MSDN hates XP as much as I do

[Jon]

A few years ago they removed all references from MSDN - I remember because it was impossible to look up which APIs were compatible with XP as "vista" was the latest listed. I had to resort to old physical copies of MSDN. But a while later they added all the XP references back in. I guess they've done it for real this time

[Zedna]

@Jon

Will you remove all mentioning of XP from AutoIt's helpfile/documentation too? :-)

I ask that question because I know that you were involved in Microsoft.

Also is there plan to remove support for XP from AutoIt completely in some of near future version?

EDIT:

I know there is plan to move minimal requirements from XP RTM to XP SP3

but is there any new plan to remove also support for XP SP3 anytime soon?

Edited April 13, 2015 by Zedna

[DXRW4E]

Microsoft does not remove the Windows APIs to penalize Windows XP, but take them away because they are old and are Full of BUG and not recommended to use them today, even in Web hear comments like write code without depending much from WinAPI, because all problems are when one (malware etc etc) hack WinApi so hack your applications

Autoit will have to close the support of Windows XP (is a loss of timeenergyetc etc), i think do also another release for WinNT5.x (Windows XP) and Enough, after rewriting the code with the new API for WinNT6.x (Windows Vista7810Next), all the Windows API for NT6.x are much more secure and more well done and also the fastest, just take the example of CompareStringOrdinal is almost 10-20 times faster of all other API, even faster then Win CRT (that also in the local version is not able to interpret well the Разредка - разредка  http://www.siao2.com/2006/10/23/860181.aspx)

as always, this is just my opinion

Ciao a tutti.
 

Edited April 13, 2015 by DXRW4E

[Zedna]

It's not that the documentation is being removed, it's just that any mention of XP being able to use the function or variable has been removed. EM_SETCUEBANNER is a good example, which is what alerted me to this happening in the first place.

 

I noticed this problem in topic about Virtual Listviews by LarsJ

[TheSaint]

It's funny how some like to toss out their old reliable, almost like part of the family, OS, and some don't.

Perhaps we should do the same with our partners in this throw away society.

Also funny how Microsoft have to resort to forcing people to move on ... that should tell you something.

They just get more bloated and slower, but we compensate by getting more powerful machines ... catch-22 anyone.

Imagine running an older version of Windows on a new machine .... apart from a few compatibility issues, it would run like lightning in comparison.

We are forced into much of this, for most people anyway, due to security reasons ... and some greater newer functionality.

The truth is though, most people would be well served (aside from security issues) with a much older OS ... especially on a new machine. Most people don't need all the bells and whistles and new functionality. In all reality, it is a kind of rort for most, having to update all the time.

For an old bod like me, a part of me still pines for the ease of use of Win 98 SE, though the stability of Win XP was undeniably a dogsend.

As much as Win 7 & 8 etc have some great new things, I still prefer Win XP ... offline of course ... especially when it comes to File Search, which was Win 7's greatest let down. So I play on Win 7 and work on Win XP (offline) ... and dabble at will on Win 8 (not often).

Each to their own in this ongoing lunacy of the always update regime.

P.S. Personally I'd much rather spend my time learning new things rather than having to relearn a new version of something old, and all the hassles that are incumbent with that. Life is too short, to seemingly be re-inventing the wheel all the time.

The painful price of progress I guess.

[czardas]

The move towards touchscreen technology doesn't impress me much. For a lot of specialist use, it's actually pointless. I can think of several problematic issues related to touchscreen interaction: the tips of my fingers are too wide, my hand is not transparent, my fingers get dirty, my screen is in front of my eyes and my hands rest more easily on the surface of the table. I suppose it's fine for general use, but it would take me so much longer to create any detailed work. Unless I can reduce the size of my finger tips to the width of a hairpin, I will need to constantly zoom in and out to select anything on screen and that would turn out to be painfully slow.

Edited April 16, 2015 by czardas

[iamtheky]

i think the touchscreen evolves to different flavors of VR and extremity tracking pretty quickly. The evolution of apps and games in the Gear VR in the 6 months I have had it is ridiculous. And the next evolution devices that add hand/finger tracking and better processors should address most of the issues you present.

[czardas]

So long as I don't have to hold my arms out in front of me or crook my neck.

I would need to be able to set the sensitivity of the tracking to a very high gear (like with a pushbike climbing a hill) or my screen would need to be very large.

[iamtheky]

The VR cinema alone at its most basic turns my note4 from a  5.7" screen into a 100 foot screen.  The newer games like Anshar Wars and DreadHalls do some neat things with scaling that leave me pretty convinced that products like Microsoft's HoloLens, and the consumer versions of Oculus that are driven with PC hardware rather than a phone will actually have usefulness when released.

and where do you put your arms now when you are working?

[czardas]

and where do you put your arms now when you are working?

 

In my pocket.

Actually what you describe sounds very intresting. It's the touchscreen concept I don't like.

[Jon]

The force touch trackpad on the new macbook is blowing my mind. You will SWEAR that it physically moves and clicks - you can even change how hard the click is. I imagine a keyboard using the same tech in the future.

[Jon]

It's funny how some like to toss out their old reliable, almost like part of the family, OS, and some don't.

P.S. Personally I'd much rather spend my time learning new things rather than having to relearn a new version of something old, and all the hassles that are incumbent with that. Life is too short, to seemingly be re-inventing the wheel all the time.

The painful price of progress I guess.

