Refurbing some auction PC's with out-of-life XP Pro. Decent basic machines. Caught in the time warp to the right is my laptop (also feeling a bit of age but still kicking with Windows 7).
Thoughts on still running XP Pro after end of life?
And… can we no longer edit pics and add text to them in G+ or did I totally miss that when I went to edit today???
Retro Sunday
Refurbing some auction PC’s with out-of-life XP Pro. Decent basic machines. Caught in the time warp to the right is my laptop (also feeling a bit of age but still kicking with Windows 7).
Thoughts on still running XP Pro after end of life?
And… can we no longer edit pics and add text to them in G+ or did I totally miss that when I went to edit today???
Google+: View post on Google+
Post imported by Google+Blog. Created By Daniel Treadwell.
you lost me at time warp. ;p
You should be able to edit – I could the other day – so it may be a glitch.
+Ryan Prince When I did the edit, I could only adjust tone and instagram type things. I did not see all the other options (I had not tried this in quite a while).
Odd.
I have mixed feelings about running XP after sunset. It still works great, but no longer gets security updates. You could use it for stand alone gaming rigs, etc.
My only firm quibble about XP on the internet is the problem with viruses joining the computer to a network of bots.
Why don't you install Linux on them? 😉
I second Linux (or BSD) on them. Actually looking for something decent locally for a home server. Current one isn't doing the job with the Apple file serving. MiniDLNA seems to be fine.
All for Linux!
I've yet to find a Linux variant I enjoy. I REALLY REALLY REALLY want to walk away from Windows, but what I have tried with older machines and Linux so far has been a headache. Admittedly, these are newer than the last ones I tried so maybe it would work better.
What's a minimal footprint, maximum GUI user friendly Linux variant I should try?
+Scott Cramer Try Ubuntu or one of it's derivatives like elementary OS, Linux Mint, Deepin, Ubuntu GNOME, Kubuntu or Xubuntu.? They're all basically built on the same Ubuntu base but use different desktop environments, thus giving different user experiences. I suggest using an LTS version like 12.04 or 14.04.
Will have to give it another go. Got about 8 more of these back at the office. I tried Xubuntu a while back with some help from the tech savvy +Jim Gomes but the old computer I was using foiled me at every turn. In the end, running Windows worked much better on it.
Speaking of Linux this is one of my favorite episodes of XKCD: xkcd.com/149/
+1 for +Ubuntu from me as well. Not sure if the old champs on your desk are up to it, but 14.04 is smooth and stable.
Love ubuntu personally, but Linux mint is a really nice one to try, probably the most windows friendly feel
I will give it a try. It might work really well to stretch a couple of these machines out and use them in our warehouse. That was the original intent, but the machine was TOO old, I think. It was slow as all get out and I had nothing but trouble with drivers.
Scott – give Linux Mint XFCE a try. Do not try Ubuntu or Kubuntu or anything that runs Gnome3 – on older hardware. Stick to XFCE or LXDE desktops for now.
How old is older hardware? These are DELL Optiplex 745's. Intel Celeron 420 @ 1.6GHz with 2GB of RAM. 😉
I'd say they qualify in this instance. Gnome3, KDE, and Unity are more resource intensive than XFCE and LXDE.
lots of "ooh shiny"
Consider also taking a look at Crunchbox Linux. It runs incredibly fast
+Scott Cramer Ubuntu 14.04LTS maybe too new for your machines, but do try 12.04LTS and it's flavours, especially LXDE Lubuntu and XFCE Xubuntu.
Agh. In my head I have the "I WANT TO BELIEVE" poster with a flying Linux logo. I'm techie, but my mind revolts at trying to sort out all the flavors to get the right one. Whereas I want Linux to take over and kick windows out of the OS world, it never will if it confuses even a techie. Sigh.
Still… on the plus side, going to give it a try.
What I'm hearing…
Ubuntu 12.04LTS… how do I know what flavor? LXDE Lubuntu and XFCE Xubuntu?
Crunchbox Linux? Sounds like a breakfast cereal.
LOL it does sound like a cereal. I personally think the out-of-the-box experience is best with Linux Mint. Better than any *buntu.
+HEX cube Linux mint opinion?
+Adam Tyler Heh… I missed your comment earlier! Yes, I like that one 🙂
+Scott Cramer Linux Mint has this Windows 7 like Cinnamon desktop on top of a Ubuntu based system. It also has multimedia codecs preinstalled, so that it can play proprietary formats like MP3, MP4, avi, etc 'out of box'. If you're trying Mint, I suggest Linux Mint 13 which is based on Ubuntu 12.04LTS.
And about Ubuntu flavours, they're remixes of the same Ubuntu base but use different desktop environments. Ubuntu uses Unity desktop by default. Lubuntu and Xubuntu are two lightweight flavours of Ubuntu that use LXDE and XFCE respectively.
The XFCE version works fabulously though without being a system hog. In about 2 months the new version 17 will be out based on Ubuntu 14.04 LTS.
Thanks guys! 🙂
Warning for those still using XP—today windows announced that if you are using Internet Explorer it has a super huge security risk so change your browser. My personal favs are Mozilla Foxfire or Google Chrome. My oldest son has Ubuntu and has always been pretty happy with that as an OS. His Ipad and his laptop rarely agree with each other though.
LXDE is a good lightweight desktop that should be familiar to Windows users