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The default background for Microsoft's Windows XP operating system -- a perfect blue sky full of cotton-candy clouds above rolling hills with impeccably trimmed grass and daffodils -- is the spring day we wish could last forever.
微軟公司(Microsoft) Windows XP操作系統(tǒng)的默認(rèn)背景是一副春日景象――湛藍(lán)的天空上漂浮著棉花糖般的朵朵白云，綠草茵茵、水仙成簇的山丘連綿起伏――真希望這幅景象可以一直持續(xù)下去。
And fittingly, many people wish the operating system would last just as long. Introduced in 2001, Windows XP became so successful that Microsoft extended its support for an industry record of 12 years. Yet come April 8, XP's sunny day is over.
同樣的，對(duì)于Windows XP操作系統(tǒng)，很多人也希望它可以一直運(yùn)行下去。由于Windows XP操作系統(tǒng)在2001年推出后大受歡迎，微軟公司將對(duì)該系統(tǒng)的支持延長(zhǎng)至了創(chuàng)業(yè)界記錄的12年。然而，隨著4月8日即將到來，XP系統(tǒng)的艷陽天將不復(fù)存在。
At that time, Microsoft will cut off all user support and halt security updates, leaving the software vulnerable to newly discovered attacks. XP computers will still work, but the 'Bliss' background image will just be a facade. The operating system will no longer be a safe place to work or play.
屆時(shí)，微軟公司將不再向Windows XP的用戶提供支持，并不再提供安全更新，這將令Windows XP上搭載的軟件易于受到新型病毒的攻擊。使用XP系統(tǒng)的電腦仍可工作，但是“春光明媚”的背景圖片將成為假象。不管對(duì)工作還是娛樂而言，XP系統(tǒng)都不再安全。
'Our guidance is that you need to get off XP. It's really that black and white,' says Tom Murphy, Microsoft's spokesman handling the end of XP support. The company's party line is that Windows 8.1 -- the latest in Microsoft's foray into touch-friendly interfaces -- is a 'fully modern operating system.'
微軟公司負(fù)責(zé)結(jié)束XP系統(tǒng)支持的新聞發(fā)言人湯姆・墨菲(Tom Murphy)表示：“我們的建議是，你應(yīng)該放棄XP。這是毫無疑問的。”微軟公司宣稱，Windows 8.1是一款“非常時(shí)尚的操作系統(tǒng)”。 Windows 8.1是微軟公司在觸控界面領(lǐng)域的最新力作。
Since Windows XP first gained popularity, other alternatives have arisen. There's Windows 7, of course, and offerings from Microsoft's rivals, Apple and Google. Where is the best place for an XP refugee to go? I've been weighing each option.
自從Windows XP開始風(fēng)靡以后，其他的操作系統(tǒng)也不斷地涌現(xiàn)了出來。目前在市面上除了Windows 7以外，還有微軟公司的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手蘋果公司(Apple)和谷歌(Google)研發(fā)的操作系統(tǒng)產(chǎn)品。XP系統(tǒng)的原有用戶應(yīng)該何去何從呢？我權(quán)衡了每一種可能的方案。
Moving to Windows 8.1
升級(jí)至Windows 8.1
If you have any doubt that Microsoft wants everyone to move to Windows 8.1, just visit amirunningxp.com. Designed to detect if users are running Windows XP, the site immediately suggests XP users upgrade to Windows 8.1 or buy a new Windows 8.1 computer.
如果你對(duì)微軟希望每名用戶都升級(jí)至Windows 8.1的意圖持懷疑態(tài)度的話，那么你可以訪問網(wǎng)站amirunningxp.com。該網(wǎng)站能夠?qū)τ脩羰欠癜惭b了Windows XP進(jìn)行檢測(cè)，它會(huì)馬上建議XP系統(tǒng)的用戶升級(jí)至Windows 8.1或者購(gòu)買全新的Windows 8.1電腦。
Lots of computers from the age of XP can technically run the latest version of Windows. You just need a 1 GHz processor, 1 GB of RAM and 16 GB of hard drive storage. The biggest catch is your display has to have 1024 x 768 resolution. You can download the Windows Upgrade assistant to see if your system meets the requirements.
