What that means for those of us who still use XP is that Windows will keep sending out updates and security patches for XP until sometime in 2014. Microsoft has also promised to keep patching XP through April 9, 2014.

You will still be able to keep using XP after the 1,000 days are up. You just won’t receive any support for it in 2014. In Microsoft’s Springboard Series Blog, Stephen L. Rose, the IT community manager for Windows, announced that Microsoft will stop sending out hotfixes and patches for XP on April 9, 2014. Rose also said that other companies that make applications that run on XP will stop doing the same thing on that date. He did not name the companies that will do this or applications that they put out.

Is XP Really Obsolete or is Microsoft Just Trying to Force us to Buy Windows 7 and Windows 8?

Rose’s blog entry sounded like a threat to Windows XP users and a sales pitch for Windows 7. He said that Windows XP would be vulnerable to security threats after that date. Note to Mr. Rose: XP is already vulnerable to security threats and so is Windows 7.

He then rattled off a whole bunch of reasons why you should buy Windows 7 and even tried to direct users to Windows 7 sales material. So this changeover could actually be a sales pitch.

It also makes Microsoft sound desperate to sell Windows 7, which it apparently is. The real reason for these threats could be that Microsoft has not been able to sell Windows 7, and may not be able to sell Windows 8 when it comes out next year.

Microsoft is having a Hard Time Selling Windows 7

The problem is that Microsoft has had a very hard time selling the public on every operating system it has put out since Windows XP. PC World reports that only 27% of computer users use Windows 7 but 51% of them use Windows XP. That means you’re not alone if you’re still using XP. Businesses are even less enthusiastic about Windows 7; 60% of them are still using XP.

What this means is that Windows 7 is basically a flop. Nobody seems to be buying it and Microsoft is scared. They need to start selling large numbers of new Windows operating systems to get their stock prices up. When the markets closed on August 5, you could buy a share of Microsoft for just $25.68.

The smart thing here might be for Microsoft to bring out a new version of XP or try working with XP users. Yet Microsoft isn’t. It is trying to force Windows 7 down computer users’ throats. In other words, Microsoft is acting like Microsoft.

 The best hope for Microsoft would be for Windows 8 to come out and for it to be really awesome. Even that might not help Microsoft because Windows XP works really well. In today’s economy, a lot of users are going to say “my computer works great, so why should I spend money on a new operating system that I don’t need?”

Unless you’re in the Mafia, threatening customers is not a good business plan. But that’s what Microsoft seems to be doing here. I have a feeling it is going to backfire and really hurt Microsoft. Many users will simply turn elsewhere.

Internet Explorer 9 Will Not Work with XP

Rose’s blog post is not only the latest threatening move towards XP users from Microsoft. The latest version of Internet Explorer, Explorer 9, will not work with Windows XP. How this will help Microsoft is hard to see because it will just drive XP users to switch to Google Chrome, Apple Safari or Mozilla Firefox.

The fact that Microsoft does not see this shows what is wrong in Redmond these days. The folks at Microsoft don’t seem to realize that the business environment has changed and they have competition.

Google Could Benefit

Not surprisingly, the biggest winner from this will be Google. Many people fed up with Microsoft and not wanting to shell out big bucks for Windows 8 or Windows 7 could switch to Google Chrome OS. Chrome OS is easy to use and it is free.

It is also obvious that Microsoft is still reeling from the Windows Vista debacle. Many people who were burned by Vista and its failures do not want to touch Microsoft again. Apple has cashed in on this big time and Google stands to make even bigger gains.

Another huge market that will probably emerge in the years ahead is service for Windows XP. Instead of buying Windows 7 or Windows 8, a lot of XP users will simply turn to other providers for XP service. We’ve already seen this in the browser market where people simply download Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome OS instead of buying Windows 7 so they can run Explorer 9.

Many companies will undoubtedly be cashing in by putting out fixes including security fixes and hot fixes for Windows XP. If you’re a programmer or software developer and you’re good with XP, you could pick up a few extra bucks by servicing the operating system or writing for it.

It will be interesting to see how Microsoft deals with this. Will they start trying to sabotage these developers next or take legal action against them? Don’t be surprised; Microsoft is already threatening Windows XP users.

Firefox users know that Google’s toolbar has been a staple feature of that popular browser as long as we can remember. Now it will be gone, which could make Firefox less user friendly and less popular. It also means the end of a longstanding alliance that has benefited both outfits.

