You're probably just being paranoid. I had the same reaction to Vista- 'it's the end of the world, and I'll never have a good OS again'.
Fortunately, OS replacement is never so cut-and-dried as we, in our paranoia, love to hate to think. As long as you don't buy a new laptop, you'll
never have to use Win7, or Vista, for that matter. I'm typing this on my main box, which still runs XP. Heck, the only PCs that can't be easily
'downgraded' are laptops, because some of the drivers they use can't be found for anything but the most recent OS.
I agree on every point about stupidity and the lack of choice involved. Modern OS design is moving slowly toward the Apple model: user-friendliness, at the
expense of those who know what they're doing behind a keyboard. I get the feeling that Linux is the only place to go for an OS that still assumes that its
user has a pulse, and that this will only become more true as time goes on. I can't give up my WinXP, as much as I may want to, because I'm a gamer
(and so need M$ to run my games), and lazy (so I haven't bothered with emulation or VMs).
My strategy for dealing with Microsoft OS changes is to have two computers. My desktop uses the OS I like best, even if it isn't the newest. Then, I have
a modern laptop, so that I can keep familiar with the newest OS. If I decide I like the laptop OS well enough, I'll upgrade the desktop. If you wanted to
have just one computer, dual-booting them is a good replacement option.
The point of all this is not to worry about what Microsoft is doing. You can't change it, and you'll drive yourself mad if you think you can. Just
find a way to hold on to the OS you like best, until something modern is released that you can enjoy just as much.
My Unitarian Jihad Name is: Brother Atom Bomb of Courteous Debate. Get yours.
I've been writing a bit.
Fortunately, OS replacement is never so cut-and-dried as we, in our paranoia, love to hate to think. As long as you don't buy a new laptop, you'll
never have to use Win7, or Vista, for that matter. I'm typing this on my main box, which still runs XP. Heck, the only PCs that can't be easily
'downgraded' are laptops, because some of the drivers they use can't be found for anything but the most recent OS.
I agree on every point about stupidity and the lack of choice involved. Modern OS design is moving slowly toward the Apple model: user-friendliness, at the
expense of those who know what they're doing behind a keyboard. I get the feeling that Linux is the only place to go for an OS that still assumes that its
user has a pulse, and that this will only become more true as time goes on. I can't give up my WinXP, as much as I may want to, because I'm a gamer
(and so need M$ to run my games), and lazy (so I haven't bothered with emulation or VMs).
My strategy for dealing with Microsoft OS changes is to have two computers. My desktop uses the OS I like best, even if it isn't the newest. Then, I have
a modern laptop, so that I can keep familiar with the newest OS. If I decide I like the laptop OS well enough, I'll upgrade the desktop. If you wanted to
have just one computer, dual-booting them is a good replacement option.
The point of all this is not to worry about what Microsoft is doing. You can't change it, and you'll drive yourself mad if you think you can. Just
find a way to hold on to the OS you like best, until something modern is released that you can enjoy just as much.
My Unitarian Jihad Name is: Brother Atom Bomb of Courteous Debate. Get yours.
I've been writing a bit.