Microsoft doubles Windows 7, Vista lifespan
Windows Vista and Windows 7 users can rest easy, with Microsoft doubling the support period for both ahead of Windows 8's launch.
Surprisingly, the change to the support schedule for Microsoft's current-generation and last-generation operating systems came out of the blue. There has been no official press release, no note on any of the usual Microsoft blogs and even retailers are claiming to have been caught by surprise.
The move has, however, been confirmed by Microsoft as genuine when news of the change leaked courtesy of ZDNet yesterday. 'Microsoft is updating the Support Lifecycle policy for Windows desktop operating systems, including Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7,' the company told the site. Prior to that confirmation, the only clue was a message posted on Microsoft's Japanese site.
The changes are designed, it appears, to bring the consumer editions of Windows in line with the corporate editions. While retail and OEM consumer-grade Windows releases get a five-year support lifespan, business and server releases get a ten-year support schedule designed to lessen the impact of moving to a new platform.
Under the new changes, the home releases of both Windows 7 and Windows Vista will now qualify for the additional five-year 'extended support' period previously restricted to the business-oriented releases. As a result, those still running Vista get a reprieve: the original schedule would see support for the operating system end in April this year. Under the new scheme, all editions of Windows Vista will qualify for extended support until 2017 while Windows 7 will be supported until 2020.
The move could be seen as a 'long game' for Microsoft: while it's betting heavily on the success of Windows 8, its smartphone-inspired and touch-heavy 'Metro' user interface could leave some turned off. As a result, adoption of the new platform outside mainstream PC sales is likely to be slow at first until the Metro UI can prove itself. By extending its support lifespan, Microsoft is clearly hoping to keep both its home and business users happy.
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Exactly the same. I have no interest a touch screen GUI/Metro for my desktop PC, so have yet to come across any reason why i would want to 'upgrade' to Win 8. (Unless the upgrade path is about £20, which we all know it won't be.)
I never had problems with Vista and to be honest it ran better for me than XP did but, at the time I did prefer XP.
This extra support time is only a good thing really if you don't upgrade your OS when a new one is released or don't need to upgrade it all the time.
All I can say though is it's about time they did it, but I wonder if it means that they will start expecting us to pay more for Window's when we buy it.
Windows 8 metro interface is basically windows media center as a desktop yes? Well although I think media center is nice to look at, it is really more of an idiot interface. Something that would appeal to console users. I very rarely use media center for playing media so having it replace desktop is not appealing.
Apparently you can opt for win 7 interface from what I've read albeit with some limitations. I don't know, perhaps win 8 will work out ok but it wouldn't be the first time MS produced a failure (windows millenium?).
I liked Windows vista and for me it was such a relief after the unstable and unreliable windows xp.
Can't say I'm looking forward to win 8.
I hated Windows 8 from the second I saw it, so this is a big relief for me, especially as I'm using OEM WIndows 7.
We had XP for around eight years and, personally, I'll be damned if I don't get six or more from Windows 7. I doubt I'm the only one who thinks that way.
Consider this, W7 seems going to be the OS that will run in 2 decades. (2001-2020).
If we think about it, is more than the official lifespan of any other MS OS. Second though to XP :)
Win8 will fail, if it fails that is, due to the fact that it is a tablet/phone touch interface first and a desktop second.
Truth. I was helping neighbour install a bunch of basic software on a 2005 Mac she'd bought second hand, running OS X Leopard.
Silly me presumed that, like a PC, basically all software would work as long as the hardware had enough grunt. How wrong was I? It was a bloody nightmare to work with. Seriously unimpressed with Apple.
I agree about the new XP thing though. I'm on win7 now and I love it. I would upgrade for a small price but then again, upgrading is hassle, having to backup all my stuff etc.
I am sure MS will push it for all they are worth but i think it may well land in the same ordure as Vista has done
Every version of Windows I can remember had an option to make it look like the one before, so if they drop that from Win8, that's commercial suicide.
