We know some of you are still using Windows XP, in spite of its discontinuation of support over a year ago.  This article has the express intent of convincing you to upgrade, either to new computers entirely or to upgrade your OS.

If you're still on XP, you're not alone.  In fact, for our US based customers, you are helping pay Microsoft to still support it for certain people.  The US Navy recently payed Microsoft $9.1 million to extend support until July of 2016, with options to extend for a full additional year.

However, in general, most retailers do not have the resources of the US government, and so you cannot afford to pay Microsoft to extend support for your store.  Thus, you have a few options:  You can replace your computers, you can upgrade the version of Windows on your computers, or you can continue using the existing XP machine and cross your fingers.

The problems with doing this last option are severe, however, and they will only get worse over time.  Drivers for new hardware may not work with Windows XP.  There are no longer security updates; every day, it gets less and less secure to use XP.  Many antivirus programs are also not getting updates that will help with issues with XP.

In fact, while there are no plans in the immediate future to move to this, eventually ExtremePOS is going to upgrade to the latest versions of the .Net Framework; these do not run on Windows XP, and so there will come a day where you will not be able to update to the latest and greatest ExtremePOS without moving off XP, if you somehow dodge the multitude of other issues.  When this approaches, we'll give advance notice, but it is something to keep in mind as an eventuality.

Upgrading in place can be somewhat challenging; you should check the specifications of your hardware to make certain it will be good to go with a new version of Windows.

Alternatively, if you want a new computer, contact sales - we can preload your software and help you with the moving process, and generally include this service with the purchase of computers.

Our iPad additional register application, ThunderPOS, is going to be coming out later this year.  The initial release is intended to supplement an ExtremePOS, Praiz, or Musicware install, allowing for an additional register on the floor without needing to take up nearly the physical space.

Today, we're providing a couple of preview screenshots; keep an eye on this space as the release approaches.

Above is the touchscreen register, useful for smaller inventories.  You can customize the groups by adding specific items, or listing departments or categories.  You can also set the colors for the particular groups.

This is the normal register, meant for use with a scanner.  You can do all of your normal functions of a transaction through this screen.

You can search through the lists of customers, and make modifications or additions to them at the tablet, as well as viewing addresses and balances.