Is this the last days of Windows XP?

I am often asked by librarians when they are buying new pc's should they buy Vista or XP. In March of last year I did a blog on that very question. My stance then is the same now. XP has proven to be very reliable, robust, and is for the most part user friendly...when all the updates, service packs, and patches are in place. And the adage of "if it isn't broken, don't fix it" applies. And so when asked this, I encourage them to purchase XP. Well, If you are a fan of XP, I have some bad news. As of this writing Microsoft is planning on pulling Windows XP off the market on June 30th.

I am questioning the timing of this by Microsoft. I could understand if a product has "passed its prime" or a newer product comes along that is far superior to the previous. But in this case, I believe this not to be true on both fronts. Why would you not give your consumers a choice when a product is still working very well? And in many cases better than the "newest" product?

As of this writing Microsoft is planning on pulling Windows XP off the market on June 30th.

However, I want to reassure those who like and want to continue using XP, Microsoft is continuing to support XP. When I say support, Microsoft will continue to offer “Extended Support”, which covers online security updates, online Microsoft Knowledge Base sites, and if you desire, paid support until April of 2014. If you have questions about the support life of XP, you can go to this website for more information. http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifepolicy

Going back to that earlier blog I anticipated and stated that as I learned more about Vista I would write about it. Well I have tested it and worked with it. But each time I kept thinking "this is so much easier in XP". Not to mention the sluggishness of the machine, and the incompatibility with software and hardware areas. Unfortunately this has left Vista out in the cold for me. So,I never really pursued blog items on Vista so far.

I do believe Microsoft will make much needed additions/changes to Vista. But until then, I still say XP is the way to go........that is until June 30th. Let's hope Microsoft has a change of heart and extends the shelf life of XP until Vista becomes better suited.

Do you have a comment on this? Let everyone hear about it..post a comment.

Microsoft Video, information by viewing

Microsoft has a new online video site dedicated to the viewing of Microsoft/Windows related products, topics, and discussions. It is called Microsoft Video. Right now it is in beta form, so it's still a work in progress. But it already has some interesting videos posted.

In browsing just within a 10 minute period I came across a number of topics. For example, If you have Vista, there is a how to video on finding and organizing files within Vista. If you have office 2007, there is a video about the top 10 tips and tricks for maximizing Word 2007. And if you didn't know it, there is a new Internet Explorer coming out (IE 8) in beta form right now. And there is a demonstration video that talks about two cool new features within IE8 called "activities" and "WebSlices". (See below to view this video)

You can usually get a link to the video topic out to the side of the video if you want to go to that site or service page. A search function within the site lets you seek out topics too. But a search by categories makes it very useful. The categories are Audience, Products, and Solutions. You can also sort by the ratings, title, date, and number of times a video has been viewed. You can even rate and comment their videos, which gives feedback for future content.

I wouldn't say there is anything direct or specific to libraries, but all of the AALS library's are using Microsoft products. Perhaps you can learn some things that will help when teaching a class. Or picking up some tips just for your everyday uses of Windows, or looking at new technology. To view videos from within their site, you will be prompted to install an application/plugin called Silverlight.

I have included the video of the new features within IE8. Again, to view this and any of their videos, you will be prompted to install an application/plugin called Silverlight.

So grab your Starbucks or favorite beverage and enjoy an example of Microsoft Video.




If you have any comments, I would love to hear from you.

Rodney