So why would Google pull the plug on such a longstanding deal that has benefited it? The most obvious reason is to make Mozilla less user friendly and promote Google’s Chrome browser. The Chrome browser is popular, but not as popular as Firefox. If Google can push just a few customers away, it stands to gain.

Google wants to become the big player in browsers the way it already dominates searches. To do this, it will have to eliminate the competition and Mozilla is the competition. It is not the biggest player in the game – Microsoft Explorer still holds that distinction. But Mozilla is the most popular alternative to Explorer.

Google would like to position Chrome to become the main alternative to Explorer. That would make it much easier for Google to promote the Chrome Operating System as an alternative to Windows, which seems to be Google’s main focus. The Chrome browser is a sneaky way of getting people used to using a Linux-based open architecture operating system.

Mozilla Scrambles to Catch Up

Mozilla will have to scramble to find a way to direct users to various apps and addons. That will make its browser less user friendly and could benefit the sleeker Chrome. It will also make page rank tracking harder, which could really hurt some of Google’s marketing efforts. That, of course, will make Mozilla less friendly to marketers.

How this will affect Firefox users is hard to see, because many of the things toolbars used to do for us are built into Firefox itself. A lot of users simply won’t notice that the toolbar is gone – I know I did. Firefox should be able to cope, given its rapid release schedule.

How it Will Affect You

The main development here is that there will not be a Google toolbar on Firefox 5. The toolbar should be in place on older versions of Firefox, so most of us will not notice that much difference. Those of us who use the Google toolbar to do such things as cut and paste should be able to do them directly on the browser.

Autofill, search, spell check, and other common functions are now built right into Mozilla. That means you should be able to do them. You may have to fool around for a while and figure out a new way of doing things. Of course, many of us are already used to right clicking and other shortcuts rather than using the toolbar, so it may not be that bad.

Are Toolbars on the Way Out?

An interesting point here is that toolbars may soon become a thing of the past. This seems to be part of a large trend of making computer screens cleaner and more user friendly. Google is leading the way here with its very simple Chrome browser. Ubuntu is obviously the model for such simple architecture.

Previews of Windows 8 have shown a similar simple open architecture. The idea, of course, is to make interface between devices, functions, applications, and programs as seamless as possible. The ultimate goal is one-stop shopping, a sort of super Facebook where the user can access everything in one place.

That seems to be the goal of Google+, which looks like Ubuntu disguised as a social networking site and of Windows 8. Notice that Microsoft just got into bed with Facebook and bought Skype. The demise of toolbars could be part of this trend.

The Browser War is Getting Nasty

The real story here is the browser war which is heating up fast and getting nastier. Google turning on its old partner Mozilla is only the opening skirmish. Expect even more bloodshed in the months ahead as the big browser operators position themselves to take more space.

Microsoft will have to take some serious action to protect itself. Part of that action could be acquiring Opera or one of the other lesser browsers out there. Another more effective action would be to get a browser that actually works.

Mozilla’s whole business plan and success has largely been based on the fact that Explorer does not work. People install Firefox and Chrome because Explorer crashes every time you click on it. Creating a stable browser would be a better strategy for Microsoft than adding Facebook. Either way, Microsoft will have to act aggressively and fast if it wants to keep Explorer’s dominance.

One final thought here – I guess that Google will follow up on the toolbar changes with some major changes to Chrome. Perhaps a new redesigned Chrome that includes Google+. If that is the case, the browser war isn’t just going to heat up, it’s going to get a lot bloodier.

What this means for average computer users is that Mozilla is now offering two different browsers for free for use of the public. The newest of these lets you experience the latest browser innovations on a daily basis.

Step Right up Folks and Be Mozilla’s Guinea Pig

That’s right folks, Mozilla is giving you the privilege of being a guinea pig for their new technology on a daily basis. If you are not completely frustrated with Microsoft Explorer, just go over to Mozilla.com and download the latest Firefox prototype. Who cares if it actually works or not? It’s new and it has a cool-looking icon.

How this is supposed to help Mozilla’s reputation is beyond me. Firefox is a huge success because it actually works. You can actually use it to log onto the internet from the average computer with the average internet hookup in less than a minute. More importantly, you can actually download stuff through it. Another big advantage to Mozilla is that it only shuts down for no reason occasionally. You are not likely to have it go down right in the middle of a streaming video you are trying to download.

