Views on Windows/Office XP

Views on Windows/Office XP

Didn't find your answer?

I'm at Softworld Accounting & Finance, where Access, SquareSum and Exchequer are arguing about who is first to market with Windows XP-compatible accounting software.

Can anyone suggest advantages/disadvantages of XP applications? And what should I ask the developers who are offering such programs?
John Stokdyk

Replies (3)

Please login or register to join the discussion.

aw_logo_2019
By Accounting WEB
25th Oct 2001 10:34

What's the alternative?
Jamie,
As someone who works in IT development I am well aware of the problems attributed to new software. I have always been a massive fan of Microsoft technologies but given that, I have to agree that there are some things in Windows XP that I don't like either. However, is there really a suitable alternative? It is easy to take a pop at the big guys but they are the ones leading the rest of us. Their future is our future and for that at least, I feel we owe them some respect.
I started operating under Windows XP(pre release version) about a 2 months ago and am generally happy with it. I moved from Windows '98, leaving out 2000 only because there are a few known difficulties with it in our particuar development environment but if you are anxious about jumping straight into XP why not go for Windows 2000? Both are suitable for home and office use but as I think you know, your current machine would not be up to the job. Think ahead and get the most from a machine as you possibly can afford because at some stage in the future, you will want to move on again - I can reliably tell you that any machine capable of running XP will also run it successor which is already well into development.
With regard to your query about continually reloading software, don't worry as the activation process records the specifics of your machine and unless you radically change (i think the count is 6)hardware devices etc it will be okay.
Diane

Thanks (0)
avatar
By AnonymousUser
25th Oct 2001 09:05

Is XP suitable for home / office use?
My home machine is a Pentium 1, 133mHZ, currently running Win 95, IE5, Word 97, McAfee anti virus etc. The children do their homework, play with it, load free games from magazine covers and so crash it most months. So what? ... It teaches them to back up and gives familiarity with technology.

Smaller businesses which I visit use their "family" PC for business accounts. (They don't want 2 machines). I suspect that many families are somewhat similar. Reloads of the software are common and need to be simple. Will XP lock us out after a few months?

Win 95 is much less reliable than DOS 3, 5 or good old Basic. I would like something better.

Even if XP will not not run on our "home" machine, my "work" PC will soon need changing. We have a corporate licence, so I will need a personal licence / upgrade for the old one being passed down.

Thanks (0)
aw_logo_2019
By Accounting WEB
22nd Oct 2001 23:47

Windows XP: Enter with caution???
The more I read about Win.XP (and hear about it "off the record" from acquaintances in the IT industry), the more I'm inclined to advise people not to even consider it as an operating system at all!
Apparently, WXP includes as part of its basic setup, something called "full raw sockets access". In effect, Microsoft has completely stripped a very essential and radical "barrier" between your PC and malicious internet hackers, with XP, thus leaving any XP user (connected to the net) wide, wide open to "IT-terrorism". I merely restate what I'm hearing from professionals whose advice I have every reason to respect; I know next to nothing about it myself. But tell you this much, I'm not touching Win XP with a barge-pole!

Thanks (0)