The Death Of Windows '98

[Johnsie]

The downfall of Windows '98 should be taken advantage of. Now that Windows 98 will have no security updates we should remind Win 98 users that it's not safe to use Windows 98 on the Internet and let them know how Microsoft abandoned them, and finally let them know that Linux could be their ideal replacement.

The death of Windows '98 could be and should be a blessing for Linux. All we need to do is get the mistreated Windows '98 users to convert!

[fuscia]

do we know who the three of them are?

[raffytaffy]

its hard to teach an old goat new tricks...most ppl refuse to listen anywho. Let em keep using windows...to many ppl using linux would lead to many potential new hacks for linux

[blastus]

do we know who the three of them are?

All the granmas and granpas on your block. :)

[fuscia]

do '98 users even use updates? the only person i've known to use it never did updates and didn't really know what they were. his computer blew up and now he has xp.

[taurus]

do we know who the three of them are?
Larry, Mo, and Curly!!!

[Johnsie]

Quite a lot of people still use Windows '98.

Here's the reasons why they are still using windows '98

-They bought the computer years ago and haven't bothered upgrading
-Window XP wont install on it or run weel
-They aren't computer literate enough to realise that they wont be secure on the internet anymore


So I guess some of you were right when you said, let them keep windows. Windows 98 is the lazy computer users OS, for people who are ignorant in the computing world. I doubt Linux is the right solution for them.... But still, it's ok to let them see how their computer could run usig linux....

The one guy who said too many people using Linux is right in the respect that it would allow more people to find vulerabilities in Linux. However, more people using Linux would also mean more and better software being released for Linux.

[BWF89]

They had to discontinue support eventually. Even RedHat discontinues support on a version of RHEL after 7 years.

[Johnsie]

from what I gather official Ubuntu support is a lot shorter than MS support. But that's ok because it's free to upgrade.

[aysiu]

Most 98 users will fall into one of these categories:

1. I don't care about security updates. I'm used to this.

2. I'm going to pirate a version of Windows XP and install that.

3. I'm just going to buy a new Windows computer--it comes with a version of XP on it.

I think it'll be a rare bird who will say, "Hm. I really like this computer, but security updates are important to me, I don't pirate software, and I don't have money for a new computer. I think I'll install Ubuntu on it..."

[brentoboy]

There are a lot of win98 boxes out there in small offices. And those ones have some guy who looks after them and keeps the spyware off of them.

Those ones might benefit from ubuntu -- except that quickbooks wont run on ubuntu...

so, what is left is the home users who still have 98. you'd be suprised how many still do.

the home users really would benfit from ubuntu becuase their PC has probably been an interent zombie for 3+ years now, and the speed imporvment would be awesome. The problem is that most win98 boxes have less than 128 MB of ram. So, ubuntu might not be that great for them.

debian sarge is an excelent win98 killer.

[brentoboy]

microsoft ought to open up the source code for windows 98 so that a community can support it with security updates.

Then, Open98 would become a vista killer.

[Johnsie]

lol... that Open98 idea actually sounds pretty cool.

Its true... Many practically obselete windows 98 computers can be resurrected by putting Linux on them. I've played around with a few <500mhz machines over the last few weeks and it was amazing to see how well the ran with Linux on them instead of 98. I'm not sure that Ubuntu proper is the best solution for older machines but there are definitly modern Linux distros that certainly get the most out of the older hardware. Morphox,DSL,Puppy and Xubuntu are my favourites for doing that with.

I'm actually interested in buying older machines just so I can put Linux on them and resell them without taking much of a financial risk.

[sagarhshah]

I'm actually interested in buying older machines just so I can put Linux on them and resell them without taking much of a financial risk.

One of my friends does that. He normally installs either Xubuntu Linux or Puppy Linux. I think Xubuntu is the better option.

the open98 idea seems interesting. Doubt it will happen though!!
They are better off with Linux and open98 will probably need a lot of updating!!

[professor_chaos]

microsoft ought to open up the source code for windows 98 so that a community can support it with security updates.

Then, Open98 would become a vista killer.

I can just imagine the critisim of the 98 code. Interesting idea, but will never happen. Gates will take that code to the grave.

[djsroknrol]

I'm still dual booting 98SE, but only for the games the kids play. I diabled IE with powertoys so the kids can't go online with it..I personally haven't booted it in quite awhile now...I've found I can live without it.

