Beyond Windows XP

As of April 8 this year, Microsoft ended its support for Windows XP.  This means that there will be no more security updates or patches released for that operating system.  For home users and small business users who are still using this stalwart OS, the implication is when (not if) new vulnerabilities for viruses or hackers to penetrate such a machine are found, Microsoft will not be fixing those weaknesses, leaving users and their data exposed to these threats.  Most major anti-virus vendors are also unlikely to continue with providing updates to the anti-virus and security products for Windows XP as well.  For many users, particularly small businesses, they have kept XP running to support programs that they require.  So, looking forward, what options are there for XP users to operate with less risk in the future?

Windows XP has been Microsoft's long-time mainstay of its product fleet - the old work horse.  Whilst the later versions of the Windows OS, Windows 7 and Windows 8 have been in the market for some time now, there are home users who have not seen the value in upgrading.  Also there are small to medium businesses running core programs that do not run under the new versions of Windows, and financial considerations may have stopped them from going down the upgrade path.  Besides this, there has also been the system changes that Windows 7 and 8 have introduced, particularly under Windows 8, that have made the change for some people a little daunting.  As a professional who originally cut his teeth on Windows 3.11 and Window NT 3.5, then Windows 98 SE and Windows XP, before making the move to Windows 7 and 8, I can fully understand the reticence of some users to change.  I found the changes in Windows 7, frustrating at first because a number of the administrative features had been changed or moved about, and to some extent, locked down more. However, I've learned my way around those changes.  Windows 8 however, I still find confusing, despite using it for a year.  I think that part of the problem is that Microsoft are attempting to make an interface that keeps user's out of trouble by following the philosophy of out of sight out of mind.  If regular users cannot change a setting, there is less chance for them to mess things up.  For power users, who want control, this is an annoyance.  The other part of the problem is that Microsoft are attempting to make one operating system that will work across platforms from mobiles to desktops.  This is a good and worthy concept.  However, as a first to market with this concept, Windows 8 is proving to be unsuited to the desktop/laptop platforms, and will probably continue to be until touch screens become a more regular feature of home computers.

So, is Windows 8 a worthy option to replace Windows XP?  Windows 8 does have a Desktop interface.  Whilst it does not start directly to this, it is easy to get to, and this provides a more familiar interface for long-time Windows users.  However, a large part of the functionality on a Windows 8 computer is now wrapped up in the apps - not programs.  One of the quirks of Windows 8 is that it makes a distinction between apps (like mobile phone apps) and full-blown programs.  If you are a Windows XP user, and you want to move to Windows 8 and have programs that you want to keep running that are usable under Windows 8 - brilliant.  These can run on the desktop interface of Windows 8.  If however, you also utilise web based emails (Gmail, Hotmail, Windows Live, Yahoo, etc), or other Internet based services, these applications are likely to have more recent versions than your old XP programs, that will run on Windows 8, but they are likely to natively run on Windows 8 as an app from the Windows 8 Start screen - which will take you away from the Windows 8 desktop interface every time you want to use them.  Of course, these issues are a moot point if the old programs that you want to keep using do not function on Windows 8.

Mac OSX could be an option, if you are willing to put up with an unfamiliar interface.  Apple have done well over the years to develop an interface that is intuitive, if you have never been indoctrinated to the Microsoft Windows world.  If you are a long-time Windows user, you may find such a change too much.  Also, there is as much chance, if not more, that any old programs you wish to bring with you from Windows XP, will not run on Mac OSX.  In some instances, these programs can be facilitated on Mac OSX by use of the WINE program.  WINE is a compatibility layer that sits between the Windows programs and the POSIX-based Mac OSX operating system, acting a little like a translator.  In some ways however, Mac OSX, like Windows 8, is made for the average user, not the power user. Options are looked down to stop the user from changing settings that might cause them problems.  This fact has actually lead to a trend in the US, where it has been noted that IT professionals are recommending Mac OSX to their friends and family.  The inability for the user to get into trouble, means that these professionals are less-likely to be asked to provide free support to their friends and family.  If you do not want or need to be able to make certain changes to your computer system, this is fine.  However, if you are a power user who wants greater control, this is unlikely to suite your needs.

There are various options in the market from Linux.  For the home and small business user, one of the best things about the Linux stable of operating systems, is the low cost - with most Linux operating systems being free.  However, there are some trade-offs for this low cost.  Firstly, there are so many Linux operating systems out there now, that it is often difficult to know which one to choose.  The interfaces of these systems range from mimicking Mac OSX, to doing a very reasonable impersonation of a Windows system, and everything in between.  In my professional opinion, Linux Mint, and Zorin OS, are the two Linux systems that most closely replicate the older-style Windows interface, and will therefore feel the most familiar to long-time Windows users.  Compatibility between Windows based programs and the Linux OS can be bridged in some instances by the WINE compatibility layer.  The clear advantage of these two Linux operating systems being their look and feel is very similar to Windows XP and Windows 7 - unlike Mac OSX.  The other advantage, particularly for home users, is that many popular programs that exist on Windows, are now available on Linux as well.

In the options presented above, the key concept of avoiding the vulnerabilities and threats that Windows XP will be afflicted by in the future, is to move to an operating system that has an outlook for a number of coming years of supported operations, and can expect security fixes and patches to be provided over those years by the vendor.  However, as noted, these options are not without their draw-backs, and may not be able to facilitate the older programs that you want or need to keep running.  If this is the case, there is another option - the use of a virtual machine.  For the uninitiated, this is essentially the creation of a virtual (sort of imaginary) computer, inside another computer.  The concept being that you upgrade your main operating system for your real/physical computer to one of the options mentioned above, then install on it a virtual machine management system such as Oracle's VirtualBox.  Provided that you still have the installation media for Windows XP, you can then create a virtual machine with Windows XP installed as the operating system, and then you can install and run the older Windows XP programs on the virtual machine.  The downside here is that you are still running Windows XP, and if the virtual machine is connecting to your network or the Internet, then it will still expose the same security vulnerabilities as a physical Windows XP computer.  However, the risks of this can be limited, by limiting the use of the virtual machine.  As an example, if you still need Windows XP for running your business' accounting software, you could run the virtual machine for 30 minutes a day to do the accounts, then switch it off.  Mean while you could continue working with the other applications such as MS Office on your physical/real machine.

To wrap this up simply, there are options for what to do with your Windows XP computer, and they all have draw-backs.  The worst option, is to ignore the problem and do nothing, leaving you with a computer that will be at an increasing risk of being hacked, or suffering a virus.