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Giving the Alternate OS forum a bump, as there's nothing new here since the post regarding LXLE OS, and the merits of that system.
I'm looking at the calendar and watching the countdown for the final days of support for MS Windows XP. MS has already stopped patching/updating WinXP and has recently dropped MS Security Essentials for WinXP. Despite their long-term warnings, slowly dropping support, and efforts to migrate users to Win7 or Win8, I have read that approximately 25%-33% of Windows users are still using WinXP?! That is mind-blowing to me!
We are down to the last 2-3 months of a 4 year warning, and while I'm sure that percentage figure isn't that high anymore, I'm equally sure that it's still significant. Inasmuch as these folks are still running WinXP, which hasn't been available since circa 2007-2008, I would assume the following are safe assumptions:
- their WinXP machine hardware is somewhat antiquated and probably won't support Win7 or Win8 very well
- they see no reason to buy a new computer with new OS, as the old one is sufficient for their purpose
- they prefer the "familiar" to something new
What will those folks do? Upgrade to Win7? Upgrade to Win8? Buy a new machine with Win8 on it? Or perhaps install an alternatve OS that will extend the life of perfectly functional hardware? None of these seem to be good options for WinXP users. I can't imagine WinXP-era hardware will sufficiently run Win7 or Win8, and who wants to spend $100+ to find out that it doesn't? I imagine quite a few will continue to run WinXP until it is corrupted beyond repair, then spring for a brand new boogie-budget Win8 machine; but who hasn't heard the many complaints about Win8? Alternatively, I imagine that a WinXP user lacks the tech skills to convert their WinXP to an alternative OS; but if they know someone who can help them, or do it for them, I think I found the PERFECT distro for a WinXP migrator!
Zorin is an Ubuntu-based distro with a heavily customized Gnome desktop designed to mimic WinXP. Zorin Lite is even lighter, with a customized LXDE desktop, also mimicking WinXP. My mother is a typical "average computer user" and has been having problems with her WinXP machine. After the umpteenth repair session, I discussed all the above with her, and she agreed to allow WinXP to be replaced, with the caveat that "if I don't like it, I'm buying a new computer." I agreed, clarifying that "we're only doing this to see if you can SAVE that money you're prepared to spend." So I replaced WinXP on my mother's Dell Mini10 laptop with Zorin Lite and Zorin runs better on that little dual-core Atom processor than WinXP EVER did! Mom LOVES it and has remarked that she was "using it less and less, because of the problems it had, but it's working great again." While demonstrating programs and how to navigate, she noticed the "Z" logo where the Windows "start" menu would be and asked if it was "that new windows?" I explained to her that "no, this is what will SAVE you the $$$ from buying that new windows", but that's how much it resembles what she is used to! After about 5-10 minutes of setting up e-mail, importing browser bookmarks, setting up Skype, and demonstrating how to use things, she was off to the races. I haven't had a computer call in 3 weeks now, which is a vast improvement over the WinXP routine!
In case anyone else is interested, here is the link for Zorin:
Zorin OS - Home
Personally, I would recommend version 6 over version 7, as 6 is based on a long-term support release with 5 years' of security updates & patches. If the machine is a low-resource machine, with minimal RAM, slower CPU, etc... I would recommend the Lite version over the Core version, as LXDE is lighter/quicker than Gnome. If we can help WinXP migrators solve their problem by installing for them, we'll also be helping ourselves by reducing the number of calls for WinXP support. And that has been a beautiful thing!
Spread the word, and enjoy...
I'm looking at the calendar and watching the countdown for the final days of support for MS Windows XP. MS has already stopped patching/updating WinXP and has recently dropped MS Security Essentials for WinXP. Despite their long-term warnings, slowly dropping support, and efforts to migrate users to Win7 or Win8, I have read that approximately 25%-33% of Windows users are still using WinXP?! That is mind-blowing to me!
We are down to the last 2-3 months of a 4 year warning, and while I'm sure that percentage figure isn't that high anymore, I'm equally sure that it's still significant. Inasmuch as these folks are still running WinXP, which hasn't been available since circa 2007-2008, I would assume the following are safe assumptions:
- their WinXP machine hardware is somewhat antiquated and probably won't support Win7 or Win8 very well
- they see no reason to buy a new computer with new OS, as the old one is sufficient for their purpose
- they prefer the "familiar" to something new
What will those folks do? Upgrade to Win7? Upgrade to Win8? Buy a new machine with Win8 on it? Or perhaps install an alternatve OS that will extend the life of perfectly functional hardware? None of these seem to be good options for WinXP users. I can't imagine WinXP-era hardware will sufficiently run Win7 or Win8, and who wants to spend $100+ to find out that it doesn't? I imagine quite a few will continue to run WinXP until it is corrupted beyond repair, then spring for a brand new boogie-budget Win8 machine; but who hasn't heard the many complaints about Win8? Alternatively, I imagine that a WinXP user lacks the tech skills to convert their WinXP to an alternative OS; but if they know someone who can help them, or do it for them, I think I found the PERFECT distro for a WinXP migrator!
Zorin is an Ubuntu-based distro with a heavily customized Gnome desktop designed to mimic WinXP. Zorin Lite is even lighter, with a customized LXDE desktop, also mimicking WinXP. My mother is a typical "average computer user" and has been having problems with her WinXP machine. After the umpteenth repair session, I discussed all the above with her, and she agreed to allow WinXP to be replaced, with the caveat that "if I don't like it, I'm buying a new computer." I agreed, clarifying that "we're only doing this to see if you can SAVE that money you're prepared to spend." So I replaced WinXP on my mother's Dell Mini10 laptop with Zorin Lite and Zorin runs better on that little dual-core Atom processor than WinXP EVER did! Mom LOVES it and has remarked that she was "using it less and less, because of the problems it had, but it's working great again." While demonstrating programs and how to navigate, she noticed the "Z" logo where the Windows "start" menu would be and asked if it was "that new windows?" I explained to her that "no, this is what will SAVE you the $$$ from buying that new windows", but that's how much it resembles what she is used to! After about 5-10 minutes of setting up e-mail, importing browser bookmarks, setting up Skype, and demonstrating how to use things, she was off to the races. I haven't had a computer call in 3 weeks now, which is a vast improvement over the WinXP routine!
In case anyone else is interested, here is the link for Zorin:
Zorin OS - Home
Personally, I would recommend version 6 over version 7, as 6 is based on a long-term support release with 5 years' of security updates & patches. If the machine is a low-resource machine, with minimal RAM, slower CPU, etc... I would recommend the Lite version over the Core version, as LXDE is lighter/quicker than Gnome. If we can help WinXP migrators solve their problem by installing for them, we'll also be helping ourselves by reducing the number of calls for WinXP support. And that has been a beautiful thing!
Spread the word, and enjoy...
