Re: Last Version of Cygwin for XP

[Erik Soderquist <ErikSoderquist@gmail.com>]

On Fri, Feb 12, 2016 at 5:42 PM, Warren Young  wrote:
> On Feb 12, 2016, at 2:58 PM, Erik Soderquist  wrote:
>>
>> On Fri, Feb 12, 2016 at 2:20 PM, Warren Young wrote:
>> <snip>
>>> I hope not.  Extended support ended nearly two years ago.
>>
>> ...why waste the resources on newer (and more bloated) packages?
>
> The same blade cuts both ways.  The small and shrinking percentage
> of Cygwin + XP users aren’t worth much resource spent on the Cygwin
> side.
>
> Coat your XP boxes in amber and keep on using them, if you must,
> but any updates you still get are pure bonus at this point.

I have, my "amber" is the virtual env without network access even
possible for them.  ;)  I've approached the vendor multiple times
about Linux support or opensourcing the package, to no avail, and
currently I'm studying programming myself now with a direct goal of
being able to write a Linux compatible replacement so I can dump my
own amber-coated XP

>> I get very tired of people consistently implying (or
>> outright saying) that not upgrading XP is some form of stupidity or
>> insanity.
>
> Yes, well, when there are still millions of XP-based ATMs out there,
> I think I have sufficient justification for reflexive shaming. [1]
>
> The Home Depot and Target breaches basically came down to
> unpatched XP boxes. [2]

We heartily agree here, these examples should have had XP replaced
_before_ support for XP ran out so there would not have been such a
risk.  I still question whether nor not reflexive is appropriate.

>> Would I trust one of these hosts on the internet at all?
>
> Of all the XP machines in the world, what percentage have no
> reason to be on the Internet in 2016?

I would say zero percent as of 2014.

>
> I suspect there are more cases of low-regard Internet-connected
> XP boxes than carefully-firewalled cases like yours:

Agreed; I seem to be the "freak" a lot of the time

> - grandma’s email machine
> - the Steam PC in the kids’ room
> - the embedded PC inside the Internet-connected kiosk
> - the machine driving the vinyl cutter at Bill’s Sign Shop…
>
> Since these boxes are likely to end up as hosts for a botnet,
> I’m not willing to say it’s just their own lookout.  Their disregard
> is causing problems for the rest of us.

Of these, I think only the vinyl cutter could be salvaged in a way
similar to my setup, and the rest, like it or not, need to be upgraded
or replaced.  Unfortunately, I suspect most users in those scenarios
don't know enough about computers in general to understand why they
need to be upgraded or replaced.

> [1] http://goo.gl/9Zf3pw
> [2] http://goo.gl/EJ5tiY

keeping these links because they are excellent references

-- Erik

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