[H.E. Pennypacker]

to many ppl using linux would lead to many potential new hacks for linux

LOL...funny perspective, but then again, the more people that have Linux, the easier to use it becomes, and the less bugs Linux will have (because more people will report bugs, and more people to fix those bugs.


I can just imagine the critisim of the 98 code. Interesting idea, but will never happen. Gates will take that code to the grave.

That is because he doesn't want people to screw up the code. He's protecting it by keeping it closed.

[sabredog]

My 12 year old has a non networked Win98 PC. Her PC is a P2 400MHz PC with 96Mb. I tested Xubuntu on her PC as a live CD. Took forever to load but once running, the menus worked fine.

She loves the games so I am getting a 10Gb HDD and installing xubuntu on it to see how it all runs.

This gives her the best of both worlds and allows her to play her Win98SE educational educational software we purchased for her and allow her to learn to use a Linux PC instead of using mine. Once she goes to high school and gets the upgraded PC and connection to the family LAN, it will be on a Linux PC.

So Win98 still plays an important role in our house, albeit on only one PC.

[skirkpatrick]

My wife specifically runs 98SE because Dungeon Keeper 1 & 2 won't run without crashing on XP.

[sabredog]

My wife specifically runs 98SE because Dungeon Keeper 1 & 2 won't run without crashing on XP.

Yes, I heard those Mistresses of Pain hate XP and cause it pain :)

[Johnsie]

The only reason I kept Windows 98 was for legacy DOS support which XP is bad at. I used a music making program called Impulse Tracker which wont run on XP.

However dosbox for linux runs a lot of the old games well and there is now an exact clone of Impulse Tracker for Linux (Schism)

So now I have no real need for Windows 98 on any computer.

[skirkpatrick]

Yeah, I've tried to run DK 1 & 2 on Cedega every time a new version comes out but the copy protection keeps causing problems.

[lapsey]

win98 is great for machines that can't a snappy linux desktop, but it needs a bunch of tweaking to really work nicely.

It's also idea for emulation since most things that work on XP will also work on 98, and the footprint is only about 350MB.

Hasn't someone created a custom win98 install script for a *really* tiny footprint or is that just XP?

[aysiu]

You can get a pretty snappy Linux desktop with only 50 MB--try Damn Small Linux.

[brentoboy]

Yeah, Damn Small linux has a new "DSL-N" that is a little bit bigger, and uses the 2.6 kernel (instead of 2.4)

It's a windows 95 killer.
:)

[lapsey]

Yeah, Damn Small linux has a new "DSL-N" that is a little bit bigger, and uses the 2.6 kernel (instead of 2.4)

It's a windows 95 killer.
:)

try default X on a P100, 40Mb mem.

[jis]

do '98 users even use updates? the only person i've known to use it never did updates and didn't really know what they were. his computer blew up and now he has xp.

I used to use 98SE and used updates. Windows' automatic critical update notifier was not installed by default in 98SE. It is the same with Xubuntu Dapper: Xubuntu does not by default run the update-notifier. I wonder why.

[SeanHodges]

You've got it all wrong!

Without the Windows Updates, Windows 98 is now the safest usable Microsoft O/S around!

No more W/U exploits...

[jis]

Are you trolling? I have never read about (Windows) Update exploits before, but I have read about several security vulnerabilities that can be eliminated by updates.

[paul cooke]

do we know who the three of them are?

That might be me... I have one 98 box... I also have a Millenium Edition box as well... I may be the only one left... ;)

[welsh_spud]

If Windows 98 came out in 1998, that means it has been supported for eight years. As far as I know, that is longer than Dapper Drake 'Long Term Support'. Kudos to Microsoft for keeping it this long.

[PenguinMan]

Windows 98 died? Boo-hoo! :cry: :cry: :cry:

[DoktorSeven]

we should remind Win 98 users that it's not safe to use Windows 98 on the Internet

Was Win98 ever safe to use on the Internet? :)

[majesticturkey]

I think the better idea is to nab all the people who find out they can't use Vista because of its insane restrictions on hardware, requirements and DRM.

I know of quite a few small businesses that use Win98 because of the costs associated with upgrading Windows on a site license. Their computers are more email terminals than anything else. They would really benefit from a move to Linux, something where it's so much cheaper to run thin clients or something, but they won't because the "industry standard" is Windows.

