First, I have to apologize in advance: it's possible that this thread is off-topic, and Alternatives forum is designated for discussing only mobile operating systems, not those of desktops. Feel free to move this discussion to another forum if needed.
Second, as you probably already know, Windows XP extended support ends on 8th of April, this year. less than two months from now. The world is in panic because approximately 95% of ATMs are running Windows XP.
From a personal standpoint: if you are using Windows XP now, what are you going to do in April? Continue using it, and brave the possible viruses and not-fixed bugs? Upgrade to a later Windows, and continue depending on Microsoft's software and its quirks? Move to a Unix-Linux distribution, and endure the steep learning curve and the so-many differences? Forget the desktop, and switch to completely mobile lifestyle, immersing yourself in the browser wars as an alternative to war of operating systems? Dive into alpha-testing of ReactOS?
By 'coincidence', ReactOS has a Kickstarter campaign going on - ending on 21st of February, if I remember correctly. It is mostly focused on cloud computing, but my eyes are on the ReactOS-preinstalled devices.
What do you think?
P.S. Typed on N900 in Leafpad and sent from Fennec.
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Per aspera ad astra...

Move to Linux Mint with Cinnamon... You get easy support due to it being based on Ubuntu while the UX is not radically different from Windows so a steep learning curve is not present. Also since you are a N900 user, how difficult is it to get used to a Linux distro?

Many positives aside, viruses and nonsensical windows update requiring a restart are not going to bug you.

Far too much work for that small amount of people to produce something binary compatible to WindosXP. The project started in the late 90s. Microsoft throw a bunch of people at all the security problems they have with their stuff, there is no way ReactOS ever could do even the same results, not expecting better results.

Get simply @thedead1440's advice, using the head start on Linux your N900 gave you! There are very fine communities around those Linux distributions, with great people sharing knowledge, giving support or just chatting away. Most of the installs use a fraction of harddisk space you are wasting on Windows system install space. Most of them offer full desktop software right with initial install, like Office software, email, browser(s), communication, image manipulation, lots of simple fun games and so on.

You could even have lots of Windows software run in virtual machine or wine (API compatibility layer capable of running Windows applications). In fact; Windows in Virtualbox is the only way i get my Audible audiobooks to my N900.

ReactOS has been in Alpha since Jesus was a lad. Their time has arrived but they're not ready.

If you have Windows programs you absolutely can't do without I'd think XP in a virtual box on a Linux PC or even WINE is a better bet than ReactOS.

I moved to Linux years ago because a virus wreaked havoc on my XP PC, it took a bit of getting used to but now I find Windows a pain in the 4r53. It's great for power nappers I guess.

@Home.
Nothing. My Windows partion is already on Win8.

@Work
We are still on XP and will be moving to Win7.

@Mom,Dad + other relatives using me as their unpaid IT-support serf
Everyone already on Win7 or Win8.

Win8 is pretty good, if you're doing IT-support for relatives. Just use Classic Shell, or other similar alternatives. The key point is to get rid of anything and everything Metro on the UII, which no fossil will ever learn to use (not that anyone should use anything that horrible).

Canonical (Ubuntu) - and therefore Mint - only provides support for the "main" and "restricted"* repositories and their respective "security" counterparts.
However, Mint and Ubuntu also have the "universe" and "multiverse" repos enabled by default. These repos, as well as any "partner" or ppa repo are NOT covered by Canonical's support and can therefore not be assumed to be safe. Their maintainers work purely on a "best effort" base (and the effort varies enormously).

Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE) is no alternative regarding security. In fact it's even worse. LMDE is based on Debian testing, which - as the name suggests - is not intended for use on productive systems**. To tame it LMDE copies snapshots of Debian testing to their own repositories whenever they think it works fine at the moment. Any security fixes Debian testing receives after the last LMDE snapshot will not be available in LMDE until the next snapshot, which means that LMDE is in a constant state of containing known but unfixed bugs.


*) As far as they can support restricted software at all (as in fixing security-critical bugs).
**) The fact that you might be experienced enough to tame testing doesn't change that intention.

I appreciate advise to move to Linux. Alright, so it does have hibernate, and with Samba, it can share files with Windows computers in the workgroup, if need be. There aren't any hardware problems with getting Linux to work on the particular hardware. What about programs?
7-Zip: fine
Dictionary: should be easily replaceable with GoldenDict
Adobe: fine
Apache: fine (why do I even have it in the first place?)
Oxford dictionary: not needed, though a cherished relic of older times: run under Wine?
Printer: hopefully, they have a Linux driver?
Dia, Flac: fine?
Media player: have to switch to VLC Player?
Google Earth: not used for a long time, switch to Marble?
MathML Weaver: what is it?
Kaplan: not needed?
Home-brewed Visual-Studio-Compiled programs: re-compile for Linux, with curses at Visual Studio all the way?
LibreOffice: fine
Math: Mathcad and Mathtype not needed, Matlab to be replaced with Octave, and Neural Networks never used ever.
Microsoft: switch from Office to LibreOffice, abandon SQL server and Visual Studio
MySQL: fine (not that it is necessary)
Nero, Oracle Database, Powerdesigner, TOEFL, WinRar: not needed
Nokia, XVid: fine?
Paragon: replace with Linux partition manager and backup creator
Seagate: what is it?
Seamonkey: hopefully, can migrate without problems
Bluetooth, WiFi, Ethernet drivers: please, be fine!
DjView: something has to be on Linux for this file format
AHDW: run under Wine?
Camera, Java, Paraview: fine
Skype: fine, though I would rather find an alternative
Now... What would be the way to gradually switch from Windows to Linux? Uninstall the rarely-used-unneeded programs and free up space for Linux installation on the same hard drive? Run "check disk" just in case? Is it possible to "Hibernate" in Windows, and then "Return from Hibernate" in Linux?Because I am looking for Windows and Linux coexisting side-by-side during transition.
Thank you.
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Per aspera ad astra...

Run Linux natively, run everything else in a VM such as VirtualBox

I am currently using ubuntu as i like unity desktop but there is many distro out there that gives you freedom of choice between desktops and can replace windows or as everyday use os also you can replace your Software that you're using in windows like Photoshop=gimp or sound forge=audacity or you can use wine,virtualbox but most of my windows apps work with wine 1.7 perfectly.

I use mint linux mainly but have dual boot and a small VirtualBox image running WinXP(SP3).
Wine isn't 100% and rarely use it.

Dual boot is getting harder to do with WinXP because of hardware driver support for XP
And software like Vissual Studio 12+ doesn't install winXP.
Actually targeting WinXP in VS is a black art now!


LMAO @ "ReactOS has been in Alpha since Jesus was a lad. Their time has arrived but they're not ready."

With the news that MS is looking at supporting Android apps on windows and WP, MS should make windows free instead. lol

If ReactOS is lean like winXP and supports WinXP and newer apps then it's sure worth looking at!!

But the kickstarter is for cloud computing??