What if I, or anybody, will not substitute the OS with anything else, but be willing to use the device for surfing/using the Net somehow?
Are there ways?
I thought about something like

• using the nb as a router for other devices,
• trying not to download new apps onto it,
• visiting/using only known/already explored sites/services...
  What else? If it can be 'go' - what should I NOT do?

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...make sure file extensions are displayed everywhere so you don't run programs believing they are media files or shortcuts, stay behind NAT and/or firewall that only lets...

Who're all those guys?

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Hidden file extensions is one attack vector how someone might get you...

Ah! I'm already cautious about that.
Should I consider only the very [last] suffix - or may some "pre"suffixes also matter?

Over time malware itself might stop being compatible with XP and just not run.

So, is it that one can consider being VERY-VERY cautious for the initial x period of time?

Routers running NAT and Firewalls should themselves be secured, which means they shouldn't be XP boxes.

So, the option 1

using the nb as a router for other devices...

goes aside?

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But do you update the OS itself?

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Meh, Windows XP wasn't that great until SP1. SP2 improved on it immensely. SP3 is fine too afaik. It certainly did a fine job on several of my computers.

Yup.

I got one installation of XP Service Pack 1 (typing from it now), and another one with Service Pack 3 updated to June 2011 (I installed it recently).

I've heard nothing but bad things about updating: frequent restarts, unstable drivers added, consumtion of disk space with updates, reverting of customized settings, updates failing due to system having been tweaked.

All this applies to Linuxes too. For example this guy is a loud complainer http://my.opera.com/LorenzoCelsi/blog/2014/01/08/what-i-have-learned-today-while-moving-from-debian-stable-to-testing  (If you think of inviting him here, I already did. He apparently is not interested.)

Mind you, my favourite distro is Manjaro, a rolling-release distro. This means that once installed and updated, it becomes versionless: Everything is absolutely the latest and greatest, which means everything might break. I have had no issues with this so far, but maybe I luckily have the same hardware that the distro team is testing on and aiming for. This may change any day. For now I am mildly excited about this and having fun, but of course I will be frustrated when things go wrong and I need it for actual work...

All this applies to Linuxes too.

More so, I'd say. You need to update the base system to install new programs after a while. You might counter that it's the same for XP, but I believe XP SP2 will do for most software and that's nearly 10 years old. Some people are angry at Ubuntu for creating Deb-based packages which include their own libraries, but I believe that might just be exactly what's needed for the Linux desktop to truly rival Windows.

Btw, early '90s themes are much prettier than the current crop of transparent or flat junk.

You need to update the base system to install new programs after a while.

In what way you need to update your base system? AFAIK, it's possible to keep various versions of same stuff around to satisfy all the weird dependencies, e.g. multiple kernels, Qt4 and Qt5 side by side, etc. It's probably not easy, but surely it's not any easier in Windows either.

Some people are angry at Ubuntu for creating Deb-based packages which include their own libraries, but I believe that might just be exactly what's needed for the Linux desktop to truly rival Windows.

Yes. People value convenience. To update packages centrally is convenient. Angry people should choose a less convenient distro, such as Gentoo or Arch.

Btw, early '90s themes are much prettier than the current crop of transparent or flat junk.

You mean on Linux or on Windows? Or on both? I hope you don't mean the Openbox desktop image I posted in the other thread :S Lxterminal is transparent there, but that's just about it. Xterm has a freaky white background and tiny font by default on Manjaro (the only distro that does it this way, AFAIK) but I fixed it to normal already.

For me XP's default theme always was a considerable inconvenience, because of the heavy effects. I always reverted to 2000-ish look on it to speed things up at work. Vista's improvements made things only worse. On Linux, I like the current Mint's and Manjaro's default theming a lot, but I still switch off Cinnamon's effects.

