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Creaky Operating Systems Form IT Foundations
maotx writes "The Washington Post has an article on how aging operating systems are still widely used. The article states that "The research firm IDC estimates that of the roughly 514 million paid-for copies of Windows on desktops and laptops worldwide at the end of 2004, almost 21 percent were the aging Win 95, 98 and Millennium Edition releases." That equates to around 108 million copies being used."
That equates to around 108 million copies being used.
Don't forget the Linux-installations, which are mainly used to get pirated copies of Windows.
Then there are the pathetic sheep who like to post gripes about people making negative comments about their precious OS:Windows. Fucktards like you will just jump in and start commenting on how it's so "lame" to call a spade a spade and tell the truth. And why do you do that? Hmmm? Maybe becuase you think it makes you look "cool" since you are trying really hard to not be a part of what you percieve as "sheep" when in reality you are just supporting the mainstream option. Go figure! Loser.
No disrespect, man, but if you had to reboot a 98se box every day it's cuz you're doing something wrong. This thread has been filled with people relating similar experienced to mine - having a 98se/lite box with SIX MONTHS of uptime. USB, wi-fi (hell, wi-fi is just a NIC like any other, you can have wi-fi in 95 if you want) and all other "modern niceties" you mentioned are readily available on my 98 box thanks to upgrade patches, maybe you've heard of those. They're the same things the XP users have to get three times a day to plug all their security holes.
"clean and stable"
XP is clean and stable?! Are you trying to be funny? Having worked intimately with every MS OS ever released since DOS 3, I can honestly say XP is the worst piece of shit I've ever seen in my life, from a user perspective. If it's low level internals are so much more clean and stable how come a) it CRAWLS (this would seem to belie "stable"), b) it's HUGE (this would seem to belie "clean"), c) it's more full of holes than target practice swiss cheese?
I'm not trying to be a dick, but seriously, what on Earth can you point to to back up this "clean and stable" nonsense? The thing is a massive kludge! Name any other OS ever whose average length of time until it's infected is FIFTEEN MINUTES!
And I wasn't karma whoring, in case you didn't notice my defense of 98se/lite got modded into oblivion by the *nix knee-jerkers around here... I'm no MS fan, they've done very very few things right ever, but 98se was one.
"and maybe even provide some fascimile of security"
HAHAHahahah, OK I get it, you ARE trying to be funny.
They will never stop until somebody makes the
You are one of the most Linux-centric bigots I have yet come across on /.
I have an old machine running Windows 95, which doesn't even like Windows 98. It refuses point blank to run Knoppix, Ubuntu, Linspire or even Gentoo (after many rounds of trying to install drivers).
Distributing coasterware is exactly that - you'd be giving people a CD they *do not want* which *will not run*.
I'm all in favour of getting Linux onto the desktop more, but until it meets a few criteria it's not going to.
It's got to have the 'it just works' factor of Windows.
It's got to have some standards.
It's got to have a community which doesn't believe it can solve every problem known to man.
I know I can make Linux run on my toaster should I wire the right components in, but that doesn't mean I can make it work properly on my iPAQ.
- End Rant -
How many people can read hex if only you and dead people can read hex?