Author Topic: Anyone still on Windows 7?  (Read 5201 times)

WhitstableDave

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Re: Anyone still on Windows 7?
« Reply #15 on: 18:49:48, 14/01/20 »
Saying you don't understand a program because it's compiled not hand crafted in assembly is like saying you don't understand walking because you didn't build your legs.
I disagree. I'm talking about understanding the machine code, not the source code (which of course is far easier to understand, being written in a high-level language). The most efficient programs in terms of size and speed are the ones written in assembly language. Compilers produce executable code less efficiently than assemblers do, therefore it's more difficult to decipher or understand disassembled compiled code than disassembled machine code.

And by the way... I'm not saying that I don't understand how modern operating systems work - I'm saying that no one does!
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ninthace

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Re: Anyone still on Windows 7?
« Reply #16 on: 19:02:25, 14/01/20 »
Assembler was fine for low level applications but I am not sure I would like to run a spreadsheet or a browser in it now (I think Excel is in C++ these days although it started in assembler).
« Last Edit: 19:06:27, 14/01/20 by ninthace »
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Rob Goes Walking

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Re: Anyone still on Windows 7?
« Reply #17 on: 19:04:35, 14/01/20 »
I disagree. I'm talking about understanding the machine code, not the source code (which of course is far easier to understand, being written in a high-level language). The most efficient programs in terms of size and speed are the ones written in assembly language. Compilers produce executable code less efficiently than assemblers do, therefore it's more difficult to decipher or understand disassembled compiled code than disassembled machine code.

And by the way... I'm not saying that I don't understand how modern operating systems work - I'm saying that no one does!

I know what you meant. What you say about size, speed and efficiency is only as true as the skill of the assembly programmer. Programmers who write conpilers may know the architecture better than an assembly developer doing it by hand. So it's possibly true but not always.

True that it's often harder to understand disassembled compiled code but you don't need to do that to understand most things about the operating system, you only need to do it to understand how it functions at a low level.

Much like you don't need to be aware of your blood vessels to understand walking, including I suspect the majority of the physics of it. You can know loads about walking without understanding blood vessels at all.

sussamb

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Re: Anyone still on Windows 7?
« Reply #18 on: 19:14:10, 14/01/20 »
I've not used Windows 7 for some time, but it was definitely my favourite version of Windows. I'm using Windows 10 with Classic Shell - a utility that makes the interface look like Windows 7!  :)

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ninthace

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Birdman

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Re: Anyone still on Windows 7?
« Reply #20 on: 16:57:55, 16/02/20 »
Per January 2020, 25% of all Windows users were still on W7.

And so am I. I still have lots of stuff running on W7 and will probably keep doing that for quite some time. But some time in the future I might disable internet on W7 and move everything that requires internet to Linux.
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Dyffryn Ardudwy

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Re: Anyone still on Windows 7?
« Reply #21 on: 18:21:15, 16/02/20 »
Whichever Windows system your using, the all important thing to do, is unsure your totally up to date with all the Microsoft updates that are available.
When i was using Windows and a Pc, i ran Windows Defender and Norton Internet Security together, and always defragged my hard disc on a regular basis.

The more unnecessary files and downloads you have on your system, the slower Windows will become, so defrag your hard disc, and remove all unnecessary files.

If you do this on a monthly basis, then Windows should prove fairly reliable.

Owen

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Re: Anyone still on Windows 7?
« Reply #22 on: 18:44:39, 16/02/20 »
I've just this weekend ungraded to a new computer, and from windyo's 7 to 10. It is very different. it came with MS office already on but all my old files were on Apache open source software, So far I've not had any trouble opening them. The only thing that I've not been able to transfer is Photoshop Elements. I've got it on DVD but the new puter doesn't have a DVD slot, everything has to come over the T'internet. It's £60 for the new version.   

I went for a desk top this time as I never took the old laptop out of the house and the new machine has double the storage space the old one had. Had so many photo's on the laptop it was running out of space and it kept freezing up on me. The new one has a 26ins screen and a much better graphic card which should help when processing photo's. I managed to get rid of the stock photo as background quite easily. Just went into "Setting" and changed them for my own photo's.

Only time and using it will tell whether the new win 10 will be an improvement or not.

Lee R

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Re: Anyone still on Windows 7?
« Reply #23 on: 18:51:25, 16/02/20 »
My desktop is still on Windows 7. I think it's about 7 years old now.