 

I like technology. I like learning new things. I'm the opposite, I don't understand how anyone with even slight geek tendencies doesn't like upgrading and fiddling  

[Zedna]

I like technology. I like learning new things. I'm the opposite, I don't understand how anyone with even slight geek tendencies doesn't like upgrading and fiddling

 

I absolutely don't understand how some technically based/skilled people easily accept new and worse/cripled versions of software, for example new Windows/Office etc.

Edited April 18, 2015 by Zedna

[TheSaint]

I like technology. I like learning new things. I'm the opposite, I don't understand how anyone with even slight geek tendencies doesn't like upgrading and fiddling

For me, it is mainly the "forced to" that I don't like .... especially for those who don't really need it ... which is most people.

It is the regime that forces the requirement for updating, not most people's needs ... non nerds (norms) I'm talking here.

I also don't like it when something works well, but is forced into obsoletion by a regime of must upgrade or else ... I hate the throwaway society mentality.

I too like learning new things, but we have so many, that compete for so many other things in life, that I'd rather update when I am ready and have the time, and see the need. I'm always fiddling when I have the time and the impulse.

I suppose you could say, that I am user first, geek second.

I guess I am kind of doing the above anyway, to a large degree, but it irks me when Microsoft decide people are not upgrading fast enough, and so they force the issue .... and then a ton of other program makers jump on board.

Most people (norms) are quite happy with Win XP and Win 7, so it seems it is not about giving the customer what they want, but rather telling them they must have something else .... and then applying blackmail when the customer disagrees.

In the end, the system owns you, and you cannot really opt out, as everything conspires to prevent you doing so.

Sometimes I get accused for being a bit communist in some of my values, but this is too communistic for me.

[DXRW4E]

Just for info, I suggested to close the support of Windows XP, not because I do not LikeLove Windows XP, just see my Signature there are Gibytes and Gibytes and Gibytes of data, addupdateedit 8 years ago until yesterday, so I do not think here is someone that LikeLove Windows XP more than me OKKKKKKK, but must understand that there is nothing that Autoit can improve them, I'm not a professional programmer but everyone try to get in the shoes of Jon, one reports a BUG or asks an updateimprovement, I think Jon will go around the world editmodifycheckcontroladdimprove hundredsthousand of line in the code, and why ? not because he can not do it, but because Windows XP is very very old and Windows XP is not created to support certain things, in poor words is very stressful to give an application today support for Windows XP, so is not secreted to say that this fact slows and penalizes developmentimprovement of AutoIt in Windows NT6.x/NEXT

Sorry for my English

Ciao a tutti.

Edited April 19, 2015 by DXRW4E

[DXRW4E]

Another trivial trivial example, to delete the Registry recursively, just use RegDeleteTree https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/aa379776(v=vs.85).aspx ah yesss you can not, because it is not supported in WindowsXP, so you will need (to use SHDeleteKey https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/bb773486(v=vs.85).aspx just read the comments of msdn user ehhhh) to write your own code, which is not so dificult in the end ehhhh, but still will be a code that will have to be checked and maintained and which may be the cause of many bugs, so at the end is a thing that costs, so multiply this example to a thousand and thousand and that's what happens in a code that today will support Windows XP (as said above this is a really trivial example, but think that happens with something really serious)
 
Ciao.

Edited April 19, 2015 by DXRW4E

[DXRW4E]

I absolutely don't understand how some technically based/skilled people easily accept new and worse/cripled versions of software, for example new Windows/Office etc.

but 80% of user in the web are ignorant (do not get me wrong, I do not say that they are idiots, but are ignorant about software), think with what will have to deal microsoft ?? with users who judge an OS (15-20 GB) because of the start menu ???? ah lately that a bigger concern (problem) trash icon in Windows 10, hundreds of thousands of programmers writes from 10 years millions of line of code, instead users judge the program from color of the setup icon ehhhhhhhh

Edited April 19, 2015 by DXRW4E

[AZJIO]

Why don't they make better Explorer, Notepad, mspaint. Instead stuff a distribution kit with video movies. I don't think a lot of the code would need to import the RegDeleteTree function in Windows XP. It is possible to issue new libraries, without increasing the distribution with 2 GB to 20 Gb. Settings redistributed to other windows, but the essence remains the same.

[Chimaera]

but 80% of user in the web are ignorant (do not get me wrong, I do not say that they are idiots, but are ignorant about software), think with what will have to deal microsoft ?? with users who judge an OS (15-20 GB) because of the start menu ???? ah lately that a bigger concern (problem) trash icon in Windows 10, hundreds of thousands of programmers writes from 10 years millions of line of code, instead users judge the program from color of the setup icon ehhhhhhhh

Thats the masses for you they believe what their friends or facebook or their phone tells them

Some of the rubbish things like that i deal with every day makes me want to hurt people sometimes because i get fed up repeating the same stuff over and over

[DXRW4E]

Thats the masses for you they believe what their friends or facebook or their phone tells them

Some of the rubbish things like that i deal with every day makes me want to hurt people sometimes because i get fed up repeating the same stuff over and over

I have no idea what you're talking about, is first time I feel that issues of Microsoft Windows are discussed in facebook or other community like this (where you publish photos and sms etc etc), I personally do not have facebook or twitter or Windows Phone or iPhone or other, I always refer to the websites that deal with things series, however why  you seem so strange, a few years ago (2008-2009 when facebook and Windows Phone not exist) 75% of web knew that there was only internet explorer browser ehhhh

Edited April 19, 2015 by DXRW4E