Later this year (2025) Microsoft will stop supporting Windows 10. So this leaves us users with a dilemma - upgrade (though many older computers will not run Windows 11), buy a new computer(s) with Windows 11 on it, move over to Linux, or soldier on with our fingers crossed?
Buying a new computer will be around £500 +, not a trivial sum. Using the Linux operating system is free, but involves dealing with a completely new system. Also, some specialized programs are only available for Windows (and funnily enough that includes Wessex Professional). Soldiering on means that you will quickly come to grief, but ONLY if you are connected to the internet. If you aren't connected to the internet at all then the baddies out there have no way of getting to you.
It is obviously impractical for your main computer not to be connected, but if you end up with an old Windows computer it could be used in the shop as your pricing computer. Wessex Professional doesn't need to be connected to the internet in order to give prices, view job tickets and invoices etc. So that computer you were going to junk (recycle) could find a new lease of life.
But, if we're not connected to the internet how do we keep upto date with moulding prices and program updates? The answer is "Simples", by downloading the appropriate file(s) from a connected computer, and copying it\them onto a USB stick which is then inserted into the old computer that still has the pricing program on it. Thus, if we wanted to update Wessex Mouldings, on the connected computer we'd download the update file (by going to www.wessexpictures.com/Wessex-Pricing). Then copy the file to a USB stick, transfer the file to the old computer and from within the program go to "File" > "Update Mouldings" and when prompted tell the program that the file it needs is on the USB stick.
So, Microsoft switching off support for Windows 10 could be a positive after all!
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