Not to take away anything from Microsoft on its big day – everyone seems to love Windows 7 – but $179 for an upgrade? I mean, you don’t have Vista, right? You’re going to be upgrading directly from XP, which means you’re going to have to pay the upgrade fee, if you want the upgrade.

From what I read, MS doesn’t expect that much upgrade business from upgraders anyway; the bulk of Win7 users will get their first taste of the OS when they buy new desktops and laptops, where the cost of the system will be absorbed into the price of the computer. Of course, Microsoft will still be getting its $179 (or whatever they are charging for the OEM version of Win7).

Why do software companies issue new versions of their programs – or operating systems? Well, there are incremental improvements, security upgrades, and compatibility with new hardware. But honestly, all that could be accomplished in the context of an existing OS, via patches (a concept MS is certainly familiar with). But then they wouldn’t be able to collect $179 from users, would they?

So we know why the OS distributor sends out upgrades. But if the system works on your computer, why would YOU want to upgrade? As good as Windows 7 is, the “upgrade 1.0” rule – as in, don’t be the first on your block to install something brand new – still applies. And even if you install something tried and true, it takes weeks – many months – to get things working the way you want. So, if Microsoft XP works, why not just stick with it?

Well, because MS won’t let you; eventually, you have to upgrade, because they are going to stop issuing updates and patches for the “old” OS. I still have a machine that runs Windows 2000 – and which I have no intention of upgrading – but other than security patches, MS has stopped issuing performance upgrades long ago. The same thing is going to happen with XP – despite the fact that if you took a poll, I am sure the majority of people would rather stick with what they know.

But what if you could upgrade XP indefinitely – if you could ensure that it was up to day in fighting viruses, and was able to support new hardware as it came out? Under those circumstances, you could probably save yourself $179 – and a lot of hassle, too!

Unfortunately, there’s little you can do to prevent MS from phasing out XP. But if you like the way XP works and you want to keep it’s “look and feel” – and you don’t mind investing twenty five bucks – you might be interested in the very XP-like operating system made by an Israeli company with the unlikely name of “Affordy” (as in, “here’s a version of ‘Windows’ you can afford!)

Affordy’s Titan LEV (Linux Extended Version) looks and feels a lot like Windows XP, runs Internet Explorer, Outlook Express, and many other Windows programs you’re familiar with, and can even run MS Office – but it’s not Windows. It’s a souped-up version of Ubuntu Linux, built specifically to make Linux palatable for Windows users. The difference between “real” XP and Affordy XP is that the Affordy people will be maintaining their OS, issuing upgrades and integrating programs into the OS, making it a “living thing,” unlike the case with Microsoft’s now-defunct OS.

The programs, by the way, are mostly open-source, but come pre-installed with the OS. The whole thing is “XP Compatible” – meaning, according to the company, that you can receive and edit a file from Windows or send a file to a Windows based PC, print onto a network printer connected to a Windows PC, and operate Windows and DOS programs.

According to Israel-based Affordy, the hassle of tracking down and figuring out how to install applications that work the way Windows users are accustomed to has been one of the major reasons why Linux hasn’t really taken off among consumers, among other reasons. “ Users who were used to a certain application could not find a suitable Linux replacement.  There are about 23,000 open source programs.  Finding and installing the right program takes time, expertise and experience,” the site says. You can even buy a laptop or desktop from these folks (including the super-cheap Coby netbook pictured below) with the Titan OS preinstalled – or just buy the OS on disc for about $25. Last I checked, that was $154 less than $179 – not a sum to be sneezed at in today’s economy!

This entry was posted on Friday, October 23rd, 2009 at 1:18 am and is filed under computers, hi-tech, israel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.