Honestly, respect to him for using it that long. I wonder if he is still able to use it, or if security certificates will keep him from accessing anything on the internet?
It's an interesting article. He rejects Linux because he has a "day job" and no "time and enthusiasm to tinker with computers for their own sake instead of using them productively as a means to an end".
I mean... isn't this a little rich for someone who wants to devote time to tracking down retro computer parts being sold by "two-bit resellers", just so he can keep using Windows XP?
At some point, maybe you should admit you're a retro-computing enthusiast (high-five to that!), and none of this has anything at all to do with productivity.
It's the difference between keeping your 1948 Dodge Custom 6 running (work on it or pay someone to work on it, everything else remains the same) and buying an entire new car. I can certainly believe it's productivity; Linux itself is annoyingly "changing" over time, Windows 95 will never change.
I don't think anyone keeping a 1948 Dodge Custom 6 deludes themselves into thinking they're being productive in doing so, or that they're doing it because they're been too gosh darn busy to learn how to operate a new car for the last seventy-five years.
People who keep '48 Dodges running (or Windows 95 running) do so out of love. And I'm totally on board with that. I just find it a little silly to pretend otherwise. It's not a rational decision to keep a '48 Dodge running, or Windows 95 running. There's no productivity gains that aren't immediately devoured by the expense and time of upkeep.
Thankfully, not everything in life needs to be productive or rational. Do what you love, be unproductive, kick dirt, boot Amigas!
Eh. That would be worse. Software made a few months later would require newer libraries. The only “stable” (in the sense of unchanging) API out there is effectively win32. I can easily make software written for Win2K or Win95 work on Linux through WINE, but I cannot do the same for Loki games, or even for some abandoned application written a year ago.
It's not productive because it gets progressively harder as time goes on and support/hardware availability gets worse. It's the opposite of futureproof
I love how he wants stability for himself but front page of the blog is filled with dunking on conservatives. There is some nuance in that one can want Windows 95 for him/herself and still allow others to have Windows 11. But having "Windows 95 states" and "Windows 11 states" should be at least considered as a solution and also, what if people forcibly install Windows 11 on your kids laptops and don't even bother telling you? Anyway, since he wants to force everyone to take COVID vaccines, surely he can't object to being forced to install the latest OS that still gets up to date security patches?
I think Windows9x is not usable anymore with internet unless one uses proxies for the ssl and accept not using modern javascript pages. There was a similar thread about this a month ago or so.
XP is more or less usable as there are hacks to use a Chrome version from 2022, I was tempted to create a VM with it to try it as a daily driver, but I lack the time.
Might be better served with one of the lite10/lite11 type windows remixes with most of the fluff removed. Though not sure I'd remove UAC or Defender myself.. but would be roughly similar to XP in terms of overhead with an arguably nicer skin.
I don’t think pragmatist is the word I’d use for him. I can empathize with the annoyance of things changing, but a pragmatist wouldn’t be this inflexible.
Given his other writings and the fact he hits things when they anger him, I’d go with curmudgeon. A word harsher than I’d like, but it captures the essence. He seems angry at the world around him and does not like adapting to it.
This is pretty common but most people don’t take it this far. :)
