What will you do when Windows 7 ends?

[AddRAM]

What is this all about ? Windows 7 will never end

 

[hazel123]

It's kind of helping me work out what to do next, seeing what other people think! I hate upgrading ha ha.

 

[AddRAM]

So, if something came out that was of course better then 10 and nearly as good 7, you wouldn`t upgrade in 4 years ?

4 years is a long time, MS will have to come out with something nice by then, I hope

7 Rocks

 

[Barman58]

To be honest, I actually find windows 7 to be a bit tired now, After all, I've been using it off and on since 2008, and I also moved to Windows 8 then 8.1 in between updating my last system to Windows 10 about November 2015, but that doesn't mean that there is anything wrong with any of the previous operating systems, Even XP was just about usable at the end (as long as you removed the horrible Disney GUI).

 

[Emmar]

When you say you think laptops are on their way out, do you think tablets will replace them? I don't like laptops, I would have to set it on my desk, use it there and still not be comfortable with Acer's keyboard. I have two ipads and I certainly don't like doing computer things on them. I am all thumbs. I buy and download ibooks via my desktop. I can't use a mac because it won't play my games and I have 22 games that I am not going to give up. Apple's site is very hard for me to use, I always need help, but their techs are patient and very nice. I love using Ipads to read books.

 

[whs]

What is this all about ? Windows 7 will never end

Exactly - as long as you stay on the same machine, nothing will happen. And the fact that there will be no new updates is good news. At least we will not get any new bugs either.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

When you say you think laptops are on their way out, do you think tablets will replace them? I don't like laptops, I would have to set it on my desk, use it there and still not be comfortable with Acer's keyboard. I have two ipads and I certainly don't like doing computer things on them. I am all thumbs. I buy and download ibooks via my desktop. I can't use a mac because it won't play my games and I have 22 games that I am not going to give up. Apple's site is very hard for me to use, I always need help, but their techs are patient and very nice. I love using Ipads to read books.

Tablets are a long ways from replacing laptops, if ever. Tablets have their uses—quite a few, in fact—and, for those uses, they work well. They are more portable, lighter, take up less room, and generally have better battery life.

However, it's hard to beat a real keyboard if you have a lot of inputting to do (such as writing the Great American Novel). Even as small as the screens on laptops are, they are still bigger than most tablets; it's much easier to work when one can see the whole picture at once, not just a tiny window of it, such as when formatting a full page document or working with a large spreadsheet. Currently, laptops can have far more storage than tablets. Even my little 15" one drive notebooks can have up to 2TB of storage using existing SSDs (I have only 500GB in mine and that still beats the holy, hairy snot out of tablets) and consumer 4TB SSDs are coming out soon.

I personally can't justify the expense of a tablet. The only thing I wopuld use it for would be for reading e-books and e-ink e-book readers cost less and have far better battery life. I love my little non-touchscreen Kindle (pity they don't make them anymore; I pray mine doesn't ever die). I use it only for reading when away from the house (I use Kindle for PC at home using my TV for the screen) so I can get up to two months of battery life; two weeks is the shortest interval between charges ever. Sunlight won't wash out the display and the cover I have for it has a little light I can flip up for reading in low light conditions.

 

[whs]

A small tablet can be useful. I own a Nexus 7 that has helped me several times for navigation in the car. I also used it for phone calls via the internet (VoIP). I don't even remember how much I paid for it and now it does not really matter any more anyhow.

 

[Brds7t7]

I have Desktops, laptops and a tablet at home. Like WHS I own a Nexus 7, it's very handy when you need to do something quick but will never replace the power of a desktop/laptop.

 

[Painter]

If Sputnik continues to be supported and gets all the development that is required to make it a real alternative to Windows (on Dell Skylake or any other new silicon), I will definitely consider it.

 

[Emmar]

Thanks LF for your reply. I heard more positive comments here about desktops versus laptops, than I have heard anywhere and I agree. I would really hate to have to rely only on a laptop.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Thanks LF for your reply. I heard more positive comments here about desktops versus laptops, than I have heard anywhere and I agree. I would really hate to have to rely only on a laptop.

I agree about having to rely only on a laptop, even if only because I'm spoiled by having three 24" monitors.

While I much prefer a laptop (actually, what I have are little 15" notebooks) over a tablet, I still much prefer a desktop over a laptop. I only use my notebooks (one at a time, the other two are spares I bought while I could still get them at a good price with Win 7 installed on them) when travelling or, very occasionally, if my desktop rig is down for maintenance or mods.

This isn't intended to put down tablets and laptops. They do have their uses and accomplish those uses very well. Many people have tablets, laptops, and desktops; some have only one or two of the three. It all depends on each person's own needs and preferences. Many people also use their smartphones to replace computers, often having the smartphone only.

 

[mjf]

For my 4 PC builds running Windows 7 I'll worry about the OS upgrade ~2019. One PC is a mothballed Core 2 kept as an emergency backup. The Core 2 probably wouldn't even run Windows 10 or a VM so it will keep Windows 7 and maybe dual boot a linux for internet. If I need to build another PC it will be the most current MS OS - Windows 10 at the moment.

