<p>With deference to ‘Live Free or Die’ adherents in New Hampshire, whom among you refuse to upgrade to the latest software (or hardware for that matter) when it comes to market? Anyone still using Windows95? Also, Do any of you avoid Microsoft products if possible? I own no Microsoft applications and used Windows 98 until late last year.</p>
<p>We five Netscape Navigator users nationwide are having a backyard barbeque; you’re invited.</p>
<p>I used to LOVE Netscape Navigator. But when we got our new computer set-up, it became very difficult to use (thank you, Microsoft). Now we use Mozilla/Thunderbird.</p>
<p>I am very happy with Windows 2000 and hope never to have to change. But you know I will have to some day, hopefully before I don’t have two brain cells to rub together any more and can still adapt!</p>
<p>My kids, however, are Linux users. Opera & Firefox are two terms I hear tossed around a lot.</p>
<p>I’m a Mac user and had always used Netscape and liked it–now many times I have been forced to use Firefox. Is it just me or is Firefox really terrible to use? I hate it so far.</p>
<p>OpenOffice, Picasa, Corel WordPerfect - I’ll use just about anything I can to avoid the Beast of Redmond. When I can’t avoid it I do try to get the oldest version possible. It’s not an MS product, but I’m still using Quicken '98 and dread the day I have to change. My wife had to get the entire Office 2007 suite for a new job - including the loathsome Outlook - and we both hateithateithateit. The look and feel is different and awkward and I’m just waiting for the inevitable bugs and crashes. My office mate just bought new hardware and had to reinstall all of his software - nightmare! I’m going to limp along with my old stuff as long as I possibly can get away with it. I wasn’t able to win any converts to Linux which I installed on a second machine at home - the MS stuff is just too ubiquitous and my kids too uninterested.</p>
<p>I guess my husband and I are “early adopters.” I upgrade my Quicken every two years (so I have 2007). He’s got Vista already, and I’m using XP. I do have two different versions of Photoshop (5.5 and CS) depending on what I’m doing with it. He uses OpenOffice though. I’ve got an older version of MS Office. I use Mozilla although I have the new version of IE (which I don’t like much).</p>
<p>However, my copy of Clean Run Course Designer is only rev 3 (2003, I think)… (In all honesty, there isn’t a newer version.)</p>
<p>I was a heavy Netscape navigator user and one of those who laughed at IE when it first came out because it had so many problems. Well, Netscape has been left in the dust and is now a fading memory. I now use mostly IE and sometimes Firefox. They’re both fine.</p>
<p>I also used to like using Wordstar on a CPM system before the IBM PC and Microsoft DOS was invented. It worked fine and I actually still use the same shortcuts (different key combinations to delete a line, search, etc.) in various editing programs including the compilers I use.</p>
<p>All in all I think Microsoft has some great products and has performed a huge service for most computer users by supplying very powerful and relatively inexpensive software at a pretty high quality level to the masses. If any of you remember the early days of Wordstar, Wordperfect, database apps, spreadsheet apps, etc., their rudimentary functionality, and their relatively high cost, you’ll know what I’m talking about. </p>
<p>But to the main point - no, I don’t think it’s necessary for people to always have the latest software, the biggest selling software (Microsoft), or the latest hardware. People should just consider their usage and and just make sure they have something adequate to do the job. A basic word processor together with a basic web browser is adequate for a lot of people.</p>
<p>If you are using an older version of Windows (3.0/95/98/ME) you are missing a lot. Windows XP is infinitely better. I wonder if you can even buy an XP upgrade anywhere anymore? Just say no to Vista for now, though.</p>
<p>As for browsers, I use Firefox all the time. The Windows version is wonderful.</p>
<p>Firefox- Safari ( tried Opera- but too slow- might try it again)
NeoOffice-Appleworks-Mariner Write</p>
<p>Ucsd_Ucla-Dad,</p>
<p>Did you misspeak? You really belive that Microsoft brought lower cost software applications to the market? I’ve got to disagree. Today I find that Corel and Lotus products are much cheaper than MS equivalents and even Borland was a great alternative to MS back in the day. I’m not anti-MS as a company, and MS didn’t do anything different from the other major software developers in the early days by charging premium prices for products that were at times volatile in their performance, but I don’t think the success of the Redmond Giant is entirely based on product performance.</p>
<p>I still think that WordPerfect 5.1 for DOS was the best software program ever written. Why can’t Microsoft do reveal codes?</p>
<p><a href=“http://wordprocessing.about.com/od/wordprocessingsoftware/ss/revealcodes.htm[/url]”>http://wordprocessing.about.com/od/wordprocessingsoftware/ss/revealcodes.htm</a></p>
<p>:) </p>
<p>Whew!</p>