Thing is with XP there is plenty of vunrabilities that cannot be fixed at all in a permanent manner. They are there and they are safe-ish due to workarounds deployed in updates. When those stop all is open. Also yes XP might be 30% market but lots of vunrabilities in 7/8 will also be in XP (or the least partially be there) as at core it is still NT kernel. If you want to keep XP then start using Chrome as IE8 has its own major issues that are not going tobe patched (many more that are not yet detected). Get a proper antivirus package like mentioned AVG for example or Avast. With regards to windows 8 I love it. VEry simple to use, much simpler then XP when you reaslise that all you need to operate it is mouse scroll wheel, left button and to make life easier (but not a must) windows button on keyboard. Not starting a war here but Apple also says no to udpates to older systems and/or older devices. That is normal for any software/hardware. Same goes to cars/bikes where at one stage parts are not made anymore.
Win 7 is the way to go, Microsoft is going to release Win 9 next year as Win 8 has been met with such derision, in fact the guy in charge of Win 8 Steven Sinofsky was fired by Microsoft
I'll keep mine going on XP until something goes wrong...... .....I'm reckoning by that time I'll either be dead or computers will be defunct.
Im using Linux on my desktop at work now. Good for remote administration as at work I connect into all manner of stuff (im a sys admin) but can be a pain in the arse as one distro builder decides he wants to do thing different than the next guy....bit of a black art really. Having said that I do run a win box in VMware so I can always drop back to that if I need to.
There are plenty of reasons to keep XP - cost of upgrade, applications in use, familiarity, upgrade paths, and so on. Just shouting "use a Mac!" or "switch to Linux" is about as useful as telling someone to buy an R1 if they want more power from their 1098. The problem with XP is the unknown vulnerabilities. MS is dropping patch support for XP from April, but Vista, Win7 and Win8 all have common core components with Windows XP and so any patches made to those could be reverse engineered to see if those faults exist in XP. People with dodgy morals could then use these unpatched vulnerabilities to gain access to your machine and do all sorts of nasty things with it, from taking all your documents, monitoring your usage to steal your passwords and empty your bank account, to using it as a spam relay without you even knowing. Even if you run antivirus or antimalware it doesn't keep you safe because it's all things that are not known yet and so the av can't protect from that either. Chances are that you will be fine if (a) you take reasonable steps to protect yourself, and (b) you know what you're doing. Just read up on CryptoLocker if you think that getting rid of malware is a trivial matter!
Cryptolocker we had entire hotel infected with that because of one user. He got a warning from antivirus and still clicked ok to install. Best is he done it again 2 days later. It is the same person that managed to infect mac so you could not login as admin anymore or access your HDD.
I use windows 8.1 and it's probably the best windows package I have used. I liked XP but it did fall down quite badly at times, for me anyway. I have had less trouble using Windows 8.1 than I have ever had. Having said that I only use it because it came with my then new laptop, I wouldn't rush out and buy it or upgrade to it until I had to.
Never need support for XP. Mac is a pile of shit! I have around 20 Pcs and prob 5 macs, the macs are a need that's all, shame they can't see the light! But hay... people buy them and use them even though your limited on what you can do. PC are very flexible unlike Mac crap.
Ive both macs and a windows 7 machine at home. xp was good and w7 is great. no issues. I run only a free antivirus (AVG) on the pc and the windows firewall that is built in. The mac runs only its oem firewall. All software is up to date and is constantly checked to ensure patches are applied immediately, But! I dont surf for porn. I dont torrent. I dont install shite. I only install legit software. No rips or hax. I carefully watch what is installed. I block pop-ups and never use IE. Only Mozilla on PC and Safari on mac. My mac is set up to request password for everything. No passwords for critical sites are stored in any browser. Or in my mac Keychain. I internet bank ONLY on my mac. I never open unknown attachments, ever. The shields up on here is useful - https://www.grc.com/intro.htm On my w7 machine there is virtually nothing in system tray. I hate these things that auto install them so I switch that shite off on xpconfig thing on system start-up. Mouse and keyboard people are the worst for these. Guys at work have so many they fill the bleeding task bar then complain their pc is slow.