從技術(shù)上講，在XP系統(tǒng)誕生之際購(gòu)買的很多電腦都能運(yùn)行Windows系統(tǒng)的最新版本。你只需要1 GHz的處理器、1 GB的內(nèi)存和16 GB的硬盤存儲(chǔ)空間。最大的問題在于你需要擁有一臺(tái)分辨率為1024 x 768的顯示器。你可以下載Windows升級(jí)助手來查看你的電腦是否滿足XP的系統(tǒng)需求。
The Windows 8.1 upgrade DVD costs $120, and Microsoft has teamed up with a backup service called Laplink to offer a free and easy way to transfer files.
Windows 8.1的升級(jí)DVD售價(jià)120美元，微軟已經(jīng)與一個(gè)名為L(zhǎng)aplink的支持服務(wù)團(tuán)隊(duì)聯(lián)手，推出了免費(fèi)進(jìn)行文件轉(zhuǎn)移的服務(wù)。
If you don't meet the system requirement, or view the upgrade process as a hassle, you could, of course, buy a new machine. But I am ambivalent to recommend Windows 8.1 to XP users. Microsoft revamped Windows, replacing the beloved classic desktop with a Start Screen of tiles that point to programs, files and services. You can still get to the desktop (there's a Desktop icon), but there's no Start menu in the corner.
如果你的電腦未能滿足系統(tǒng)要求，或者你不愿為系統(tǒng)升級(jí)之事費(fèi)心，你當(dāng)然可以購(gòu)買一臺(tái)新電腦。但是，我對(duì)向XP用戶推薦Windows 8.1頗感猶豫不決。微軟對(duì)Windows系統(tǒng)進(jìn)行了大刀闊斧的改革，把深受用戶歡迎的傳統(tǒng)桌面換成了由不同顏色的磁貼構(gòu)成的開始界面，這些磁貼代表的是不同的程序、文件和服務(wù)。你仍然可以回歸到傳統(tǒng)桌面（按桌面鍵），但是“開始”菜單已經(jīng)不在傳統(tǒng)桌面上了。
Windows 8.1 is better than the original Windows 8 when it comes to the mouse and keyboard, and a forthcoming update will bring even more mouse-friendly enhancements, such as a close-window button inside apps. Ed Bott, Microsoft watcher and author of many Windows guides, says people should make the jump to 8.1, and that the next updates will make the system more similar to Windows 7.
在鼠標(biāo)和鍵盤的使用感受上，Windows 8.1的表現(xiàn)要好于Windows 8，并且即將推出的更新版本還將帶來更友好的鼠標(biāo)使用體驗(yàn)，比如應(yīng)用程序內(nèi)的系統(tǒng)關(guān)閉按鍵等。微軟監(jiān)察員、多款Windows指南的作者艾德・博特(Ed Bott)表示，用戶應(yīng)該直接升級(jí)至Windows 8.1，今后的更新將令系統(tǒng)越來越像Windows 7。
Moving to Windows 7
升級(jí)至Windows 7系統(tǒng)
Still, Windows 8.1 may be a radical change of pace for old-school Windows lovers, which is why I think Windows 7 makes a lot more sense for XP exiles.
然而，對(duì)于守舊派的Windows粉絲來說，Windows 8.1帶來的變化可能太大了，這也是為什么我認(rèn)為Windows 7對(duì)XP的原有用戶來說更合適。
Despite Microsoft's arguments that 8.1 is faster, safer and more reliable than Windows 7, everything in 7 is mostly in the same place as it was in Windows XP. You'll find the traditional desktop, the trusty Recycle Bin and the Start Menu.
盡管微軟聲稱，Windows 8.1比Windows 7更高效、更安全、更可靠，但是Windows 7的大多數(shù)功能都與Windows XP處于相同的位置上。你能夠在Windows 7中看到傳統(tǒng)桌面、值得信賴的回收站和開始菜單。
The problem is that, in its Windows 8 push, Microsoft has made Windows 7 harder to come by. But there still are two main ways to get it. The first and best choice is to buy a Windows 7 laptop or desktop from select manufacturer websites, including Acer, Dell, Hewlett-Packard and Lenovo. They aren't featured prominently, but go digging in the business-products sections of the companies' sites and you'll find them. Microsoft and the PC makers still provide support, too. Dell's Latitude 330 and Acer's Aspire V3 are both good choices under $700.
