I'm sticking with Win 7. There are just too many things about Win 10 that make me uneasy.

I caved and downloaded Win 10, but I haven't installed it yet and am still running 7, which I would be happy to use forever. Except for the fact that MS isn't supporting it after March, I think, no updates to software or virus protection, and that does scare me. How do you plan to deal with that, DX, or do you think it's not really a problem? I'm not a computer literate person, remember, and I don't know a lot about maintaining software. I've depended on updates as long as I've had Windows.

Let me add that I still use a dumb phone on a very basic phone plan to make phone calls, and the occasional text. Our neighborhood has basic cable provided, so we upgrade cable both for wider tv access and for internet. I opaqued out everything I could on Win 7 because transparent windows confuse me, and I don't swipe anything, layer tabs or windows, or ever touch my laptop screen.

So what would the advantages of 10 be versus 7, in my case?

Beverly, the end of support date for Win 7 is 1/14/2020, so there's still some time left on the meter. What I am hoping is that in that time add-ons and hacks can be developed to negate some of the terrible privacy/Microsoft-control-of-your-computer issues that have turned up.

So what would the advantages of 10 be versus 7, in my case?

I was all ready to make the switch before the aformentioned issues became apparent. Everything I'd read to that point had praised Win 10 as being a better OS. OTOH, for most people, Win 7 is probably good enough, and actually has some options (especially some media options) that Win 10 no longer has.

I upgraded to Windows 10 on my desktop and haven't discovered anything compelling over Windows 7. If you think Cortana (the voice stuff) would be something you use, then maybe that would be compelling. OTOH, I almost never use it anymore. I switched over to Ubuntu and left the Windows partition around in case I ever need Windows for something. My laptop is Ubuntu only.

Thanks, guys. Cortana is the first thing I disabled/hid. You can't really delete it, but I would if I could.

I collect, arrange, archive pictures, and do some minor photo editing with Windows' own software plus a free download program. Photoshop itself is much more than I need for what I do. I archive and play fanvids. I don't have, nor do I want, a music collection on the computer. I do a lot of word processing and editing. Those are what I use my laptop for, those things, and surfing the net. Bells and whistles beyond that are useless for me, and I disable and hide them whenever, however I can, because they take up mental bandwidth avoiding them and working around them. Icons on my desktop I don't use are like waving alarm flags in my peripheral vision, and working through protocol ladders or chains is more tiring than it needs to be.

I've streamlined and simplified what I do on the computer with 7, and 10 just seems needlessly complicated for my needs.

I think I'll hang onto 7 for a while longer. Thanks again!

If it makes a difference, my friend's job these days is pretty much defending Windows 10 around the globe but his wife still uses 7 at home (I think the kids may use 8.1). That convinced me I had done the right thing by special ordering my most recent laptop so I could keep 7.

So...coding type people, what's the platform these days?

If I were to want to build a database based something or other. Program? Application? What languages, etc. would I need to use? What sql base?

App creation: what about that? What are the tools I would need to put in my belt?

It all just seems like different flavors of Kool-Aid to me these days.

Some of it depends on how big a database, and what you need to do with it.

My fall back pick would be Access in front and SQL in back, but that's only because it's what I used when I was still doing that sort of thing. It's also been 3+ years and I have no idea what's current. Now that I'm teaching I just keep everything, i.e., grades, in Excel worksheets.