Windows Vista and deliberately downgraded to Windows XP for some reason.
Windows XP is still very capable.
Despite being ten years old, like comparing a young person to an old person, your Windows XP computer is still capable of doing a lot of things. Skype, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Microsoft Office 2010, Adobe Photoshop CS5, iTunes, etc. still work very well with Windows XP. The only downside is that your hardware may not be up to speed anymore, but that'll be fine as long as you don't let Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor touch your hardware.
Now for the cons:
Compatibility issues.
When it comes to some old software, some of your applications may not work on the new operating system. Some have complained that their programs have disappeared entirely once they made the switch to Windows 7 (because they lost their discs) or their programs only seem to work on Windows XP.
Time is running out.
Microsoft has announced that technical support will end for Windows XP Service Pack 3 after April 8, 2014. And at that point, you probably won't want to be running Windows XP anymore, since there will be more updates to the operating system. Because of this, your computer could be open to new threats.
You're stuck with Internet Explorer 8.
When it comes to Internet browsing, and you happen to enjoy using Internet Explorer, Windows XP only comes preinstalled with that dreaded Internet Explorer 6. In fact, they'd like you to stop using it entirely, and have even set up a website dedicated to its death. Check it out at www.ie6countdown.com. But, Microsoft has since released Internet Explorer 9, which is only available to those using Windows Vista or later, such as Windows 7. If you're still using Windows XP, the newest possible version of the browser you can use is Internet Explorer 8... and it's important to use the latest version of a browser!
So, if you haven't made the decision to drop Windows XP and move onto a new operating system, please consider my opinion(s) on this matter!
Thanks for reading (from your stereotypical friend Larry).
Please note that I am aware of the error in the title of this article... I'm just too lazy to correct it. Or... it could be there to catch your attention!