I use Lightroom 5 & Photoshop CS6 for editing but I'm sure they would be fine on Win10 too.

SteamyTea

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Re: Anyone still on Windows 7?
« Reply #24 on: 19:26:17, 16/02/20 »
I am down to just two Windows PC's now, all the rest is Linux of various flavours.
I really do wish that MS would do a proper Linux version of Excel, Calc is just clunky and slow.
As for W7.  I skipped it, and XP and 95. Went from 3.11 to 2000, then Vista (never had any problems with it), short time with 8.1, then took the free upgrade to 10 (turned of all the spying options, but still give Redmond enough details to clone me).

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fernman

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Re: Anyone still on Windows 7?
« Reply #25 on: 19:32:24, 16/02/20 »
Whichever Windows system your using, the all important thing to do, is unsure your totally up to date with all the Microsoft updates that are available.

When I had to rebuild my old XP laptop my copy of MS Office2010 wouldn't install (well, it was a dodgy one) so I started using LibreOffice instead. It was a joy to never be pestered by updates again!

When i was using Windows and a Pc, i ran Windows Defender and Norton Internet Security together.

Running two AVs at the same time is a no-no because they conflict with each other.

The only thing that I've not been able to transfer is Photoshop Elements. I've got it on DVD but the new puter doesn't have a DVD slot, everything has to come over the T'internet. It's £60 for the new version.

I have a simple and effective little plug-n-play CD player for my laptop, very cheap off eBay, so I am guessing DVD ones are available too.

Owen

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Re: Anyone still on Windows 7?
« Reply #26 on: 19:50:37, 16/02/20 »

I have a simple and effective little plug-n-play CD player for my laptop, very cheap off eBay, so I am guessing DVD ones are available too.


I'll have to have a look into that, thanks.

gunwharfman

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Re: Anyone still on Windows 7?
« Reply #27 on: 12:12:11, 17/02/20 »
I suppose for me PC's are like cars, I don't want to know what's under the bonnet, I just want it to work.

My wife has a laptop, I won't have one. My PC is an old tower originally owned by my son when he left home about 13 years ago. When I feel the need to 'upgrade' in some way I just pop along to our local Novatech shop and buy what I want or need. Over the past few years, I've bought two motherboards, some more memory, two hard disks (one inside PC, one outside PC) the discs with the narrow ribbon connection, not the wide ones and a small bank of 4 extra USB sockets. I bought Win 10 from Microsoft, downloaded it online, cost me £25 from some employee from Texas, he was the one I talked to and that's what he suggested, I just went with it. Works well and no real problems.

I use a few free programmes, like a virus checker and so on and it all works well.

I'm not a heavy user, just the usual, emails, I mooch around on it when I'm bored, need to plan anything and so on and I also watch a few films as well. I also use a VOIP phone attached to it.

My monitor is a 32" TV, perfect for me.

ninthace

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Re: Anyone still on Windows 7?
« Reply #28 on: 12:19:05, 17/02/20 »
I always think a free virus checker is worth every penny.  I mean why would companies invest huge sums detecting and trapping new viruses and malware just to give it away for free, or is it all just a con?
And if it is true that 25% of users are still on Win7, which is no longer getting any form of upgrade or technical support, what could possibly go wrong?
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Lee R

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Re: Anyone still on Windows 7?
« Reply #29 on: 19:56:39, 17/02/20 »
I suppose for me PC's are like cars, I don't want to know what's under the bonnet, I just want it to work.

My wife has a laptop, I won't have one. My PC is an old tower originally owned by my son when he left home about 13 years ago. When I feel the need to 'upgrade' in some way I just pop along to our local Novatech shop and buy what I want or need. Over the past few years, I've bought two motherboards, some more memory, two hard disks (one inside PC, one outside PC) the discs with the narrow ribbon connection, not the wide ones and a small bank of 4 extra USB sockets. I bought Win 10 from Microsoft, downloaded it online, cost me £25 from some employee from Texas, he was the one I talked to and that's what he suggested, I just went with it. Works well and no real problems.

I use a few free programmes, like a virus checker and so on and it all works well.

I'm not a heavy user, just the usual, emails, I mooch around on it when I'm bored, need to plan anything and so on and I also watch a few films as well. I also use a VOIP phone attached to it.

My monitor is a 32" TV, perfect for me.


I had my PC built by Novatech. That was when they had a branch just down the road in Portishead.

 

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