Is there anything positive in Windows XP?

[fud122]

I know there are lots of great features in OS X but what about Windows XP? I never really hear any positive things about it...is there is anything that people like in Windows XP (apart from the obvious games and business applications) or find good? Most threads are anti-XP. I'm just curious to see what better differences Windows XP has over OS X.

Even though I don't really like XP I love the "cut" feature and Windows Explorer. I find navigating and moving files through Windows (folders, drives etc...) much simpler than OS X.

 

[seabass069]

YES, the greatest feature can be located by clicking the start button and then click, "turn off computer". That was the best invention that Microsoft ever came up with.

 

[fud122]

YES, the greatest feature can be located by clicking the start button and then click, "turn off computer". That was the best invention that Microsoft ever came up with.

LOL!!!

 

[gammamonk]

There are lots of good things about XP. Why do you think 90% of computers use windows? It's just that windows is also annoying. And those people who get fed up try something else. Once you've seen the light, you'll do everything you can in OSX.

Before Apple went to OSX, (ie, when Apple sucked hard) I was using Linux, not because it was better than windows, but just because it wasn't as annoying. These were the "Fatal 0E" days. I couldn't really do anything except websites and chat, but that's mostly what I was doing with my computer at the time anyway.

 

[mad jew]

The best thing about Windows XP is the default Wallpaper.

 

[plinkoman]

I honestly can't think of anything.

just games, but thats not something great about windows itself, so it doesn't really count...

 

[EricNau]

Yes. Windows XP is very kid friendly because they are used to the Fisher-Price interface.

 

[tipdrill407]

IMHO i think it is MUCH easier to switch between applications when you only haf 2-3 of them open at a time in windows, while OS X excels when u have over 5 applications.

 

[Chrispy]

The only thing I like about windows is the freedom of selecting your own hardware.

 

[4JNA]

the photo printing wizard rules. i have VPC running xp just to drag photos over and print them. never found anything else that works as well.

games, games, and 'not available on mac' games. oh, and calculator. sweet!

 

[n-abounds]

Well in my experience...and I'm actually NOT joking here...MS Paint.

Occasionally, I NEED an exceptionally easy and feature-less piece of software to draw stuff on. I run into this problem cause I need to draw lots of weird shapes for my economics classes. I have yet to find anything so simple on Mac OSX. If there was, however, I'd switch in a jiffy.

 

[eRondeau]

YES, the greatest feature can be located by clicking the start button and then click, "turn off computer". That was the best invention that Microsoft ever came up with.

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense... click "START" to "STOP" using the computer. I'm guessing Bill was having an XBOX moment when he thought that one up.

Actually I'm using an XP machine at work right now, brand new box, clean install this week. But Internet Explorer still randomly shuts-down without warning, not even an error message, just bang and it's gone. So I guess anytime you can't use IE, for whatever reason, it's a good thing.

 

[vniow]

Media Centre.

 

[iMeowbot]

I really like the little cartoon balloon that pops up to tell me that some items on my desktop are old. I wouldn't have known the icons were there if Windows didn't tell me!

 

[MrSmith]

It makes Mac users feel privileged.

 

[MrSmith]

I really like the little cartoon balloon that pops up to tell me that some items on my desktop are old. I wouldn't have known the icons were there if Windows didn't tell me!

I'm intrigued by both sentences.

Why does it tell you things are old, what do you mean by 'old', and why does it tell you?

How can you not know there are icons on your desktop? Do you have an extremely busy desktop picture

 

[iMeowbot]

Why does it tell you things are old, what do you mean by 'old', and why does it tell you?

Someone at Microsoft came up with this lovely idea that there should be as few icons as possible on the desktop, so users are periodically nagged to remove anything that hasn't been used within 60 days. The nag can be turned off, but it's normally enabled.

How can you not know there are icons on your desktop? Do you have an extremely busy desktop picture

That's why I like the nag notice so much and leave it enabled. I enjoy Windows' eye for the obvious

 

[erikamsterdam]

well, one thing: when you alt-tab to a minimized app, it maximizes automatically. OS X just ignores you, very annoying. You first have to maximize it again.
And: the fact that in the Finder your directories don't get displayed on top. Whoever thought that was handy?!
But I sure as hell don't miss the annoying drive letters

 

[AdeFowler]

Redrawing icons with previews turned on in XP (even through VPC) is like lightening compared to OSX. It's better in Tiger than it was in Panther but still painful to watch.

Apart from that I can't think of a single thing.

 

[Applespider]

the photo printing wizard rules. i have VPC running xp just to drag photos over and print them. never found anything else that works as well.

The Photo Printing Wizard I have a love/hate relationship with it in the office. When I have to print out impromptu contact sheets or those 3x3 grids, I love it.

When I 'm trying to print out something that I know exactly what size I want it, it insists on trying to fit it into one of its preset options rather than print the 'actual size' that I worked it to in Photoshop back hom on my Mac. So it never comes out quite right - stretched/shrunk/cropped argh!

 

[2ndPath]

I like the Start menu of windows. It is easier to access some applications that way, which on the Mac I wouldn't put in the dock, because they are not used frequently. It is possible to put the applications folder into the dock and right click on it to get kind of a menu, but that is not well structured and slow, when opened the first time. It would be nice, if Apple implemented a sub menu feature into the dock, were I can just drag Applications into the sub menu to create Application launchers.

 

[fud122]

I like the Start menu of windows. It is easier to access some applications that way, which on the Mac I wouldn't put in the dock, because they are not used frequently. It is possible to put the applications folder into the dock and right click on it to get kind of a menu, but that is not well structured and slow, when opened the first time. It would be nice, if Apple implemented a sub menu feature into the dock, were I can just drag Applications into the sub menu to create Application launchers.

I agree...I wish OS X had something like that built in. Apps like Quicksilver make it so much easier though.

 

[plinkoman]

I like the Start menu of windows. It is easier to access some applications that way, which on the Mac I wouldn't put in the dock, because they are not used frequently. It is possible to put the applications folder into the dock and right click on it to get kind of a menu, but that is not well structured and slow, when opened the first time. It would be nice, if Apple implemented a sub menu feature into the dock, were I can just drag Applications into the sub menu to create Application launchers.

me personally, I could not stand the start menu. I never used it.

In OSX, just download and use quicksilver for infrequently used apps. Makes things much easier than any windows start menu solution will ever.

 

[SpankyPenzaanz]

The paper clip wizard thing that i unistall in office immediately

 

[bousozoku]

WinXP isn't so bad. It isn't very good, either.

However, when you use it, you can get things done, even though Intellisense and all of the Wizards get in the way.

The good thing about WinXP is that once the machine works, you don't get errors because you don't have a plug-in to play a certain media type since almost everything is supported there.