Still using XP?

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Heard something interesting from my brother, who's an uber-geek.

It turns out that almost every Point-of-Sale terminal in nearly every store out there is based on Windows XP.  Even though Microsoft has officially stopped supporting XP as a general computer, by contract, they are locked into providing security upgrades to the POS terminals until at least 2021.  And apparently there is a simple registry hack where you change a couple of lines, and your computer identifies itself as a POS terminal instead of a Windows XP computer, and it then continues to get security upgrades from Microsoft.

Microsoft is aware that this is happening and has released statements trying to discourage it.

I don't still have XP, so I haven't bothered digging into it further, but apparently the info on the registry hack is not hard to find.

Regards
John

 

[MikeRuth]

If you want to know a bit more and or make that change,
http://www.zdnet.com/article/registry-hack-enables-continued-updates-for-windows-xp/

 

[LeeRevell]

My old Seniorchief had a saying.....
"The US Navy, two hundred years of tradition unmarred by progress."
It takes awhile to overcome institutional inertia.  And shipboard systems often must wait for the next major refit period for upgrades.  That is done every several years.

 

[highdesertranger]

ha ha ha gsfish. I thought the same thing at first. POS ha ha ha. highdesertranger

 

[Free Range Chicken]

XP ? What is XP ?? eXpanded Polystyrene ? [emoji6]

 

[ZoNiE]

I use WinXP on my Mac when I need to run windows stuff. Mostly Visio. Runs better on a Mac in Parallels 10 than it does on a PC!!!
:dodgy:

 

[East]

Nice mention. I remember hearing about this a while back. It's a nifty modification that definitely will serve some people well. What I don't understand is, if Microsoft is required to continue security patches for XP by law for point of sale systems, why not just continue support for the system as a whole. They're going to have to use resources to develop security patches anyways. I guess it's more of a priority to them to move people forward to newer versions, who knows?

I dual boot Windows 7 Ultimate and OS X Yosemite on my current setup.

 

[LeeRevell]

I have always seen this as a vicious circle between the hardware and software vendors.  One comes up with a "Neat Nifty New Thing" (hereafter "NNNT"), so the other must advance to use it.  Hardware makes a faster machine, so software creates a new OS to make use of this speed.  Software introduces some NNNTs but current machines can't fully utilize them, so they 'upgrade' their machines to use it.  So on until a whole new OS is needed to keep up.  Sure, they will support yesterday's system for awhile, but they already have tomorrow's new stuff in the works, so they want us to buy the best now.  Then the whole cycle begins anew.  As always, "Follow the money!"   :dodgy:

My laptop is currently one generation behind, and my smartphone is three generations behind.  As long as they continue to work as I need, I see no reason to add to MicroSloth's piggybank til I absolutely must.

 

[mockturtle]

I only WISH I were still using XP!

 

[compassrose]

POS terminals! Oh, point of sale! HA!!!

Guy

One of my daughters works for Lavu and she kept telling me she worked for a P-O-S company. I would keep asking her if it was such a shitty place to work, why did she stay there. She now says she works for Lavu.