Re: How workable is Vista?

On Fri, 20 Jun 2008 09:39:53 -0700, Joerg
<notthisjoergsch@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

<snip>
That's why I love DOS. Pretty much all of the DOS routines from the late
80's I still need run flawlessly on NT4, Win2k and XP. I've heard they
won't on Vista but that wouldn't matter because that's off limits in
this office anyhow. Ok, there is the occasional Borland compiler bug
(runtime error) but that is quite easily fixed.

Some of this software does not exist in any flavor other than DOS so
it's got to run. I am not a SW guy so I wouldn't be able to write myself
a Windows version. Now 20 years ain't bad for software, I think.

Some of the products I maintain were written using compilers developed
for straight DOS environments and in a few cases, they will simply not
run in WinXP DOS boxes, for example. The latest version for which I'm
fairly sure they will run is Win98SE (though I haven't ever tried
WinME, so cannot comment on it.) Microsoft, on July 11, 2006, has
placed them on a non-supported status. But the installation of
Win98SE can be performed without any involvement of Microsoft and I've
kept around some older machines as well. I also keep a rather
complete set of compilers from various sources (Lattice C, Borland c
versions, early Microsoft c versions up through 8.00c, and BASIC and
Pascal and so on, etc.) so I remain able to handle older products. I
also purchased a bunch of retail distributions (sealed, with manuals
and so on) of DOS 5.0 from Microsoft for $4/each a while back to make
certain I'd have versions I could distribute to others, when needed.
Some of the equipment I support isn't DOS-compatible (lacking a lot of
the normal hardware in it, such as an 8254 timer for example) but uses
an 80x86 processor in a custom configuration. But even then these
compilers work perfectly well -- I use an older Intel linker/locator
or else Paradigm's or one from two other suppliers at the time to
place things as needed. The worst I've had to do is write short bits
of code to modify an OBJ before linking.

My business model has me using a separate hard disk for each client
and just racking it in when I work. This absolutely guarantees that a
system crash or hard disk failure will not impact any other client's
work. Microsoft's operating systems, up through perhaps Win2000,
supported this -- I don't need to call Microsoft to get a new ID every
time I set up a new hard disk for a new client -- but the rest do not,
so I use them... sparingly. But I do have a few purchased machines
where I do keep WinXP loaded, where I'm forced to use tools that will
no longer run on the older OS. (Though I also keep a large number of
older tools from Microchip and so on, as well.)

But Microsoft Vista policies now will probably finally force me into
much greater use of Linux and FreeBSD. As much as I'm able, I will
not use Vista, and I will spend all necessary learning time to move
further away from anything to do with Microsoft operating system
environments. It's one thing to move forward... but it is another
entirely to force an entire population to purchase hardware and
software that operates together to fully protect the DRM rights of a
few large corporate interests and, in the process, move even further
away from my business needs than they already had.

At some point the final straw is added.

Jon
.

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