PC's are shite for music. Monolithic construction of the OS is a weakness. OSX or Unix will always top trump it Andy. PC's are good all rounders but master of none. The mac is a master at music and media.
What a load off. 24bit, 48hz sound was present on my PC in well before y2k scare. No other eqquipment had it and it was said it will never catch on. Currently my creative card has the most clear sound I ever heard on flac format. Os has nothing to do with it, drivers are the only thing that counts and "creative" was always doing it the right way or not at all. They were the 1st one's to put seperate CPU's on sound cards to handle sound effects on home equipment. In fact they got so good their chips made way to MAC hardware later on including early ipod classics. Currently idea of dedicated CPU for sound is back and high end graphic cards have it on board so you can generate high end sound via HDMI (optical out) with no loss in FPS. Different reason as to why creative did it but same solution.
Nuts to you Lucz. Look at any media studio or music studio. Its all macs. The reason? Because pcs are monolithic thus it all has to pass and mix with everything thats running on the pc. The mac is ported to the software so all music is kept separate, thus any 'noise' is minimised. Now this info is secondhand, granted. Gotten from my late Father. Head of Engineering for Nippon Telecommunications. He understood 'noise'. It may be the case that PC's have improved subsequently. But its still all Macs in media and if PC's were better they would be on PC's. The market dictates.
Do you even know what you are talking about monolithic LoL. MAC using intel CPU (same as on PC) uses intel motherboard (same as on PC just different shape) that uses chipsets that control same ports as on PC. Same memory works in MAC and PC, same HDD works in MAC and PC, same graphics work in MAC and PC. When Intel era started in MAC they became essentially identical to PC hardware wise. Same of the shelf chipsets, CPU's and rest. Difference was in MAC most of those things came as one board (no ability to swap over) in PC you had to buy them idependantly so cheap sound card that just makes noise (so cheap that they became integrated) or expensive one for better quality. Well the market decides in company where job needs to get done full stop. However lots of those artisty people buy macs because they are belived to be fashionable, good to be seen with. Nothing to do with what company needs. Case point Dorchester hotel in London (proper 5*) all MAC's ...... that is till you go on user end of the device where it runs windows XP. Tell me what is the point?
monolithic means all the sofware runs INSIDE the OS. Windows. It is integrated into the OS. So if you install a 3rd party software it will be woven into the OS. On a mac or unix etc the OS is separate to the software. When music software is installed onto a windows PC, the music software therefore is linked to all the other software that may or may not be running. When it is installed on a unix based machine, which is what OSx is. The software runs on its own with no direct connection to all the other software. The OS simply directs the input outputs to where they need to go. This is why you simply delete software on a mac and not 'uninstall' like you do on a PC. Dont get defensive either. I like PC's. I have both.
Hahaha, nice... whatever next, people will be saying the only system for music is an Atari ST....lol PCs rule man, end of, and there are plenty of hi end sound cards that will rip a mac to shit!!! Same as video, loads and load of high end video cards that eat macs for video etc, macs are still in use as a few insist on writing software for them, they are nothing but designer brand junk.
Thats becuase you do not understand Andy. You just 'react'. When music apps and I mean proper music apps, not itunes or winamp, but high end emulators etc for real music production used by professional producers etc run on a PC theyt are subject to the 'electronic' noise generated by the OS and all the other things installed and running. Thats why macs are used, as the sofware isnt interwoven and any electronic 'noise' is minimised. It isnt a preference or a fashion, its a reality dictated by the 'mechanics' of the machines. How they operate. PC's are great. There Ive said it. But like racing you would race a superbike not a freaking tourer. You use the approriate tool for the job. For everything else other than music production you would be just as better off with a PC.
Well that's not what the pros say, when reading through the age old question "what's better for music production PC or Mac" the pole has moved to favour the PC, IMO some years back I'd have agreed but not now, noise is minimal IMO, and anyway who uses on board sound synth to produce pro music on a PC or Mac?
