Win7 support is ending one year from tody 1/14/19 https://www.techradar.com/news/microsoft-is-ending-windows-7-support-one-year-from-today https://www.howtogeek.com/400783/windows-7-only-has-one-year-of-security-patches-left/
Windows 7 support ending soon
- Thread starter mikefamig
- Start date
Do you guys believe that different versions of Linux will continue to be a good alternative to Windows in the future for those who want to avoid cloud based services or will Linux also turn into a cloud service?
It is tax filing season again and even Turbo Tax has an online version of it's tax filing software. Do people actually input all of their tax info to the cloud? Is that crazy? Don't they see the problem with that? Is there something in the drinking water? Am I paranoid?
Mike.
It is tax filing season again and even Turbo Tax has an online version of it's tax filing software. Do people actually input all of their tax info to the cloud? Is that crazy? Don't they see the problem with that? Is there something in the drinking water? Am I paranoid?
Mike.
wkearney99
Senior Member
The positive side to this is that means there won't be any more suddenly disruptive 'patches' that cause problems.
Linux has merits but it has never been a viable contender for replacing desktops for the mass market. There's just not enough consistency or momentum behind any one variant to make it viable.
As for cloud services and personal info, people are stupid and companies and criminals alike have made money for centuries based on that.
Me, I'm old-school, We pay a CPA to do ours. We meet in person. We were audited (write offs during home construction) and he handled it directly. Our filings were found to be in complete compliance. Made all the previous years paying him to do the job instantly worth it. So, no cloud tax schemes for us.
Linux has merits but it has never been a viable contender for replacing desktops for the mass market. There's just not enough consistency or momentum behind any one variant to make it viable.
As for cloud services and personal info, people are stupid and companies and criminals alike have made money for centuries based on that.
Me, I'm old-school, We pay a CPA to do ours. We meet in person. We were audited (write offs during home construction) and he handled it directly. Our filings were found to be in complete compliance. Made all the previous years paying him to do the job instantly worth it. So, no cloud tax schemes for us.
wkearney99 said:
So your CPA is typing your info into cloud based software maybe? If not now he may have no choice at some point in the future. I do not like cloud for any sensitive information. people are backing up entire systems to cloud just becasue their Norton software told them to.
Understand also that your CPA's work is only as accurate as the records that you give to him and regardless of Doctor or Lawyer or CPA, someone finished last in their class. You're responsible to collect and supply complete and correct information to him and that's really the hard part. It's easy to overlook something and the older I get the easier it gets. I am tempted to hand the chore over to a pro but up until now I've opted to make my own mistakes.
Mike.
wkearney99
Senior Member
mikefamig said:
We pay a CPA to be the first line of handling the consequences of mistakes. Also because he deals with a wide range of clients in similar tax situations. What's learned for one is translated across other similar clients. We've used him for better than a decade and have no plans to change that. Not that it absolves us completely, it certainly doesn't. But it does make mistakes less likely and potentially less expensive if/when they should come up. The bonus has been learning through him of other potential tax mitigating efforts.
wkearney99
Senior Member
mikefamig said:
Tax software has a lot of benefits, certainly more than just one person trying to read forms on their own. But an accountant with similar clients can often offer suggestions based on knowing your situation and perspectives and discuss pros/cons of various approaches. Same thing with investment advice.
Software wouldn't have known we we planning to build a house, and suggested the tax benefits of donating/salvaging the old house before building the new one on the same site. Our accountant knew this because he asks about any upcoming expenditures so as to offer tax advice. Do this now, to save this later, or vice-versa.
Software is only as good as the process of interacting with it allows. Likewise, a less-than-savvy accountant isn't guaranteed to be better.
mikefamig said:
Looks like it's time for me to upgrade my winXP systems!
Actually I am in the process of migrating away from XP. Have been using a linux box for most of my daily activities for nearly 2 years. Still have a main XP system for running Win specific apps, i.e. quicken, taxes, etc. Also, I still have an XP system running form my parents, since I'm so unfamiliar with 7/10 that I haven't wanted to remotely deal with their issues on that OS.
However, this weekend I was getting tax stuff started for me and them and noticed HR Tax software doesn't say XP on the supported list this year (it did for2017), so interested in if this is a technical issue or simply marketing. Really should run on XP, but if the developer added an explicit OS check then it'll fail.
Regarding clouds, I'm not not a big fan. Okay for a bit of remote storage of files I need to share, but that's it so far. All of my HA stuff is explicitly non-cloud. Partly due to security and partly due to not wanting to be reliant on externals and delays/outages it may incur.
wkearney99
Senior Member
Windows 10 Pro (not Home) is actually pretty reliable. My Homeseer server has been on W10Pro for several years now. I still have 7 on my 'daily driver' but use 10 Pro pretty regularly on a laptop and it's surprisingly not given me much trouble. I've tried a Linux desktop off/on for a while and just dislike the many little inconsistencies typically found in it. Each little thing has it's own way of doing things (UI-wise) and I find it disruptive to getting work done. You can "get used to" anything but the constant little disruptions were a hassle.
XP, blech, it pains me how bad that was.
XP, blech, it pains me how bad that was.
pete_c
Guru
Here switched back to using a CPA a few years ago. Initially did start this way then went to using software and now back to using a CPA.
