Any people still using XP?

Not neccesarilly to crunch.

Do you have any get arounds for issues where XP has been locked out of services?

Internet wise youtube for eample?

I put BOINC on a Win 7 PC but I use XP as my primary day to day primary PC as it boots quicker and copes with most of the tasks I need of it and can do anything Win10 (without the candy) can do... It is also easier to network.

Anyway... Anyone still using XP?

Hey, I have an old Laptop Asus Z9100L, which I haven't thought about for years.
.........
Now I'll just try to connect to my WIFI.

I could only find a Russian site about Asus Z9100L for some odd reason.. It's a 1.2ghz machine?

Superb as an XP office machine. Low wattage so could also be a good choice for home automation..

Personally I would not run BOINC on a laptop.

Most of the problems with XP isn't that it is not capable but that web technology doesn't take account for it.

I still use Opera 12 as my primary browser and it copes with many things but stresses over some new useless inventions.

There are many web pages that looked the same as they did 10 years ago but no longer are easy to view due to problems with javascript or CSS. Why?

Want to add some software to your Z9100L take a look at portablefreeware. Not all XP but portable and won't mess up your system.

I've understand that XP isn't that safe to use anymore, mainly because there are no more updates for it?
However, I still got it installed in one of my old PC's. It's disconnected from internet, has software for different kind of network gear, ham-radio configuration and some things that don't support 64-bit systems. But there is interesting open-source project for a XP-clone; https://www.reactos.org/. It has nothing to do with Linux, and has regular updates running. It's in alpha-stage, tough. May be worth of looking.

I've understand that XP isn't that safe to use anymore, mainly because there are no more updates for it?
However, I still got it installed in one of my old PC's. It's disconnected from internet, has software for different kind of network gear, ham-radio configuration and some things that don't support 64-bit systems. But there is interesting open-source project for a XP-clone; https://www.reactos.org/. It has nothing to do with Linux, and has regular updates running. It's in alpha-stage, tough. May be worth of looking.

Unsafe is a relative term. I don't think I have had a virus on my computer for many years (since I understood what was happening.)

ReactOS is an interesting project. It is more windows 2000 in visual style. It's updates do happen but have time inbetween.

I don't think they have enough funding or interest because of the concept that XP is \ was unsafe to make ReactOS a viable alternative.

I'm not promoting XP above other systems.

My PC that I am typing to you now is not unsafe.

You can't get into this PC even if I gave you my IP unless you could break my service providers (Virgins) firewall.. and then break my internal firewalls.

You might be able to do DOS attacks but that doesn't mean the OS is unsafe.

XP is a wonderfull OS. Obviously as it is no longer updated it can't take advantage of new hardware.

(I'm not anti linux.. I'm just chatting about Windows XP stuff..)

Win98 was great too.. but it did have the odd habit of BSOD every so often.. Just like Win3 (or even more with Win3.11 + 32bit)

Does anyone remember the Calmira shell?

I have had an XP machine running for 3 years in the past with only a couple of reboots that I instigated myself.

It's not an arguement whether winXP is better than Win7+ ... but more about enjoying XP and if we can extend and continue our usage.

The idea that it is dangerous and will steal your soul I suspect is marketing ploy.

It does have issues though. Primarily web tech (CSS, Java, JS...)

It also has been targetted by site that once provided certain data or media but now expect SSL certificates that XP no longer holds even though the data is exactly the same it was 10 or even 20 years ago? Why?

There are ways of getting around this.

IIRC XP updates are still available, but only if you have a license for >1000 machines and pay M$ for the updates.
Tons of ATM's are still running XP and will be for years too come.
But even updated, IE is not your friend. It uses/allows many insecure security protocols which any attack site can use and get full access.

As to those security certificates, IIRC at least one ROOT certificate was stolen a few years back allowing anyone, er the thieves, to sign anything and it would be fully trusted. The security community tried to revoke it, but it is a ROOT certificate. Hence browsers and the like have new sets of security certificates and the ones signed by the stolen certificate are dead, unless your browser hasn't been updated.

