FOR WINXP USERS:

Windows XP has been in "extended support" for several years now, with patches and updates limited to "critical fixes" but with nothing available for routine maintenance or to accommodate the use of new features implemented in things like Java, HTML, etc. Despite still being used on about 40% of all computers worldwide (~60% of which are pirated copies?), the current plan is that ALL SUPPORT WILL END IN APRIL 2014.

Those who have continued to receive critical updates for WinXP must recognize that new vulnerabilities continue to be found, and patched. New vulnerabilities will continue to be found, but WILL NOT BE PATCHED once support ceases, so the exposure to malware for anyone who continues to use WinXP will zoom, possibly disastrously.

The options for anyone wanting to continue using Windows (and Windows Programs) are Vista, Windows 7, or the still pending Windows 8.

Although the release for distribution of Win8 is scheduled to come a little before the "final death of WinXP" many advisors consider the schedule "optimistic" and do not advise waiting for Win8 before replacing WinXP. Even if the release schedule is met, early releases will need some "shakedown" before the majority of users really should plan to buy into it, so going directly from WinXP to Win8 is probably not a good plan.

Many WinXP machines will not be capable of running Vista, or of running it usefully, and it's becoming difficult to get a new machine with OEM Vista. Win7 is capable of using more machine resources than older versions, but minimum requirements are not really clear. Investigating whether you have a machine capable of running another Win OS now so you'll know whether to plan for a new computer is recommended.

The eventual Win8 is intended to be able to run on "simpler machines" (smart phones, pads, notebooks) but it's not clear whether typical WinXP machines are "simple in the right places."

(Going directly from WinXP to Win7 is a significant "culture shock." Going directly from WinXP to Win8 may look more like a "meltdown of civilization," so you may want to look some at how they differ as part of your decisions.)

ONE DISCUSSION FOR WINXP HERE

FOR LINUX USERS

For some time, a preferred method of getting a Linux machine has often been to buy a machine with OEM Windows installed, and replace the OS (or dual boot) with a free or purchased distro of Linux.

Windows 8 is intended to incorporate a feature now being called "Secure Boot" that prevents the machine from starting from an "unsigned" boot program. The feature will be implemented in HARDWARE that essentially replaces the customary BIOS chip on the motherboard. Recent malware appearances have been able to modify the BIOS so that the malware is installed before the BIOS boot and the threat is significant enough to justify some solution, although votes are still out on whether Microsoft has the best one.

There is at present NO AGENCY responsible for the necessary "signing" of OS variants, so it's not clear whether something will be worked out; but there is the very real possibility that you will NOT BE ABLE TO INSTALL LINUX on any computer purchased with preinstalled (OEM) Windows 8. There is a suggestion that an alternate OS can be made usable, but only if the OEM maker has the "signature" and incorporates it in the chips at the time of build,(?) and at present there's no clear way for the required signatures to be created or distributed to OEMs – or to induce them to include them.

ONE DISCUSSION OF THE LINUX SITUATION HERE

Watch news sources for further developments.

John