How the h*ll did you get W7 some eight years ahead of everyone else?
Honestly I can see Windows 8 being next Vista & Millenium, it maybe great for tablets, but for Desktop PC's & Laptops just can't see this touch screen tile rubbish working out.
Probably the stupidest conspiracy theory I have ever heard. Microsoft is built on the back of the office desktop PC, our very civilisation is supported by desktops. They have no desire to 'kill off' the desktop.
So now I'm on Win7 and all is good, but again they are pushing out yet another one, and again, say what you want about a slight improvement to DirectX and whatnot, but still I don't think anyone could convince me that they couldn't have just developed patches and updates for Win7 to turn it in to whatever Win8 is.
I know they are in business to make money but there's a line between providing decent value for money and just shafting people, and I think they are gleefully crossing that line. At least they aren't forcing anyone to upgrade from 7 to 8, yet.... but it still bugs me that after spending the £200 or whatever, I don't get any real content updates, only security updates. They are just doing the EA model, Fifa Windows 2011, and Fifa Windows 2012, etc.
They announce they're extending support for older OSs (Incl XP!) and still people find a way to spin it as a negative, they know W8 will fail on release, everyone abandon the ship MS will be freely supporting for 5yr longer than they promised when you bought/*acquired* it.
Truly end of the world stuff.
I'd still be using XP if it wasn't for TRIM, W7 isn't bad though.
If real-world benchmarks show that its faster then i may consider it.
It's not such a great disaster that Vista is included if you can't buy it anymore - when I needed a copy last year for my rellie's PC I had to get it secondhand from the Amazon Marketplace. Extending support leaves the door open for upgrades to 32-Bit Windows 7 as a final upgrade on older PCs, then a newly bought machine will just jump you to Win 8. I can't see a downside to it at all.
I have no desire to make my PC look like it's from Fisher Price.
Metro isn't for desktop, plane and simple. x86 Windows isn't for tablets either, ARM Windows is not really Windows due to lack of backwards compatibility. so why are MS trying so hard to enter a market they have no understanding, while destroying their current strength?
*raises hand* I've done exactly the same for my Windows 7 installations and will continue to do so wherever I can.
I used Vista on a dev box and decided not to move to it on that basis, I'll expect that I'll make the same call with regards to Windows 8.
As far as the announcement is concerned, it appears to be going back to the old way Microsfot ran support as at one point they supported at least 5 desktop OSs side by side (95, 98, 98 SE, ME and 2000).
But seriously(-ish): who actually thinks that Windows 8 is actually going to drop the desktop and windows GUI altogether and just use Metro? Stop sniffing the TIM cleaner.
LMAO, thanks mate!
LMAO, yea Apple whas totally wrong doing in the GUI interface all those years ago. Simple and lightweight is the new black, screw aero!
I can't see it either but I'm anal about a clear desktop. With windows 7 everything is in the bar at the bottom. The idea of on screen widgets in 7 and vista was nice but tbh most where complete bull with little or no flexability. Metro has got me excited since their phones have real time updating , the symetrical nature of tiles plus real time info means the desktop will hopefully (haven't read much since so much changes before release) actually become useful instead of a glorified picture frame.
TBH microsoft need to tow the line for once. Considering the only OS alternative for a custom PC is Linux it's not as if people will jump ship. It needs to be done if it moves in line with a grand plan and adds something semi functional (live tiles would be brilliant if adopted properly) rather than change for the sake of change, doing it cause its the latest trend regardless of how it performs with current interfaces. While PC users should welcome change, the change should be beinificial in some way. Thats why iOS worked. It was designed with a target audience in mind rather than the shoehorn approach. If MS is shoehorning Metro onto desktop its just gonna be the revers of shoehorning windows onto tablets way back. Even now 7 is a dog to use (laptops in Uni use them and they are good if they don't lock up. Amazing considering it's 1st gen i5 processors, 4gb ram etc! they are HP tho)