Hm, Win2k/XP is certainly build around newer Hardware, and some things are likely a tad more optimized.
But I found that especially XP loses any such advantage due to its
insane Overhead.
(I have this running on my only Notebook; this thing did not run anything else after 2 weeks of me trying everything I could think of with 98/2000 and Linux
)
I cleaned mine as far as I could, but still it easily uses up some 100MB of RAM just for running idle, doing nothing
Generally, a newer OS has the advantage of delivering useful standard Drivers for many base components (which otherwise need to be manually installed step-by-step).
But this advantage is reduced with time, since all Hardware after the release warrants newer Drivers as usual.
The early days, where people would still use MS-DOS Applications (requiring full blown config.sys & autoexec.bat config's) alongside an Installed Win95 are long over for most, so there really isn't much left of 16bit a few seconds after booting Win9x
People like Procerus (and others) however, show that it is still easily possible to get the best of both worlds.
And finally, with the establishment of 32bit DOS-Extenders, all later MS-DOS Games also ran 32bit, almost just like Windows.
The thing I like about MS-DOS probably best right now, is really that it allows to troubleshoot Hardware or Windows itself from the lowest level possible. Without it, alot of machines I had to fix or clean of Viruses, would not have worked afterwards.
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WinXP of couse does run fine, but I well remember many people come to me to advice, because many important settings were all of a sudden scattered all across the GUI (something I really hate myself).
================
Most people like me don't like the Ideas behind XP, more than the OS itself.
With TCPA lurking in the future, I (and others) see a development which effects and original Idea's I simply cannot tolerate anymore.
Bluescreens and typical Windows quirrels we all learned to handle (to some extend). But the already existing and upcoming "big brother" approach to the Operating System that is supposed to
serve me and my Computer are a completely different playing field.
Bundeled with the already known facts about Microsoft's Past, present plans and future (as far as known) lay a catastrophic path, I just will not walk onto.
On a personal Note :
In it's current development state, I don't even like working with Linux too much. It's cool after all is setup and running (and free
), but it can be a
tremendous pain to get there in the first place
And it did cost me one thing : time... LOTS of time...
At some times, I thought the developers of certain Applications must have been either drunk, or on drugs when they wrote them *g*
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In the end, I'd say :
Whatever floats your boat.
Above is just my "best available" assessment of things, with a future prediction.
For me, that's enough to jump off the Windows Train alltogether if needed.
Others might not even notice, or care in the first place.
After all, it's just a Computer... but these become more important and powerful in today's lifes every day.
PS.
A hard lesson in Windows Risks the United States just received it seems :
An infected SCADA Center runnnig OLE for Process Control (Windows based Software for Power Grid Visualisation & Telemetry control) via COM/DCOM apparently has been enough to lose control.
Indications are, that W32.Blaster spread via the internal Maintenance TCP lines of the Power Providers (who so far slowly migrated to a standard Windows envroinment over time)...
Maybe that was a useful 'wakeup-call'
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