I use Mozilla because it actually works on the lousy broadband they have at my house. Like a lot of people, my choices in broadband are limited to whatever the phone company feels like giving me and satellite internet which does not work half the time.

In addition to Aurora, Mozilla is still giving us regular Firefox – the one they have tested and taken the bugs out of. Only it is now being called Beta. If you are looking for a browser that works and will let you log onto the net, you need Beta. Aurora could be fun to play with it, but who wants to be a test subject for a bunch of geeks?

The only advantage I can see to Firefox Aurora is that you get to provide feedback on the features. That means if they do not work, you can send a complaint to Mozilla. If you do not need a browser that works, Aurora could be some fun.

It will be fun because Mozilla will let you see its cutting edge features before they release them to the public. If you are a developer creating new apps, it might help your business. It might also be an interesting way for journalists and bloggers to research the latest in browser technology.

Microsoft should definitely subscribe so they can see what a browser that actually works looks like. It could also help them avoid the day when nobody is actually using Explorer.

Firefox Beta

The biggest change for the average person is that the standard Firefox is now called Firefox Beta. If you are putting a browser on an average person’s computer or your own PC and you just need to get online, use Beta.

You can still provide feedback to Mozilla with Firefox Beta. You just won’t get to see some of the geeky new features first. That means you will not be able to impress the gang in the lunchroom with your knowledge of the latest browser features. It does mean you will be able to see your Facebook page.

There is also a Firefox Beta for mobile, so you will be able to get online from mobile devices as well. Both Firefox Betas provide lots of cutting edge features and stability.

All three versions of Firefox can be downloaded here:

http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/channel/

Latest Round of the Browser Wars

The reason Mozilla is making two different versions of Firefox available is obvious. It is feeling competition from Google Chrome, which now has about 10% of the browser market. Like Firefox, Chrome has a big advantage – it actually works and it is easy to use.

Mozilla wants to preserve Firefox’s place as the cutting edge browser, so it is taking this step. Part of the reason it could be doing this is the fact that Chrome is much more than just a browser. The Chrome browser is actually sort of a Trojan horse that lets Google sneak Chrome OS into our computers. Google has done something nearly impossible – it has gotten average computer users to actually use Linux. Chrome OS is nothing but Ubuntu-flavored Linux repackaged for non-geeks.

We see Chrome, we use it, we like it, and we get used to the idea of using Google for a lot more than searching. It is sort of sneaky, but it is a brilliant marketing plan because it works. It is also Mozilla’s marketing plan – we use Firefox because it is free, easy to use, and actually works. Another company doing something similar is Facebook.

The real victim of the browser wars could be Microsoft. Explorer is still popular, but it is losingmarket share faster. All the people using Windows and other browsers are now conditioned to use non-Microsoft solutions. That means those people will be much more likely to download or even pay for Apps from some place besides Microsoft. Google is counting on this change of attitude to drive business to its App marketplace.

One has to wonder if a Mozilla marketplace or Mozilla App store will be part of Firefox Aurora. If it is, a lot of people are going to be burning the midnight oil at Microsoft HQ in Redmond, Wash.

The ease with which information can be retrieved from the Internet could in an ironic twist, be its greatest drawback.  There are cases where not all information may be appropriate for certain audiences, particularly when it comes to young children.  Perhaps you are a parent who is legitimately concerned about their young kids visiting age inappropriate websites. Or maybe it just drives you nuts when your PC becomes infested with Pac man and Pokémon pop ups or pop ups of scantily clad hotties inviting you to view their webcam, signs that your roommate sneaked in to use your computer when you were not around.  Whatever the case, you may want to consider blocking certain websites from being run on your system.

The solution to this problem is browser dependent. You need to disable your unwanted website on each of the browsers you have installed on your system.  I am going to demonstrate how easily this can be achieved on two of the most widely used browsers, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer and Google’s Chrome.

Let’s begin with Explorer 9.  Start by opening up the browser.  Then click on the “Tools” icon at the top right hand corner of the window.  It is the little gear image shown below in the screen shot by the blue arrow.  Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut (Alt + X).

From the dropdown menu that appears, select “Internet Options”.   Click on the “Content” tab in the Internet Options menu bar and then click on the “Settings” button.  This brings up the “Content Advisor” pop up window.  Next click on the “Approved Sites” tab in the Content Advisor menu bar.  All of these can be seen in the screenshot below.

