Quote:
Originally posted by KnifeMissle
[B]I'm not sure what you mean by plug and play networking. If there's a DHCP server lying around, all the MS OS's of the last decade "just work." I also don't understand what a "USB installation" is. You're installing universal serial busses? Every USB device (although nothing uncommon) I've ever plugged into my machine has simply worked.
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I've ran 95, 98, and ME, and none of those allowed easy networking, even using DHCP server-style hubs or routers. It took hours to get all computers on the network working properly, especially if they weren't in the same workgroup. With Windows XP, you simply plug all of the computers into the hub or router, and they automatically work. I can go from DSL to Cable to huge LAN with the network settings adhering to the changes without moving a finger. The previous Windows OS's would NOT do that. You had to change the settings yourself, sometimes taking a very long time with Windows 9X.
Yeah, I'm talking about USB Devices. On previous Windows versions, I've never been able to get USB devices to work by simply plugging them in. You always have to use a CD or a floppy to install the drivers. If a friend wants to connect a USB device on your computer, you couldn't unless you had the driver. Windows XP has a ton of drivers built into it, and everything I've plugged in from printers to webcams to flash drives has worked instantly with no drivers needed. The previous Windows versions do not have this support -- you have to have the drives or it won't work.
Quote:
Originally posted by KnifeMissle
What options did you expect to need changing? What magic can XP do that gives it sufficient information to participate in a network that the other OS's couldn't determine? As far as I've ever experienced, the other OS's are just as "automatic," if your network is set up that way.
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Ever tried to connect multiple computers together with Windows 9X or 2K? It's not that easy, and it's sure as hell not automatic. I'd consider XP's networking automatic, since it works every damned time with any computer that has XP on it. Maybe my network isn't "set up that way," but everything was solved one I got Windows XP. Ever been to a LAN party? Everyone that has XP is able to join games immediately while the Windows 9X and 2K users have to configure their settings to allow this and that, with half of them NEVER being shown on the network.
Quote:
Originally posted by KnifeMissle
[BPlug and play is such a buzz word that I don't even know what it's supposed to mean. The OS has built-in drivers for all the hardware you're likely to install on your system?
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Plug and play is basically "plug it into your PC and it works." The driverbase is a good example. Like I said earlier, you couldn't just plug in something in Windows 9X or 2K and it work, you had to install the drivers 95% of the time. With Windows XP, that's gone for the most part. Some oddball components still require driver installation, but it's a hundred times better than needing it for every single component you owned. Hell, in the earlier OS's, Windows didn't even recognize if you plugged anything in -- you had to TELL it that you plugged something in, then it scanned to see if you weren't joking, and THEN it told you it had to have the drivers. XP immediately sees you're trying to install something, installs it if it has the drivers, and asks for them if it doesn't. A big step if you ask me.
Quote:
Originally posted by KnifeMissle
[BWhat's important to you?
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Yeah, I suppose it is what's important to each individual user, and easy networking, driver support, and plug and play component installation is worth it to me. I've used all of the Windows versions since 95 came out, and XP is simply above the rest in my view. I wouldn't go back to even 2000 unless I wanted server stability.
-Lasereth