Lottery Post Journal

Your perilous future on Windows XP

If you are still using Widnows XP on your computer, you need to read this article.  Especially if you are under the impression that you don't need to upgrade because "you don't need new features", or because "it works fine right now as it is", or any other reason.

http://www.zdnet.com/your-perilous-future-on-windows-xp-7000019721/

12 Comments:

  • Todd, that's why I upgraded to W8, when it first came out. I got a good price for the software, which included a 32-bit copy and a 64-bit copy. I knew I was going to go thru a big learning curve and I have. Lots of things, still have to learn, but am glad it's behind me.

    By CARBOB, at 10:56 AM

  • Excellent Carbob! Windows 8 tends to make your computer a bit snappier too, so hopefully you got a little performance bump when you upgraded.

    By Todd, at 11:27 AM

  • I have 8. Can't get printers to work with it.

    By emilyg, at 12:02 PM

  • I like 7 it is stable and I am migrating some of my customers to it, along with hardware upgrades of course.

    By jarasan, at 9:20 PM

  • I have 7 and 8. 8 sucks and has a whole bunch of crap that I don't want or need. 8 is really annoying and clunky. I wonder how much NSA spy code 8 has in it? After My warranty runs out on my 8 machine I am going to put Linux on it.

    I have no significant complaints on 7.

    By Think, at 4:39 PM

  • Hmmm.... This article kind of makes you ask what's next? -

    http://phys.org/news/2013-09-british-spy-agencies-web-encryption.html

    Have they figured out a way to build a fingerprint database via the Windows 8 touchscreen interface?

    It does make you wonder.

    By Think, at 8:10 PM

  • A computer can't read your fingerprint through the touchscreen.

    By Todd, at 8:26 PM

  • Todd said 'A computer can't read your fingerprint through the touchscreen.'

    Well not in any way you may have thought of however they do have lots of very bright people and more money than you or I will ever have. You may have not thought of a way to do it but you do not have the resources they do.

    By Think, at 11:24 PM

  • It's not a matter of money or how intelligent or crafty someone is. A computer touchscreen is a very imprecise reader that senses typically up to 10 "blobs" of touch (for your ten fingers). It does not have the ability to distinguish any kind of detail at all, much less be able to read the small lines on your fingerprint.

    To read a fingerprint requires a camera-like sensor or device, and that's just not what a capacitive touchscreen is capable of doing.

    I agree that it is amazing what some technologists are able to do with certain equipment, but sometimes you just run into limitations of a device that cannot be forced to do something beyond its capabilities.

    In this case it would be like trying to force your iPhone camera to photograph a planet orbiting a distant star. It's just not capable of doing that, and even a really smart person couldn't force it to work.

    By Todd, at 12:29 PM

  • Well like I said I don't know how to do it and certainly you can come up with a very good argument as to why you don't believe it is possible. However, just because you see it as impossible and I couldn't figure it out does not mean that nobody else can.

    My money, though, would be on the really smart people with lots of resources.

    I suppose that before Einstein you could make the argument for not being able to make uranium explode also. Einstein figured out how to do it WITHOUT having lots of resources.

    By Think, at 6:13 PM

  • OK, of course you are free to believe whatever you like.

    For the record, I'm certain someone COULD invent a touchscreen that integrated a fingerprint reader, just like people invented the atom bomb. But today, a really smart person could not take an existing touch screen off the shelf today (like on your iPad) and read your fingerprints with it.

    By Todd, at 6:22 PM

  • Yes, I believe someone could come up with an easier way to do it and I agree it is really hard to do with the current tech...which is why nobody, if they have done it, will admit it.

    If you ever see a job opening for $150k a year with the requirement of finding logical reasons as to why things are impossible please pm me and I will apply

    By Think, at 6:32 PM

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