[LINK] Win XP to Win 7

[stephen at melbpc.org.au]

Malcolm writes,

> > <http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/?LN=en-gb&x=16&y=12&C2=1173>
> >
> > Products:        Mainstream Support Retired  Extended Support Retired 
> >
> > Windows XP Home          14/04/2009             08/04/2014
> > Windows XP Media Center  14/04/2009             08/04/2014
> > Windows XP Professional  14/04/2009             08/04/2014
>
>
> You don't need to purchase extended support, it is free to all.
> However you do have to pay if you require a new non-security hotfix to
> be written during the Extended Support period. Best wishes, Malcolm


Thanks for this clarification, Malcolm. To my knowledge, have never
experienced/utilized Microsoft 'Extended Support' unless this involves
yr normal windows updates? Whatever. You seem knowledgeable on the topic
so, am wondering if you might clarify Microsoft XP support for we Linkers
especially in terms of the isolated 2nd/3rd world stand-alone XP machines
with presumably virtually zero tech-support, and, no chance of a hardware
upgrade necessary for Vista/Win7. Could these soon become 'useless' bots? 

Having had personal experience with a number of 2nd world school machines
which were badly infected with little tech-support and spamming virtually
24/7, but upon which the whole village depended, what's in store for them?

Under these circumstances, perhaps, widespread Linux may appear an answer?

Whatever, would appreciate your, or other Linker opinion, Malcolm and all.

I, for one, have quite a number of contacts regards third world education,
especially regarding isloated stand-alone village/school computers, and as
most run XP, it may seem an appropriate time to begin a mass OS migration?
There is currently virtually zero chance of any new hardware, and this ICT
is one necessary life-line for many, many such isolated world communities.


Cheers,
Stephen