Here primarily using Ubuntu 18.10 desktop on the home office computer and laptops. I am dual booting these computers between Windows 10 Pro and Ubuntu and using Ubuntu more now. I have been able to run many Windows applications using PlayonLinux or Oracle VBs.
I still have one laptop running Windows 7 but using it less and less these days. It also dual boots to Ubuntu.
Tried to get wife in to Ubuntu and she had issues adjusting to it so switched her back to Windows 10.
Ubuntu is much more stable/faster for me than Windows ever was. Recently here installed Windows 2016 for just RDP connectivity for Windows only automation software. It runs much faster and has much less eye candy than Windows 10. I like it. I still also have a Windows 2003 server running mostly for Microsoft automation stuff like SAPI.
Ubuntu running as a server with no eye candy does the best for me relating to automation.
I do have my tabletop touchscreens running embedded XP and they are stable running 24/7 managed by Homeseer. There has never been any updating of these devices except for touch screen changes. An occassional BSOD with these and just cold boot them when that happens.
Here primarily using Ubuntu 18.10 desktop on the home office computer and laptops. I am dual booting these computers between Windows 10 Pro and Ubuntu and using Ubuntu more now. I have been able to run many Windows applications using PlayonLinux or Oracle VBs.
I still have one laptop running Windows 7 but using it less and less these days. It also dual boots to Ubuntu.
Tried to get wife in to Ubuntu and she had issues adjusting to it so switched her back to Windows 10.
Ubuntu is much more stable/faster for me than Windows ever was. Recently here installed Windows 2016 for just RDP connectivity for Windows only automation software. It runs much faster and has much less eye candy than Windows 10. I like it. I still also have a Windows 2003 server running mostly for Microsoft automation stuff like SAPI.
Ubuntu running as a server with no eye candy does the best for me relating to automation.
I do have my tabletop touchscreens running embedded XP and they are stable running 24/7 managed by Homeseer. There has never been any updating of these devices except for touch screen changes. An occassional BSOD with these and just cold boot them when that happens.
upstatemike
Senior Member
So the question I have is: what about hardware that is still in use but will not run on any version of Windows beyond XP? I depend on Windows XP mode in Win7 to talk to my Stargate and my Panasonic phone system. Neither of those will ever get a software update but the hardware could easily remain relevant through 2025 or longer.
wkearney99
Senior Member
Well, XP has been unsupported for a while already, so...
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windowsforbusiness/end-of-xp-support
It'll still run the way it's running now, it's just not getting any more updates nor any support from Microsoft directly.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windowsforbusiness/end-of-xp-support
It'll still run the way it's running now, it's just not getting any more updates nor any support from Microsoft directly.
wuench
Senior Member
I will say if you move to Win10 beware the licensing. I was told to repurchase a couple of OEM licensed I bought for VM's. They didn't balk the first couple of times, but after the 2nd or 3rd rebuild/migration I ended up on the phone with MS only to be told the licenses were unusable.
So, from that point,I have been working towards eliminating MS from my life. I have migrated most server based stuff to Linux/Docker. Unfortunately that also puts BlueIris on the shortlist. I will probably move to Mac for desktop and PS for gaming.
And updates are also a big Win10 issue. So far MS has evaded all of my efforts to prevent forced upgrades. I had disabled Windows Update, and disabled all the scheduled jobs that re-enabled it. But this weekend I lost over an hour waiting on my BlueIris server to update while playing with Tensorflow. So I blocked a bunch of domains on PFSense and loaded the WUMT wrapper script after. But I am not hopeful.
So, from that point,I have been working towards eliminating MS from my life. I have migrated most server based stuff to Linux/Docker. Unfortunately that also puts BlueIris on the shortlist. I will probably move to Mac for desktop and PS for gaming.
And updates are also a big Win10 issue. So far MS has evaded all of my efforts to prevent forced upgrades. I had disabled Windows Update, and disabled all the scheduled jobs that re-enabled it. But this weekend I lost over an hour waiting on my BlueIris server to update while playing with Tensorflow. So I blocked a bunch of domains on PFSense and loaded the WUMT wrapper script after. But I am not hopeful.
wkearney99
Senior Member
Well, in fairness, if you block it from updating when it finally gets a chance it'll put it's best effort into catching up. So, hello? Do the updates on regular basis and it doesn't become as big a problem.
I mean, really, I hear all this complaints about updating, often by the same people readily bitching about Microsoft and security issues. Well, they're putting a lot of effort into fighting that, and updates are how.
Likewise, licensing. They have a number of ways of purchasing legit licenses. There's legit complaint to be made about how randomly documented the different options have been. But if you buy the correct ones there should be no trouble with making use of them. Though I do miss the days of Technet and it's licensing options.
I mean, really, I hear all this complaints about updating, often by the same people readily bitching about Microsoft and security issues. Well, they're putting a lot of effort into fighting that, and updates are how.
Likewise, licensing. They have a number of ways of purchasing legit licenses. There's legit complaint to be made about how randomly documented the different options have been. But if you buy the correct ones there should be no trouble with making use of them. Though I do miss the days of Technet and it's licensing options.
