2008/6/11 Dotan Cohen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: <snip> > > > [1] Rightly or wrongly many companies will feel they *have to* stop using > XP > > when Microsoft withdraws support from it. > > I do not think that they can expect security updates or new features, > but I doubt that the OS will 'stop working' in the sense that it does > when one does not activate it. If a company or individual wants to use > an unsupported OS, then why not? I know of people still using Amigas, > and those haven't been supported for over a decade. >
That's why I said "rightly or wrongly". Many companies simply will not use an unuspported version of anything. Of course security is an issue but many companies will have firewalls and anti-virus software for that. But they still won't continue with an unsupported OS. Logic doean't really enter into it. It's **policy**. For a good study of company policy, see http://www.mwls.co.uk/anecdotes/5monkeys.htm > > Re Linux: I am not a "gadget freak" but I do have several gadgets - PDA, > > mobile phone, flatbed scanner, all-in-one printer, PCMCIA WiFi LAN card - > > for which I can find absolutely no (or only very complex) Linux-based > > support. All those gadgets came with special software for e.g. syncing > > contacts with a PC. Most of the gadgets, but not all, also came with > > equivalent software for Mac. None of them came with anything for Linux. > The > > scanner will do OCR but then wants to run MS Word to display the result. > > These things may be possible under Linux but they are certainly not "out > of > > the box" which is what people nowadays expect. People want to display > and/or > > backup and/or print their photos. They do *not* want to learn the > > intricacies of NDISwrapper in order to get their bluetooth phones to > work. > > They also want the software to come from the company that makes the > gadget. > > On a CD. In the box. It really isn't unreasonable. They don't want to > have > > to learn about computers, any more than they want to learn how to strip > down > > their car's engine; they have lives to lead. My wife's bank runs an > internet > > banking scheme that will *only* work with Internet Explorer. We have > tried > > complaining but ... > > Which gadgets and peripherals, specifically? I'd like to write to the > manufacturers and request support. Well, for example, an HP Scanjet 3770 with ReadIris Pro 9 OCR software that scans into MS Word's .doc format and then invokes MS Word so you can view/edit the result. Under Linux, how would I use it to scan into an OpenOffice document and invoke OOo, for example? Feel free to propose a different solution using the same hardware, free software and the same ease-of-use. Oh, and the whole thing is started by pressing a button on the scanner; in other words that button generates an interrupt of some sort that some piece of software recognises. Or a Linksys WPC54G PCMCIA wireless network card? I grant that these *may* be possible. I'll bet they are not simple. Stripping down a car engine is not a lot harder than learning the relevant command line switches for "make" or "cc". And a goodly part of the problem is the uncertainty. Every time one buys a gadget one has to scour the net looking for drivers which may not exist "yet", installation instructions, support when it doesn't work and on and on. With Windows, if the gadget doesn't work one takes it back to the shop and complains. <snip> -- Harold Fuchs London, England Please reply *only* to [email protected]