 

[sgage]

If this 2008-era rig is still running in 2020, I will be delighted! It runs Windows 7 to perfection. To be honest though, it runs Windows 10 perfectly well, too, though I don't much care for it on many levels. But I can live with it.

But as long as this rig keeps running, it will have Windows 7. After that, we'll see. I'm also very comfortable with Linux... I'm not stressing, one way or the other...

 

[whs]

Thanks LF for your reply. I heard more positive comments here about desktops versus laptops, than I have heard anywhere and I agree. I would really hate to have to rely only on a laptop.

I think it depends on the person. I am a desktop guy. I need a big monitor because of my poor eyesight.

My wife is a laptop person. All she ever uses is one of our laptops. I quasi never touch those because the 15" screen is just too small. I do use my 7" tablet though - especially for navigation. But for that I use special glasses.

 

[FerchogtX]

Personally, I love my desktop, but I left it for my mom, and she's quite happy with it... she loves W7. Now I use my laptop, almost... aaaaalmost as powerful as my desktop, does the job quite well, I can carry my Wacom with it and I can move it anywhere in the house I want or need. That's why I became a laptop guy... yeah, diffucult to open and clean, but patience is the key

If I ever replace this laptop, it will be with another one, laptops have the best of two worlds nowadays: mobility and power...

 

[Emmar]

I bought my Acer convertible, a laptop to tablet because it is so adjustable, it's great for my eyes. I can pull the monitor part toward me and I don't need my computer glasses.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

I bought my Acer convertible, a laptop to tablet because it is so adjustable, it's great for my eyes. I can pull the monitor part toward me and I don't need my computer glasses.

We all do what we have to. I'm far sighted (presbyopia) so there is no way I can do without glasses. I wear prescription trifocals most of the time (and love them much more than the progressives: I hated them the two weeks I tried them) but find it's easier on my neck if I use a pair of drugstore readers when at the computer (I don't have to twist my neck to get the correct lense on my trifocals into play). When I'm laying in bed watching the TV (or reading a book off the TV screen), I have the same problem so I have another pair of cheaters readers I keep on the night stand by my bed for use when watching TV.

Still, I'm spoiled rotten by having three fairly large monitors. It's so convenient to have multiple windows open at once without any of them obstructing the view of anything else.

 

[hazel123]

I hate tablets - I know they are very popular, but I also like a keyboard. I used to like netbooks, then they stopped making them. Now people are buying tablets and attaching keyboards to them. What do you get? An expensive heavy netbook that's top heavy ha ha. Ok they are touch screen - I'm not keen on that either. We did get our son an ipod touch (couldn't afford an ipad) for Christmas after he pestered a lot and because they use ipads in school and he's been a nightmare recently - we have to keep banning it. He has a nice little windows 7 laptop that he was much better with and actually did other things as well as playing games, like learning to type.

TBH the issues with Windows updates are nothing compared to the issues of 'in-app purchase' ads and video ads in childrens games. Scary.

Problem is - some people - like us - have only been using Windows 7 for a couple of years after leaving it till the last minute to upgrade from XP. I loved XP - it was simple. I grieved and grieved! But we liked Windows 7 and were happy with it. Windows 10 is probably ok and will probably have to be our next upgrade - but once it goes into the realm of apps and adverts and flashy things - ugh. My other half has only just worked out how to empy the recycle bin on Windows 7 It would be a nightmare if he had Windows 10 - I think he'd just give up having a laptop and get me to do everything on his email lol. His XP laptop had 4 years of stuff in the recycle bin! He just likes to check his email, google the odd thing and look on ebay. So I might just put Linux on his if Windows 7 stops being supported (we're not confident enough to use it after support stops). I'm the techie in the family - he likes to use them and I fix them ha ha. (With assistance from this forum often).

I think Ios would be good for us, on that basis - but the idea of spending that much money on a computer is out of the question. We like value for money - and that means something affordable, and nice to use. I think I could probably set Windows 10 up to work how I want it (ie keep it simple). I've only tried it for a short time after accepting the upgrade on my laptop - which didn't work well and had to reinstall.

I agree that Windows 7 might be seeming a bit tired in comparison to the newer ventures - but it does the basics in the background and allows you to run the programs you want, so it doesn't need to be flashy really. The first thing that put me off with Windows 10 was the app centre and all the X-box options for apps - it's bad enough having to tell a child we are not getting an x-box.

 

[Barman58]

I've cut back on hardware recently, Current count is

2 Desktops
1 Laptop
1 netbook
2 tablets
3 android phones (2 are spare but usable)
My Media centre in the car is wireless, controlled from my phone and reads texts and such
My TV's are smart TV and can accept content from any of my devices

My phone and Tablets run Tapatalk so I am always on-line at all the DM sites

but as this is my profession I suppose this is to be expected