Type in whatever website you wish to restrict access to in the text field and click on “Never”.  That website would be included as a disallowed website in the list of approved and disapproved websites as you can see from the screenshot.  Alternatively, you can create a list of approved websites, although I personally regard this as unnecessary and redundant.    You can easily remove websites from this list using the “Remove” button.  Validate your changes by clicking “Ok” or “Apply”.  There are some other cool features in Content Advisor that allow you to restrict whole website categories. I think it would be worth your time exploring some of these features.

Now let’s take a look at how this is done on Chrome BETA, Google Chrome’s latest version.   After opening the browser, click on the wrench icon in the top right hand corner of the window, shown below.

Click on “Options”.  A new browser window opens.   On the left panel of this Options window, click on the “under  the Hood” link.  Then in the right panel, click on the “Change proxy settings” button.   A pop up window appears similar to that of Explorer.   Follow the same procedure as explaine d above for Explorer.  

The Google move that is being ignored is the marketing of computers with a Google Chrome operating system installed. Acer and Samsung are among the companies selling a Chromebook. The Chromebook is a basic netbook that runs on Google’s version of Linux rather than Windows.

How Google Can Take Over the Software Business

Google has already successfully moved into the world of wireless devices with Android. Even though a lot of people like iPhone, Goolge is the future of wireless operating systems because its operating system is installed on devices average people can afford. Google could soon do the same thing.

The large scale marketing of a non-Windows operating system to average computer users could change the entire software industry. It could end Microsoft’s dominance and pave the way for the widespread acceptance of non-Microsoft operating systems. This could make Google the big player in the software business.

If Google can get the public to accept Chrome as the operating system or the standard in cloud computing, then it could be the place people turn to for software solutions, much as they now go to Google to search. If Google could just make 1¢ every time somebody goes to Chrome looking for software, it will make billions. The ground work for this money machine is already being laid.

Google already has its version of an App store, Google Apps Marketplace, up and running a year in advance of Microsoft’s Windows Store. That means Google is successfully repositioning itself as a software company rather than a search engine. This could potentially generate huge amounts of revenue for Google because tens of millions of people will be using Google’s Cloud.

The advertising revenues from this could be astronomical. There are other potential sources of revenue here including software licensing and fees charged for installing or selling software.

Google could well be positioning itself to take over from Microsoft as the dominant software provider. Yet the media does not seem to notice or care.

Why the Press is Writing Google’s Obituary Even Though it is Winning the War

The main reason the press thinks Google is dead is that Google is not heavily involved in the social media world which the press seems to love. Maybe it is because nobody has made a movie about the founders of Google. Or more likely because a lot of media types really do not understand technology.

They like Facebook because it is easy to use and understand. When you use Facebook, there’s no reason to talk to that guy from IT. This is the same reason reporters love Apple Macs – they’re simple and easy to use. Since Facebook is easy, they love it. And) since they see a lot of people using Facebook, they think it must be taking over the web. Facebook lets reporters and others use the web without having to bother learning about things like software.

Reporters do not seem to realize that a vast technological infrastructure is needed to bring Facebook to our homes and mobile devices. Google does and wants to control as much of this infrastructure as possible. Google does not care if people are using Facebook as long as they are logging on through an Android phone.

Chrome OS and Facebook

Even though Google does not need social networking, it could still be a major player in that realm thanks to Chrome OS. If a lot of people start buying Chromebooks and other Chrome devices and go online, the first thing they will see is Google’s social networking tools. Quite a few lazy people will start using these instead of Facebook, which could give Google hundreds of thousands of new users.

This will not be an immediate threat to Facebook but it will give Google the social networking marketing share it wants. It will also give Google a lot of new customers among lower income people who really do not care about technology.

What Google has done is to steal Apple’s business model and apply it to operating systems using Ubuntu or Linux technology. Google has built an easy-to-use open source operating system and made it easily available to the public. That could really threaten Facebook because it will give people an easy to use internet that has all the freedom of the Web with simple access.

In other words, Google is setting up a Facebook that lets users access almost any piece of software and access social media. A user can upload photos and chat with friends but he’ll also be able to do his taxes, check his bank account and file a report with the office while he is there.

It will take time for people to realize what Google is doing and the sheer potential of it. When they do, a lot of people will be amazed because they had heard Facebook killed Google. Yet they will see that Google is more popular and pervasive than ever.

Microsoft Fears Google

One outfit that has not bought the media hype over this is Microsoft. The crew atRedmond,Washington, has all but ignored Facebook but they’ve been paying a lot of attention to Google. From the previews of it that have been leaked to the media, Windows 8 looks like it was designed to counter Google Chrome OS.

