updated: 8/3/2010

This is the first in my series of articles “Updated Windows Security”.

Why do I suggest using an older version of Windows? Wouldn't you want the latest, newest best version?

In the security game, new is not good. Proven counts for more. Until a program has been out there and hammered on, no one knows how secure it really is. XP is now 7 years old. That’s a lot of hammering. And yes it is full of bugs and holes. But we know about those.

I’ve mentioned before how crap I think Vista is. It was the last straw in my journey to the Mac. Even Microsoft has to admit that Vista is a flop. Don’t sweat it, Microsoft releases dud versions from time to time. Heck Windows ME was garbage and there was a period where any version 4 in Microsoft was just something to avoid. Word 4, DOS 4 etc etc.

Vista is actually banned in Texas. Yep, really. And Vista launched several class action law suits. Here, here and here.

Ok, Ok, what about Windows 7? Yes it is better than Vista but XP is still the most compatible version of Windows. It runs more software, more hardware and more places.

The existing skill and knowledge out there in the real world is more geared around XP. By and large, business skipped Vista. For at least the next six months, XP Pro is the version to use.