April 18, 2014…Microsoft announces that as of this day, it will no longer support Windows XP.
I hope that my readers will consider this moment in geekness as just a notch below the attention level we Floridians typically give to hurricane warnings. Just as we want to avoid being in that cone of uncertainty or worse yet, in the direct path of a storm, computer users need to know what will happen when the proverbial lights go out on your operating system.
I began this piece with an announcement that Microsoft will cease supporting their XP version of Windows next April, at which point XP will go the way of Windows 95, 98, 2000 and ME versions. But what does this really mean to you? It’s a mixed bag, actually. To begin with, you’ll no longer receive those often annoying automatic updates. But along with that comes the absence of security patches, which will most likely expose vulnerabilities in your computer’s coding that professional hackers are already scheduling their time to exploit. And, bringing up the rear is the eventual inevitability that Windows will crash, the screen will go dark and you’re left with nothing but an especially heavy paperweight.
Your choices are to upgrade to Windows 7, primarily sold through resellers who get machines in off corporate leases, an option I recommend to my customers who are hesitant or completely adverse to upgrading to Windows 8, the colorful, but much ballyhooed latest version with those tiles mirroring tablet but without the familiar start button and other functions traditionally-oriented users(including many IT professionals) prefer.
A viable alternative gaining in popularity is going to an Open Source system such as Linux. Open Source options have the added attraction of being completely legal, absolutely free and compatible with most Microsoft and Apple operating systems. These Open Source systems, used extensively in Europe, adhere to goals for providing vehicles supporting a more open community of users. Because they do not copyright their systems, there are no licensing fees, a major revenue source for companies like Microsoft, and these substantial savings are passed along to the consumer.
Readers can sign up for my free e-newsletter which provides more of the specifics about Open Source operating systems and software but here are the broad strokes. Disks available for distribution contain a fully integrated package: an operating system (Linux) semantically equal to Windows, a complete Office suite (Libre Office) mirroring all the functions of Microsoft Office, a choice of two web access portals for surfing the internet, establishing and communicating via email as well as accessing familiar search engines. With some minor insignificant differences such as the absence of copyrighted logos and icons, the screens are virtually indistinguishable from the software you’re already using.
Concluding comments: All Word documents, PDF’s and other previously scanned documents are fully compatible with this system. Users can easily send and receive documents that are readable, meaning that they’ll “open up,” ensuring that none of your files are lost in translation!