The beauty of open source is that the code is there for anyone to work with it if needed. Mozilla and Google will keep supporting Win XP users for now, but if they ever stop supporting the OS someone can fork them (specially Firefox) and keep the browser working. We know MS will not open source Win XP anytime soon, but if they did someone could take the OS and write patches for it. I have Windows XP in a dual boot with Linux on my laptop, because there are certain programs which I don't particularly use, but my wife does. I don't even have the original CD anymore to some of them, and maybe the company went under years ago. I virtualized the XP once and it worked. Then I isolated it from the internet just in case. I can do that again, because I know how to do it, but most people have no idea how to do something like that. They don't have money to buy a new computer and their systems are filled with photos, and files they want to keep. Is up to us to help them save those files. If you now someone like that tell them how to save those files somewhere else, and maybe introduce them to Linux so they can keep their computers without buying new ones. Its good for the mental well being of people and good for the environment.

Maybe they are afraid to go the Atari way, although it doesn't apply anymore. Those indie titles are not sold like it was under the Atari model of the 1980's.

Oh, my old trusty Laser 128! After I took a course in BASIC programming with some IBM 8086 computers at school I was hooked. I was in 8th grade. That Christmas my parents bought me a Laser 128 and for the first time I saw how different computers could be. Back then I had no idea of the many types of computers there were. Trying to do some stuff with BASIC on that computer got a bit boring. In the manual there was some information about something called Assembly. I saw it was more difficult, but the end result was faster and more powerful. I took another computer class, but this time in High School. I got to work with Pascal. Because of these courses (and Star Wars + Star Trek) and my trusty old Laser 128 (which finally died last year) I ended up a Computer Engineer.

The NCEES, the organization in charge of testing Engineers and Land Surveyors for their licensing is moving on 2014 to computer based testing for the Fundamentals Exam. The NCEES has quite a pull, so it could be an audit. I hope that this doesn't happen while the NCEES begins the testing period next year.