RIP Windows XP
... Remember your first impressions of Windows XP? I remember mine - “finally they made a normal Windows!” The old XP woman appeared 12 years ago, right after the buggy Windows ME, then we used large, noisy and dumb machines. Today, I am typing this text on a tablet that is three times more powerful than any of those “PCs”, and Android is gradually taking the place of the desktop OS. Interestingly, XP is Microsoft's longest-running system: Windows 95 and ME lasted six years each, Windows 98 a maximum of eight. Today, in the last days of Windows XP, I suggest you recall its best features. Then MS really pleased us with innovations, before the era of useless tiles was still far away. Here is my hit parade, please share in your comments.
# 5 Burn CD
Oh, how cool it was to finally get rid of Nero! Drag and drop the files onto the CD-ROM icon, "next - next - further" and my disk is ready!
# 4 Restoring the previous version of drivers
I could cancel any updates and return to the previous “stable” version. My colleagues still consider this feature the most important.
# 3 Windows Firewall
In the official Microsoft documentation, this function was described as “a security system that is a protective screen between the network and the outside world” Well, Windows of that time was quite capable of packet filtering. Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet (PPPoE), virtual private networks, and dull dial-up were supported.
# 2 Remote Desktop
One of the coolest features of the time. I then worked as an administrator and this feature helped me more than once, saving dozens of hours of work and freeing up evenings for more enjoyable activities. One of the reasons for migrating to Windows XP in my former organization ;-)
# 1 Remote Assistance
This function worked in addition to the previous one and helped support services cope with daily duties. The user had to fill out a simple form, choose a suitable time for him and set a password. The form was sent to the support service, engineers could connect remotely, diagnose and fix the problem.
These were my favorite features of Windows XP, and now I will ask you to share yours. What did you like (or didn't like) in this system? Welcome to the comments!
The author of the text is our colleague, an employee of Netwrix - Jeff Melnick. We are all a little sad for the good old XP.
His post in English can be read here.