Hi Dark, There are several things, but the advantages you get from upgrading to Windows 7 aren't necessarily the things you personally are looking for. As I understand it you want some specific advantages in word processing, playing mp3s, web browsing, or sending/receiving e-mails. If that is the only thing that matters to you than I can not give you a single advantage in upgrading past XP, because none of those things have changed or will continue to change regardless of what operating system you use. I can however list a number of advantages of upgrading to Windows 7 that are of general benefit to everyone.
1. User Account control. I know when this feature was first introduced in Vista people hated it. After a number of Windows updates, service packs, it is a lot more configurable in Windows 7 than it use to be, and it closes off a major security hole in XP which allowed any program to run with admin rights. Now, it gives you, the end user, the choice to run or not to run a program with admin rights giving you greater security over viruses and other malware. 2. The power of a pure 64-bit operating system. Now, the advantages are often a bit technical, but the upshot is the ability to support more memory, faster processors, larger hard drives, and other more modern hardware. At the moment getting new hardware might not matter to you personally, but sooner or later you will need a new laptop, desktop, or perhaps a tablet and you will need an OS that can run on it. XP can not and wasn't designed for alot of the hardware out there today but Windows 7 is. 3. Availability of applications and software. Already XP users are being shut out of upgrades such as windows Media Player, Internet Explorer, Windows Live Mail, and other Microsoft products. I figure when XP is officially dropped early next year many third-party venders will similarly follow suit and you may find it difficult finding new apps and games for XP. If you care at all about getting new version of apps you may have to upgrade to Windows 7 to take advantage of newer software and games. 4. XP compatibility mode. As you know Windows 7 Pro comes with an XP virtual machine, XP compatibility mode, that allows you to run older games and apps in Windows 7 with relative ease. I have used it many times to play older games, and to be honest it is a nice way to have your cake and eat it to. If compatibility is a huge concern buy XP Pro. 5. Support from Microsoft. On April 14, 2009 Microsoft ended mainstream support for XP. That means there is no free support for XP, and you have to pull out your wallet any time you call them up with a question about XP. They also switched over to releasing security patches for XP, but have not added any features or updates since Service Pack 3, nor do they plan to. Come April 2014 even that minimal support ends and XP users are on their own. Any security holes etc can and will be exploited without any support from Microsoft. So it will be unwise to hang on to XP after that point. Point being it is your computer, you can do whatever you want with it, but those five reasons are all good things to consider before dismissing Windows 7 or Windows 8 as unnecessary upgrades. You can not simply base an operating system's value based on general things like web browsing or word processing as those things have not changed in many years. Cheers! On 12/17/13, dark <[email protected]> wrote: > ne problem however with that kind of attitude is that, as I said, humans are > > very good at getting used to things, indeed you'd be quite amazed at some of > > the things some people have got used to. > > my question about windows 7 was a very simple one. given that I know I > could! get used to the interface, is the time it'd take me to do so worth me > > spending? what would windows 7 give me that windows xp doesn't? > > it was to answer this very question after having a long debate about it on > the list that I went back and tried the os again after the initial afternoon > > I spent with it. I did conclude at that point that I could get used to the > way things worked on windows 7, ---- but I just didn't see any actual > bennifit to doing so, not like the bennifits I got from say learning how to > > use the very different interface on my Iphone. > > What "ins and outs" of the os do you suggest I missed during my examination, > > given that i was specifically interested in those things i use my computer > for and whether windows 7 would help me do them better. > > Beware the grue! > > Dark. > > > --- > Gamers mailing list __ [email protected] > If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to > [email protected]. > You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at > http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. > All messages are archived and can be searched and read at > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]. > If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, > please send E-mail to [email protected]. > --- Gamers mailing list __ [email protected] If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to [email protected]. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to [email protected].