Features including built-in Virtualization and a tiled Welcome Screen that looks a lot like the collection of programs indicate this clearly. Microsoft has added virtualization because it thinks a lot of people will be using two operating systems in the near future. The click on open right up look of Windows 8 is designed to keep people from going to Chrome.

Therefore, the pundits are wrong; Facebook is not the company to watch or beat. Google could win the war and the future using a secret weapon called Chrome OS.

As you can see above, Google Chrome does have a clean and simple look to it. It will be easy to use but you can get a similar look by simplifying your windows.

Something that those who are consider switching to Chrome should realize is that you may not be able to run most Windows apps and programs in it. This includes Microsoft Office and the ever popular Word and Excel. So know that you will not be able to do a lot of everyday work tasks in Chrome.

It also means that you will probably have to use a virtualizer or virtual operating system to run Windows programs on your Chrome machine –something that companies like Acer and Samsung are not telling the cheapskates buying the Chrome netbooks they’re shipping out. Another problem is that your computer will have to have Hard Activated Virtualization or HAV capability to run a virtualizer.

Therefore anybody who thinks that he or she will be able to do everything on a Chrome notebook that he or she can on a Windows laptop is going to be badly disappointed.

If you just want to search the web and perform very basic tasks like texting and e-mail Chrome might work for you. If you want to do other things like write documents that other people will be able to open and read you will probably out of luck. Nor will you be able to do most school work or work for the office on your Chromebook.

A Good Alternative to a Chromebook

If you’re looking for a cheaper notebook or netbook, a better alternative would be to head to the used computer store. There are tons of really good older model laptops on the market these days. Many people are dumping their laptops for tablets and iPads so you should be able to pick up some bargains. Why people want to perfectly good technology for something new is beyond me.

I guess a lot of supposedly grown up adults never got out of high school. They want the latest fad, even if it makes absolutely no sense.

Oh well, that does make things easier for the rest of us who just good basic technology that works and meets our needs.

It will be best to try and find a computer store that gets a lot of corporate returns. Big companies, especially ones that are laying off people, often dump unused or little used machines onto the market. Websites including eBay and Dell.com have some pretty good deals on used stuff too.

The reason why a used laptop can be better is that you can get one with a full Windows package for the same price as the toys they’re pushing on the market as netbooks. That means you can get a real computer for less than what other people are paying for a Smart Phone with a keyboard and a big screen.

Something else to remember is that you can pick most Microsoft programs including full Windows operating systems up online fairly cheap. That means you can have something that runs everything including all the Microsoft Office applications for the same price as a Chromebook.

Should You Use Google Chrome?

Windows users who have the capability to run a virtual operating might consider using Google Chrome. It does look good and it will give you access to a lot of programs and applications you cannot find elsewhere. It is also free and so are most of the apps on it.

If you’re doing something like developing new applications you might want to have Google Chrome OS. After all a lot of people are going to be using it in the near future, so there should be a market for apps written for it. It can also be fun to play around with.

This site lets you download the Chrome OS Linux. This is not Chrome but a variant of Linux that mimics it. Since Chrome is nothing but a glorified version of Linux it should serve as a pretty good substitute.

http://getchrome.eu/download.php

Downloading Chrome and setting up a Chrome virtual machine are a little tricky but you can do it. If you do want to run Google Chrome on your PC you will need a virtual machine. That means you’ll need to have a virtualization program like VM Ware or Oracle’s Virtual Box up and running. If you don’t have this and HAV capability on your computer you’re out of luck.

If you do have HAV capability you can get a virtual machine that will run Chrome OS on a PC. Something called Hexxen lets you download a virtual machine that supposedly contains the latest version of Chrome form Google HQ. They call it the Mountain View Chocolate Factory but that’s a nickname for Google Central which is located in Mountain View, California. You can download this here:

http://chromeos.hexxeh.net/vanilla.php

Installing Chrome OS in a Windows environment is not for the faint of heart. Most of the Chrome OS variants out there are not that stable. Most of the geeks online recommend that you have some experience as a programmer and a 64 bit Linux system if you want to do that. If you are an average person with an everyday computer stick with Windows.

If you want to run Chrome on your PC, wait until Windows 8 comes out. It will supposedly have a much better virtualization feature called Hyper V 3.0 which will making run a Chrome OS virtual machine on a PC a piece of cake.