If you wonder, where I am going with using old Windows

[sorcerer_see]

If you wonder, where I am going with using old Windows....

Basically I see myself as part of a current that aims to, technically speaking, opensource the Windows OS through cloning it.

Why? Main reasons are:
- I like the consistency of Windows OS. This could, however, go out of the window, exactly by open sourcing it but I think it should be possible to retain this consistency if developers are disciplined.
- because of its excellent backward compatibility reaching back until the nineties
- because I think, it's forward compatibility problems can be fixed once it is really open source and this is already happening
- any Windows clone, of course, will be without any forms of telemetry, which is also essential to me

Now legally speaking, Windows XP is NOT open source and can not be, unless Microsoft officially open sources it. But it can be cloned legally. And  there exists a clone called React OS, which is not ready yet for daily driver use. But, once I am not a ridiculously green leaf anymore, I hope to latch on to that project.

ReactOS is called a clone because it mimics what Windows does without having the same internal code. Now, the Windows XP code has been largely leaked, which means it is accessible, but it is illegal to use it publicly. The leaked code is also not entirely complete. Currently some people are eagerly dissecting this code and learning from it, so I have little doubt we will get a fully functional open source Windows-like clone OS down the line.

My main gripe with Linux is that it still, just like Windows and MacOS, partakes in the consumerism that causes us to be wasteful in regards to already existing software. It is not on purpose that Linux does this. And on the hardware level they are doing okayish although they are often so bloated that older hardware can not run their software. I mean. If Windows 2000 can still run modern you tube, then why de we need all the bloat??

I think it has to do with i'ts decentralized and non-commercial organization plus with the constant pressure of the industry, that pushes computing continuously forward on the innovation treadmill, or better to say, the profits treadmill. Presumably until we collectively fall off the cliff, that is unavoidable closing in...

However I must also say that I am not hearing any resistance from the Linux community versus this evolution, which amazes me really.
No-one seems to give a damn about the waste of old soft- and hardware. Maybe there is something wrong in my thinking about IT, but I do care and I do not want to replace well working systems with something new all the time. I want to cherish still functional machines and use them as long as possible. I do not see the need to progress technology at such a rapid pace.

Maybe people think capitalism can not be held back and that capitalism is the only thing we have that works. But I disagree. I mean if that would be the case then the conclusion is that there is nothing we can do to stop the destruction of nature and the termination of humanity. Because this is where we are heading if we do not control our economy. I do not accept such a predicament. We must rationally manage economical forces in order to ensure a healthy future. Just closing our eyes and consume is not an option!

We should not surrender to being mindless junkies only being concerned with our next immediate dopamine hit! Eyes, ears and heart should be fully open and then we should do what we believe is the right thing to do.