In what way you need to update your base system? AFAIK, it's possible to keep various versions of same stuff around to satisfy all the weird dependencies, e.g. multiple kernels, Qt4 and Qt5 side by side, etc. It's probably not easy, but surely it's not any easier in Windows either.

Debian 3.1 (2005) is virtually useless today. Windows XP SP2 (2004) can still run most things you throw at it.

You mean on Linux or on Windows? Or on both? I hope you don't mean the Openbox desktop image I posted in the other thread :S

No, I was responding to your link. Lorenzo Celsi said, "Time to remove all the old stuff that looks like early '90s."

For me XP's default theme always was a considerable inconvenience, because of the heavy effects. I always reverted to 2000-ish look on it to speed things up at work. Vista's improvements made things only worse.

My point exactly.

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In what way you need to update your base system? AFAIK, it's possible to keep various versions of same stuff around to satisfy all the weird dependencies, e.g. multiple kernels, Qt4 and Qt5 side by side, etc. It's probably not easy, but surely it's not any easier in Windows either.

So far I've had no problems on my Windows with applications' upgrades. They just upgrade!..

In what way you need to update your base system? AFAIK, it's possible to keep various versions of same stuff around to satisfy all the weird dependencies, e.g. multiple kernels, Qt4 and Qt5 side by side, etc. It's probably not easy, but surely it's not any easier in Windows either.

So far I've had no problems on my Windows with applications' upgrades. They just upgrade!..

I wasn't talking (only) about applications, but more like about dependencies, how applications cooperate or conflict with each other or interact with the base, kernel, and libraries.

Anyway, looks like now that I have customised my Manjaro on Packard Bell Intel Atom netbook pretty far, I will need to reinstall it http://forum.manjaro.org/index.php?topic=7319

You're not going past XP on those specs. Any light weight linux disro will make for a nice quick net machine. You can surf the net off the liveCD. IIRC you can mount c: and save data too. Best bet is to dual boot. I would put a vanilla copy of XP and strip it bare with your pick linux distribution beside it. Default grub to linux and use XP for whatever compatible software you wanna keep. I'd also look into a ram upgrade. I just doubled a friends netbook with similar specs to 2gb for $33usd. It's running Vista beside whichever Xubuntu or Ubuntu-ish distro I put on it.

to 2gb

Gramme-bits?

Any light weight linux disro will make for a nice quick net machine. You can surf the net off the liveCD.

So you say, I could keep both?
Can I keep the XP?

Can I keep the XP?

Yes, if you decide you like some Linux distro or other you can shrink the Windows partition (back up your data first just in case!) and devote e.g. half your space to Linux.

So you say, I could keep both?
Can I keep the XP?

Yes, you can have many systems side by side, but it takes solid practice to learn partitioning.

First things first:

- Learn to create a bootable USB stick
- Change the boot sequence in BIOS
- Boot the stick on your nettop, connect to internet, mount drives, browse the net and your files
- Do the booting with different Linuxes at least three times, only then study cautiously the partition tool http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/gparted.html

My experience (IMO good for novices):
Start with a computer with whichever Windows installation you like.
1. Try a Ubuntu live CD. It works. I like it. Next.
2. Shrink the Windows partition(s) in order to reserve empty space on the HD. (Follow the instructions carefully.)
3. Install Ubuntu on that empty space. (Follow the instructions carefully... most of the repartitioning is done automatically.)
You end up with a dual boot computer, with options for Linux (default) and Windows.
(After that, Windows may complain on partition resizing, but just let it fix it automatically for you.)
Nowadays, I have three OS options on boot (Windows* 7, Debian/Linux and PC-BSD/FreeBSD), all of them fully functional, on a home notebook with 2GB RAM.
* Let me add that I (very close to) never need to use Windows.

Let me add that I (very close to) never need to use Windows.

In the rare case that I do actually need to use Windows software, Wine usually does an extremely good job. Still, I find it convenient to keep a Windows 7 installation around just in case. I already paid the money for it anyway...