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Retired Microsoft Operating Systems Still Popular
Decaffeinated Jedi writes "Despite Microsoft's recent retirement of Windows 98, News.com reports that many users continue to cling to the company's older operating systems. The study cited in the article suggests that 80 percent of companies still have machines operating on Windows 95 or 98. While Windows 2000 was the most common OS in the study, just 6.6 percent of the desktop machines included in the survey were running Windows XP." The results aren't too surprising. I get a lot of user mail from Netscape 4 users, and it only makes sense that they're running it somewhere.
>>when RedHat (or someone else) gets their act together??????????????????????
Wtf are you talking about??
This is Free Software, that means that you shoudln't rely on some assholes like redhat that makes many out of other people development efforts, then fuck them hard, and start a propietary soft busnisses based on free one. I'ts because of people like you that they are able to do that kind of crap. If you think you diserver Free Software, lern and do it yourself, if you don't keep using your m$ shit, it's the most you diserve.
WTF am I doing replying to an AC at 5 A.M on a Friday night?
If companies realized just how much money they dump into fixing all of the problems Windows 98 is privy to, they'd all be on Windows XP.
and as a freelance computer guy you are not a very good one.
What you said there is so horribly bad advice it's glaring.
if they are running windows 98, I know they aren't running it on P-4 computers with 1.8ghz or higher and 256 meg of ram.
they are running on older machines that CAN'T run windowx XP worth a damn let alone probably at all. so now to upgrade to windows XP they have to replace every PC and then more than likely a large number of their apps. Many older accounting packages WILL NOT RUN on windows 2000 or XP. Now let's look at any specalized software they might have....
If they have 5 computers in the office, their cost to migrate to windows XP will be Extreme.
$400.00 per machine, $100 for XP home edition, $400 for office XP if they cant get office 97 to work right under XP, upgrade their accounting software, and at least 10 more minor expenses due to the changing of the OS.
so now, $900.00 times 5 = $4500.00 Plus hours for someone to set everything up and get the workgroup filesharing working properly (oh you have a server? more $$$!) so we are looking at $1200.00 for 20 hours of a cheap computer technician that is damn good at what he/she does. (realistically this needs to be higher.)
sorry but most companies can afford to blow $300-$500 a month on a computer lackey easier than to down a $5700.00 expense and STILL have to pay for approximately $100-$300 a month for a computer guy to fix user problems/ glitches/uninstall gator again.
They save nothing by migrating as it's easier to pay a lesser amount per month that to rip the guts out of the entire IT infrastructure and replace it with very-low grade computers. and office really needs to spend about $600-$800 per PC to get quality components and a decent warrenty from the manufacturer to limit costs for the next 2-3 years.... (Yes get them DELL or Compaq/HP.. the local computer store is not a good idea for a small company without IT staff.... and get your ass DELL/COMPAQ certified for field repair, so you can request warrenty parts directly.)
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.