Simplicity's advantage will grow as the Web levels the old Windows advantage of plentiful software.
Day-to-day, I find my old Windows XP machines, running equally old Microsoft and other applications, do everything I need done.
FORBES: Happy 10th Birthday, Windows XP! Why We Still Love You
It will run your old Windows software as well as new programs that take advantage of the slick new look and touchscreen.
FORBES: Microsoft Paradox: Can Windows Be Everywhere and Nowhere at the Same Time?
So will I be able to run all my old Windows applications on the new generation of tablets running Windows on ARM-based processors?
Next, the Surface runs Windows 8 RT, which has the Metro UI, and occasionally exposes something that looks like the old Windows 7.
FORBES: Microsoft Paradox: Can Windows Be Everywhere and Nowhere at the Same Time?
But the Washington state company hopes its 7-month-old Windows 8 operating system will become more popular as consumers get more familiar with its interface.
In addition, while Surface doesn't run most old-style Windows apps, it includes some standard old Windows programs like the calculator, notepad and file explorer.
Just before our line began to move, a lady parked her car and walked past us and towards the repair counter with an old Windows laptop under her arm.
"I'm a Mac user, but on my Mac I have multiple instances of Windows--XP, Vista, very old Windows stuff and the very latest stuff, like Windows Server 2008, " he says.
Toshiba's got an Ultrabook hybrid on the way for general consumption, and now it's targeting the business-savvy Windows 8 user with its WT310 tablet (a product code borrowed from an old Windows 7 model).
It's a tricky balancing act to pull off, and lots could go wrong -- for instance, it's not exactly clear how smooth it will be to switch between the two types of Windows, or if you'll even be able to get the old Windows on certain types of tablets (that is, tablets that run the power-efficient ARM processors used by the iPad and most other tablets today).
While the old, Windows 7 format was great, Microsoft knew that it would not survive in a touch-heavy world.
Although upgraders will still want Windows 7 if they need to carry over absolutely everything, tipsters claim that settings can transfer from releases as old as Windows Vista SP1.
But Windows 8 will also run on regular old PCs, and underneath the new tablet-friendly interface, it will look and feel a lot like the old version of Windows.
Its innovation is in relocating the now-decades-old interface of windows and folders to a shared virtual world.
Think of how many corporate workers are still on a 10-year-old OS like Windows XP (raises hand).
Its growth should pick up as customers start replacing old PCs with Windows 8 systems from Microsoft ( MSFT).
Many of these systems are running very old versions of Windows that are susceptible to viruses from years ago.
FORBES: Yes, You Can Hack a Pacemaker (and Other Medical Devices Too)
Initially, this may cause some confusion because administrators have been using the old interfaces since Windows NT 3.1 was first released in 1994.
Corona's software includes an embedded Java operating system and a new variant of the old X-Windows software, which allowed for the creation of hardware-independent graphical user interfaces much like those of Windows or the Macintosh operating system.
This is mainly because the installer gathers up incompatible files into a special folder called Windows.old.
WSJ: A Review of Windows 8 Upgrade: Not for Old-at-Heart PCs
Because neither IE6 or IE7 are supported by Windows 7, a lot of enterprises are still running their computers on Windows XP, old versions of Java, and IE6 or IE7.
FORBES: Browsium Allows Your IT Dept To Finally Upgrade From IE6
In the real world, though, consumers still shun everything that reminds them of the awful Windows Mobile experience of old.
BBC: Nokia is off the burning platform - can it reach shore?
For instance, for all of 2010 and part of 2011, I was forced to use a 4-year-old Dell Latitude D630 laptop running Windows XP Pro for work.
FORBES: Is a Windows 8 Ultrabook a Mobile Device? Yes, I Think It Is.
The difference, of course, is that this is the company's first old-school convertible to run Windows 8, whose finger-friendliness has the potential to change the way we interact with PCs like this.
ENGADGET: HP announces the EliteBook Revolve, a Windows 8 convertible for the business crowd (video)
"Most, especially old, houses have cracks around their windows and cracks near doors, " he says.
For India, Microsoft has had to rethink its decades-old strategy of raining down copies of Windows and Office.
Lots of happy Windows Mobile users pinging the old Engadget tip jar tonight as the Skyfire seeds its first beta release of the browser.
Since March 2008, BBC News and Sport have been making a transition from the old pop-up (Real and Windows) player to a new embedded player.
Having installed Windows 8 new on my two old rehabilitated laptops, I then bravely decided to load it as an upgrade on my new laptap that was otherwise working just fine.
应用推荐