First yes it is your own choice. It should be an informed choice though. This is why I asked the question why on earth would you want to do this? it was to try to find out why a person wouldn't want to update to the latest operating system so we could debunk the mith that it is a bad idea. First you speak of the interface. There are a number of start screen alternatives that run on windows 8 that will give you the interface that you might want. Secons windows 8 is faster and more stable. 3rd if you have programs and most of us do that use the speech API windows 8 provides a better speech sinthasizer built in. now lets talk about file management if you have files you want to copy you can start copying files and then switch back to explorer find something else to do and add it to the list and it will do it all at once. Even if you don't want a new interface get a start screen you like and use the advantages of windows 8. It doesn't have to be a learning curve. Also with window eyes learning the new start screen isn't even something you have to bother with. Just open the start screen press control tab to see all your apps and press insert tab to get a tree of all the apps that are there. Use search on the start screen. Lets say you want to run Microsoft word. So you type word. Arrow down the first option will be word pad the second option will be word. Press enter. Your done. finely the point I maid earlier still stands. Older operating systems as time goes buy get less and less support. It would be more productive to the user to help him set up windows 8 to his liking verces recommending old software.
-----Original Message----- From: David [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Saturday, January 11, 2014 7:42 AM To: Jim Grimsby JR.; 'MJ Williams' Cc: WE English mailing list Subject: Re: using windows xp Jim, May we please keep this in a low tone. Smile. First of all, whether a user wants to upgrade to Win7 or Win8, may have to be a decision of his. And, even if you personally like the new Windows and its interface, the fact that Microsoft had to release version 8.1, mainly due to the market not accepting the new interface of Windows8 and requiring that certain features were partially re-initiated, should tell its own story. Well-equipped sighted users are complaining about Windows8, and many places you will find suggestions to stick with Windows7. Even as late as two days ago, the local dealer of Window-eyes, went out and told customers here, only to upgrade to Windows8, if you are ready to shoulder the task of all the challenges. OK, I have read some of your other postings, and it seems you are one of the gang, who loves new things and new challenges. Yet, for many a user, going from XP to Win7, will pose more than enough for a challenge - let alone to lern a totally different layout and interface. In one way, if people first want to go Windows8, why don't they make the full plunge, and turn apple? Or, Android? Or, Linux? My point is just this, don't belittling anyone, just because they decide to stop at Windows7 level. I have already been struggling enough with Windows8, that I have absolutely all understanding for anyone who keeps their hands off. There still remain a bit of work on both the Operativ System, and the screen reader. Not to even mention the many apps that may be more or less useless for a blind user. Unless you are well aware of which apps you install on the Windows8 machine, you could soon enough end up in a mess. And, that is not just my words, but the experience from a number of users. As such, if a person now happens to not want the many challenges, Windows7 will still be enough modern, that he well enough can be running for quite a while yet. In our next token, maybe I got your posting a bit wrong. But to me, it seems you are talking from the perspective of a person, sitting in a country of wealth, and with a fair enough amount of money. Promise you, there is many countries - even in the industrialized part of the world - who are facing that heavy ecconomic challenges, that upgrading a million computers, simply is not a realistic thing. I am aware, that every time Microsoft - or, any other manufacturers of software - has pulled the plug, this kind of discussion has come up, and run hot for several weeks. The net is full of arguings to the better and the worse of this upcoming pull. The only thing that is to be remarked right here, is that this time it is taking place in a moment when many countries are in the ecconomic backyard. Parts of the world - like Southern-Europe - which makes up a fair enough amount of computer users. I am not going to tell what will happen, as I am just as much a human as everyone else. But I still wonder if XP will be in daily use on more computers than you want to imagine, even way after April 14, this year. The manufactures of hardware, will have to deliver what the market can afford. And so far, I haven't seen much for hardware that cannot handle XP. May I even point out to you, that quite a number of hardware products today, can handle not only anything from Windows98 and up - but also is being produced to work multi-platform, meaning they work just as well under Linux and different versions of Mac. To tell that Windows XP is old, is well enough. But it still is not obsolete. True, it will not receive further support and development from Microsoft, but I do wonder if we will see it running on quite a number of computers even for yet a good amount of time. True again, many software and hardware manufacturers may stop telling their customers their products can be run under XP. But just because you don't test your product on an XP machine, and just because you stop guarantee the stuff to run under XP - does that really mean that it will not work? Again, noone of us knows what will be the situation in a few months. And namely therefore, we should be careful in telling people "what is the right thing to do". It would be encouraged that people upgrade, but whether they want the huge challenge of going to Windows8.1, or they simply want the fair step into Windows7, I really think should be a decision