[TrailerTrash]

I also have a Millenium Edition box as well... I may be the only one left... ;)

I have a Laptop that came with WinME and its still going strong. It works rather well, and i use it often, on and off the net. 8)

[Omnios]

I feel like having a wake for the only Winblows I had respect for.

[ferebee]

Most 98 users will fall into one of these categories:

1. I don't care about security updates. I'm used to this.

My mum falls into this category. Windows 98 is what she knows,
and she'd rather stick with that. Honestly, I pretty much had to bully her into using Firefox instead of Netscape 4.7, even when it stopped displaying pages properly. I tried to get her onto Thunderbird for E-mail, set it up for her, imported all her old messages, showed her how it worked-still uses Netscape messenger.

Still in all, it's been a remarkably well behaved computer. No viruses, and we've never had to reinstall Windows in seven years
of use. Probably just pure dumb luck though.

[stig]

do we know who the three of them are?

I'm one - who are the other two? (You don't have to have Windows 98 connected to the Internet if it's used for legacy purposes like accessing old software.)

I'm amazed by the attitude to Win98 of many people posting in this thread - it's not the tolerant and understanding attitude that I expect from Ubuntu users.

We have used Win98SE to run our small publishing business since that version was launched. We never had a virus or any other security problem in all those years.

Why didn't we move to the next Windows version? Because all our software did what was necessary and did it well - and it wouldn't work on a later Windows version. We bought up-to-date PCs and still used Win98SE and the "old" software. That software was so "light" that it ran like a dream with 2.8GHZ and 512 MB RAM. WordPerfect v.8, Paradox and Quattro opened literally in the blink of an eye - compare that to OpenOffice! Pagemaker 6.5 was fast.

Now I keep Win98 running so that I can access some old software like Pagemaker.

Ubuntu is great - but it isn't all progress. There is a lot that was better on my Win98 applications than on Linux applications, so there has been regression as well as progress. For instance, in WordPerfect the file open dialog had all the functions of a proper file manager - whereas file open in OOo does very little.

So I'm glad to be away from Windows but I wish Linux applications would catch up on some of the features that were in Windows applications years ago.

[argie]

I dual boot Windows 98 SE. I can't afford Win XP :)

Besides Ubuntu is more user-friendly.

[jamesr]

I'm one - who are the other two? (You don't have to have Windows 98 connected to the Internet if it's used for legacy purposes like accessing old software.)

I'm amazed by the attitude to Win98 of many people posting in this thread - it's not the tolerant and understanding attitude that I expect from Ubuntu users.


Now I keep Win98 running so that I can access some old software like Pagemaker.


I have to agree with many of the comments in this reply. I was also very surprised by the intolerance that was shown in some the replies and it was certainly not something that I expected to see .

Yes I also keep Win98SE running on 2 of my companies' PCs. One runs some FAX software called WinFax and the support for the scanner/SCSI is not available in latter Windows versions. Also as a small business owner I have to keep my old records so Linux in any form does not fit the bill. The other is my old laptop (compaq armada V300) which again being old, most thieves are not interested in it and it did all that was needed of it on the road.

Yes I kept both updated and Spyware and Virus updated. BUT the norton have also stopped paid updates for the AntiVirus and the last MS update has made the laptop operate very slowly, so I need to consider my options very carefully. I did ask about using the laptop to run Xubuntu in the laptop forum but as yet I have not had a reply > 1 week.

As a general comment, I have to use Windows for business use because the software is designed to run under windows. That in itself is a pain because I have to be able to have legitimate copies of all of the windows version with the attendant cost of software and hardware. That equally applies to my accounting PC.

My intranet server (Alphastation) runs Debian(sarge) whereas archival server is running NT but now a backup is being setup under Ubuntu. I also have various other systems running Kubuntu and trying one with Xubuntu. So I am used to both worlds so everything I have learnt that not all options are "black and white" there are many shades of grey between.

I would have hoped that Ubuntu did not show itself to have the same degree of zealotry that some of the older Linux Distro supporters showed.

PS the system in my sig runs Kubuntu.

[red_Marvin]

I'm the second, as I haven't been able to successfully run starcraft through wine.
No internet, no problem.