XP is a fine O/S. IE is a good browser. They just can't be allowed to wander unrestricted on the net. Firewall them and limit the IP's that they can visit.

... ... Tons of ATM's are still running XP and will be for years too come. ... .

I guess 'tons' = 100s of thousands or millions worldwide in publicly vunerable places?

That concept it self is a statement of it's stabilility!

... But even updated, IE is not your friend. It uses/allows many insecure security protocols which any attack site can use and get full access..

IE is a pretty simplistic browser but doesn't really allow access to anything unless you give it some pretty broad perspective VB permissions.

I use IE to serve simple framework websites running on internal python scripts as a cheap alternative to building a GUI. It works great for that.

I doubt any web-attacker would even bother targetting IE6\7 these days which makes it probably increadibly safe.

Most people install far more invasive software these days on their modern OS's.

They happily upload the whole content of their address books, photo albums etc without any concern.

... As to those security certificates, IIRC at least one ROOT certificate was stolen a few years back allowing anyone, er the thieves, to sign anything and it would be fully trusted...

Only ever an issue if the actual IP of the end service is unknown or compromised.

For example a thief would also have to steal the IP of paypal or intercept trafic and even if they created an acceptable approximation of their website would also have had to also of stollen some part of the paypal database for user \ password (and finger printing) login.

Non of this is XP related except that it is dated in terms of web technologies..

A statement I agree with.

... but then there are browsers and ways of resoling much of this.

XP is a fine O/S. IE is a good browser. They just can't be allowed to wander unrestricted on the net. Firewall them and limit the IP's that they can visit.

True of any OS.

I don't even rely on the internal firewall of whatever flavour of Linux is up this month.

Interestingly whilst we don't tend to think of CSS as an executable (like javascript for example) it can cause a whole load of issues.

A couple of years ago the CSS (bootstrap based?) on this and many sites used to crash my browser.

Again not really XP based issues.


Perhaps a western forum is not the best place to chat about the usefulness of XP.

As said before I do have other OS's. Was just interested to see what other XP'ers thought.

... and chat about ideas and solutions..

My Win8+\10 machines I had to cripple and hack as I was not happy how these fully updated firewall machines were sending too much data outwards. (Potentially to those uncertificated IP's everyone keeps talking about)...

Oh the irony...

at the time the ROOT certificate was stolen it was ROOT enough to change DNS entries internet wide ... but not XP related.

The last 3 old desktops with XP on them here (plus a few of cartons of what I regard as obsolete hardware) left my shed this morning which has given the shed about another 2 cubic metres of free space and an enthusiast in old PC stuff is very happy. ;-)

Cheers.

I've always just gone with the flow and updated my mother's two Windows computers whenever a new OS comes along, and have never had a problem. I did the same with my iMac until it got too long in the tooth for OS upgrades.

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

As I still use DOS, 95OSR2.1, 98, 98SE, and XP SP3, and have plans to run 1.04, 286, and 3.11, I don't see what the problem is; none of my OSes before 98 are on the Tinterweb using a browser, but they are connected to the net via Packet BBS, and the World via Amateur Radio.

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Some web browsers that work and have active development for XP:

Basilik
Borealis
http://rtfreesoft.blogspot.com/search/label/browser

Mypal
Newmoon
https://github.com/Feodor2/Mypal/releases

Slimjet?

Others.. (Not For Me.):
Advanced Chrome Custom Build.
K-Meleon Goanna


I prefer Basilik (or Mypal \ NewMoon.)

All of these browsers I have run via TOR so can be extra secured if required.

I recently resurrected my Samsung netbook that had not been working working since 2013

My newer Dell netbook stopped working a few weeks ago, that has Windows 7 Starter Edition

Both only have 1gb RAM

Samsung was easier to fix, just needed a new charger.

I have been using XP steadily for SETI for over 15 years. It still works fine. Seems to me I read somewhere that you cannot download BOINC for it anymore but don't quote me. I use it for non-critical other stuff too. I will until it won't work anymore. I seem to have less issues with Skype using it for some reason.

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