WINDOWS XP SUPPORT ENDS TODAY

Those who know me well understand that I don't like changing something that works and that I find useful. This is particularly true of computer programs and operating systems.

I resisted switching from DOS to Windows until November of 2000. Even then, I had Windows 98 installed on my new PC because I heard it had all the bugs worked out of it. What a disaster that was. It kept crashing and giving me all kinds of grief. In spite of it's problems, I resisted upgrading until 2008.

Though friends said that Windows XP worked well, I felt skeptical. "Could any Microsoft product work properly?" I thought whenever folks mentioned XP's excellent performance.

When I had a new computer custom-built for me in 2008, I let the tech install XP. My friends were right about it working better than past Windows operating systems. I'm still glad that the end of support for Windows 98 forced me to buy a new PC.

Now I face the same problem again. My old faithful operating system won't be supported with bug fixes and security updates after today, leaving me more vulnerable to hackers. Replacing Windows XP feels like jumping into the unknown but I need to upgrade sooner or later.

Thanks to the Radway Library, I have another PC which runs XP. If my programs aren't compatible with the new computer's operating system, I can always use that machine. Meanwhile, I'll have to adjust to Windows 8 or 8.1 and it's changes from XP.

For more information about the discontinuation of XP and how to test your machine to discover if 8.1 works on it, visit the Microsoft site.

As for MS DOS, I wrote all three of my books using it as well as WordPerfect 5.1. My first two paperbacks are featured on my Bruce Atchison's books page. How I Was Razed: A Journey from Cultism to Christianity is in e-book, as well as paperback form, at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Virtual Bookworm Publishers.