of everyone in person - that the rest of us should respectfully accept. Or, would you tell any existing Win7 user, that they are old-fashioned and ready for the old-folk's home? Surely, you would not. Microsoft is still supporting Win7, and I haven't seen any notification as to when that OS is going to be stopped supported - unless you have any such information. GW just released version 8.4 of the screen reader - still supporting XP. So, for those who still run XP, they can at least use a version of the screen reader, that may as well stay quite up-to-date for yet a long time. OK then, maybe GW will release 8.5 on April 15, and that version may no longer support XP. Does that mean that it is impossible to run under XP, or, does it mean that GW no longer will be testing and guaranteeing it under XP? Only GW would be able to tell, and from earlier experience, I guess they ain't going to - until the next release is a reality. But even GW will have to face the fact of the ecconomic situation of a number of their customers. As a matter of fact, even more countries are turning low now, and we see that some places where the authorities have been willingly paying for upgrades for the blind people's computer and screen reader, now adays tighten the bands. No, I am not trying to paint a black wall of the whole thing. I just want to point out, that things are no longer what they used to be. Everyone was told that Win7 was the only right way to go, and you would soon enough be out of business if you did not go down that lane. Approximately the same time Win7 was introduced, the first wind of Ecconomic crisis hit. Judging from the number of people still running Xp way up to only a few weeks before the plug is pulled, I'd say Win7 did not prove to be the only right way to go. If it had, why then Win8? Or, why at all, Win8.1? Enjoy your top-modern daily living, but please respect people who still cannot afford, or don't want to go all that same modern. Personally, I find it was well worth not to run for the newest. It sure has saved me a bunch of money, and even more frustration of complications in running the modern stuff with a screen reader that only partially supports it. And, sorry, even the Windows 8.1 with Window-Eyes 8.3, has lacks and glitches. The WE8.4 was only released two days ago locally, so I haven't had chance to test if the glitches have been tightened. Unless such is the case, I would much agree with the local Window-Eyes dealer over here, that people should still stick with nothing higher than Win7 for a bit longer. GW are working hard, and they will likely get better support as time moves on. But up till now, I have had way too many cases of not being fully supported in Windows8, that I have kept my old systems running for daily usage. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jim Grimsby JR." <[email protected]> To: "'MJ Williams'" <[email protected]> Cc: <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, January 11, 2014 3:40 PM Subject: RE: using windows xp > Why on earth would you even bother? People xp is just old. Forget the > bad > advice also about updating from windows xp to windows 7. Windows 7 is > also > old. Update to windows 8 avoid the fragmentation use the wonderful > support > that window-eyes provides for this wonderful operating system. > > Even if you did save all your updates that is not going to save you from > breaches. It is also not going to save you from the fact that more and > more > software is just not going to support xp. Don't bother. Get in to the > real > world and update your operating system to windows 8.1. > > > -----Original Message----- > From: MJ Williams [mailto:[email protected]] > Sent: Saturday, January 11, 2014 6:14 AM > To: GW Micro Product Discussion Listserv > Subject: Re: using windows xp > > On The subject of XP updates, I remember a posting on this list detailing > how to preserve all updates and to save them on a CD. If anyone knows > what > I'm refering to and has access to the information in said message I would > be > grateful for a copy. > Please feel free to contact me privately with your reply if the subject is > offtopic for this list. > Sincerely, Matthew > At 12:25 11/01/2014, you wrote: >>for those using xp until such time as gw says support will end on this >>date I would not worry. your computer will wtill work. Yes true you >>won't get updates. However if it's not broke don't fix it. if your >>going to upgrade use windows 7 in my opinion. >>If you reply to this message it will be delivered to the original >>sender only. If your reply would benefit others on the list and your >>message is related to GW Micro, then please consider sending your >>message to [email protected] so the entire list will receive it. >> >>GW-Info messages are archived at http://www.gwmicro.com/gwinfo. You can >>manage your list subscription at http://www.gwmicro.com/listserv. > If you reply to this message it will be delivered to the original sender > only. If your reply would benefit others on the list and your message is > related to GW Micro, then please consider sending your message to > [email protected] so the entire list will receive it. > > GW-Info messages are archived at http://www.gwmicro.com/gwinfo. You can > manage your list subscription at http://www.gwmicro.com/listserv. > If you reply to this message it will be delivered to the original sender > only. If your reply would benefit others on the list and your message is > related to GW Micro, then please consider sending your message to > [email protected] so the entire list will receive it. > > GW-Info messages are archived at http://www.gwmicro.com/gwinfo. You can > manage your list subscription at http://www.gwmicro.com/listserv. > > If you reply to this message it will be delivered to the original sender only. If your reply would benefit others on the list and your message is related to GW Micro, then please consider sending your message to [email protected] so the entire list will receive it. GW-Info messages are archived at http://www.gwmicro.com/gwinfo. You can manage your list subscription at http://www.gwmicro.com/listserv.
