Windows 7

[tone007]

Been running it for some time here as well, does pretty nicely even on an old single core laptop I have lying around.

Check out the awesome Resource Monitor, shows you your processes and how much memory/disk/cpu and even network they're utilizing, as well as what hosts each process is talking to: http://www.techsupportalert.com/files/images/rm_overview_1.jpg

Definitely a step up.

[tone007]

I can even use my (non USB ) Zip drive. Win 7 can't at all see a "Non USB device"

If you're still using a parallel port Zip drive, you deserve an outdated OS.

..not to mention Win7 can indeed use non-USB devices.  What a ridiculous idea.

[tone007]

Some of us still use 880k floppy drives from the 80s.  Where does that leave us? :-)

Running Amiga OS.

[tone007]

Why on earth would I throw away perfectly good hardware just because it is not USB?

A parallel port zip drive is not "perfectly good."

BTW some of the BEST printers ever made were never produced in USB.

Any printer worth a damn will have a network port, and if it doesn't and you're that attached to it, you stick a parallel to network print server on it.

I don't care what the kernal is like, make the gui look close to XP so we can find things easily, with little or no fuss.

I read that as "I don't like learning new things, and Microsoft is making me look stupid in front of people by hiding all my icons! Nothing should ever change!"  Not the attitude that'll get you anywhere in IT, dude, you're on your way to being one of the useless users who can't find the internet without starting up AOL.

XP users will migrate to Win7 or get left behind...

It's true, Microsoft has already even refused to patch certain issues in XP, and no longer provides licensing information via the Microsoft Partner website for enterprise versions of XP.  I imagine downloads will get pulled sooner or later.

[tone007]

Tell us WHY? it sounds like you are trolling at this point (no I am not trying to make anyone mad here- it's just frustrating to see points like this with nothing to back them up). Please tell us why you think that a parallel ZIP (or any Parallel port device is "bad).

Parallel port hardware is slow, and not particularly plug and play compliant.  Storage devices using parallel port were a cheesy hack at best.  Want some backup?  Go try to buy a laptop with a parallel port, they don't make them anymore.  No point designing an OS to use hardware that doesn't exist anymore.  If you like playing with old junk machines at home, have fun, but don't expect them to be supported forever.  The Zip drive itself is a reject from the 90s, people can't give them away.

I argee to a point with that statement, but some of the best (non-network) printers ever made were parallel, for example, the HP laserjet 4 and most Okidata dot matrix. 30 years later and being used daily, these printers are still going at 100% in a ton of corperations, banks and such, if you need network the HP Lj 5 is still king.

Dot matrix is a special case, where impact printing is required.  Laser technology, however, has come a long way since the LJ4 and 5 printers.  Any business hanging on to those dinosaurs is cheap, and doesn't need much in the way of printing apparently.  Plenty of businesses use outdated junk in day to day operations, until it fails catastrophically and they need a new solution.  

Nope, its all about efficentcy. When a customer is paying by the hour and you can't find something, it is pretty bad. I don't know about you, but I certainly don't have another 20 grand to spend on anothet MCSE course from MS -did that back in the NT4 days (I still say NT 4 was a better OS then XP, but thats a whole other thread for another day)

Right, makes you look dumb (and inefficient) when you can't find something.  You can blame Microsoft, but the client is going to (rightly) blame you.  Unfortunately, you have to keep up with the new stuff or get out.  XP is going down, son, enjoy it while you can.