問題在于，在微軟推廣Windows 8的過程中，Windows 7越來越難覓蹤跡了。但是，仍然有兩個(gè)方法可以獲取Windows 7。第一個(gè)方法―也是最好的方法―就是從電腦廠商的官網(wǎng)上購(gòu)買一臺(tái)Windows 7臺(tái)式電腦或筆記本電腦，這些廠商包括宏基(Acer)、戴爾(Dell)、惠普(Hewlett-Packard)和聯(lián)想(Lenovo)。電腦廠商并未對(duì)Windows 7電腦進(jìn)行大張旗鼓的宣傳，但是通過搜尋電腦廠商的銷售官網(wǎng)，你一定可以找到這些產(chǎn)品。微軟和上述電腦廠商也仍將為Windows 7提供支持。戴爾的Latitude 3330和宏基的Aspire V3都是售價(jià)在700美元以下的不錯(cuò)選擇。
If you don't want to buy new hardware, things get trickier. Microsoft doesn't sell box copies of Windows 7 anymore. And if you buy the $99.99 version sold by online computer suppliers like Newegg, you don't get Microsoft support. You will get security updates until 2020, however.
如果你不想購(gòu)買新的硬件，事情就棘手多了。微軟不向任何人出售盒裝的Windows 7操作系統(tǒng)光盤。如果你從新蛋網(wǎng)(Newegg)等電腦產(chǎn)品網(wǎng)絡(luò)銷售商那里購(gòu)買99.99美元的Windows 7版本的話，你不會(huì)得到微軟的技術(shù)支持。不過，在2020年前，你都會(huì)獲得安全更新。
Moving to a Non-Microsoft Camp
轉(zhuǎn)移到非微軟陣營(yíng)
Of course, there are other places to go if you venture outside of the world of Microsoft.
當(dāng)然，如果你想走出微軟世界，外面的天地也很精彩。
If you're willing to spend more money than the average Windows PC, there are Apple's Mac computers, which run OS X. That system will take some learning, but once you get the hang of it, it has a ton of great features. Apple also offers free classes for new Mac users at its stores.
如果你愿意支付比一般Windows電腦更高的價(jià)錢，那么你可以選擇蘋果公司搭載了OS X系統(tǒng)的Mac電腦。你需要學(xué)習(xí)才能掌握OS X系統(tǒng)，但一旦你熟悉了該系統(tǒng)，你會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)它擁有很多很好的功能。蘋果公司還向新Mac用戶提供免費(fèi)的店內(nèi)課程。
Chromebooks tend to be cheap since they just run Google's browser. If you just need email and the Web, Acer's C720 Chromebook is plenty powerful -- and only costs $200.
Chromebook更便宜些，因?yàn)檫@款筆記本只能運(yùn)行谷歌的瀏覽器。如果你只需要閱讀郵件、瀏覽網(wǎng)頁的話，那么宏基的C720型Chromebook就非常強(qiáng)大了，并且它的售價(jià)只有200美元。
For the extreme computer literate, there are Linux options like Ubuntu, which run fine on older Windows XP computers. However, installing Linux requires patience and many popular programs won't work there.
對(duì)于電腦高手來說，他們可以選擇Linux操作系統(tǒng)Ubuntu，該操作系統(tǒng)可以在更老的Windows XP電腦上良好地運(yùn)行。然而，安裝Linux系統(tǒng)需要一定的耐心，并且很多熱門的程序無法在該系統(tǒng)上運(yùn)行。
You're best bet is to buy a Windows 7 computer. Whatever path you do choose, don't be sad: You can always bring that perfect spring day wallpaper with you.
你最好的選擇就是購(gòu)買一臺(tái)Windows 7電腦。無論你選擇哪種辦法，都不要悲傷：你總是可以將春光明媚的背景用作電腦桌面。
