When will Microsoft pull the plug on your version of Windows or Office?

When will Microsoft pull the plug on your version of Windows or Office?.

-- Tom

 

They won't because I will pull the plug on them

 

Let's not hype it ...
Mrk

 

I do not understand how people can be happy to buy a new slightly improved tablet and phone every year or so but complain about microsoft's 10 year support cycle on their operating systems.

 

Well M$ may stop supporting XP as they say they will. But I don't care and neither should you guys.

Why the software will continue to run as it does now. Your router is still there, your AV, HIPS etc etc your imaging SW will work.

H.LL I know a guy (not me) who has a LAN with one separate pc/notebook for every OS ever produced still running! (Well he doesn't have windows me)

He has a single router/modem PC with all the security he wants on that and the rest run 'naked" behind that.

Runs scans new years day and never finds anything.

 

I completely agree with you, it is a real paradox. Furthermore, Windows XP will continue to work with or without support. The only negative aspect I can foresee, is probably new software and peripherals may not be compatible with XP in around five years time...

 

I'm getting tired of all these alarmist articles which try very hard to convince the users that they really need to switch to a new version of Windows...

 

Pulls the plug? End of life?? Fate??
Microsoft ended support on the operating systems I use long ago. It's still plugged in and a long way from the end of its life. Open Source and talented individuals took over after MS stopped support, and made them far better operating systems than MS ever did. AFAIC, when MS stopped patching it, the good life for my OS was just beginning. Barring some form of legal interference, XP will experience the same thing.

 

Just curious. How do you run software thats only Windows 7 or XP compatible on Windows 98? Is there a special compatibility that allows you to do that?

 

This will be a great opportunity for 3rd parties to step in and they will. Xp is deeply rooted and I know people who have had such bad experiences with Vista, Win7 and Win8, that they went back to Xp. There is a real disconnect between developers and the actual users--especially users who use their computers as tools to make a living. The developers are continually pushing change and updates and upgrades while a lot of users--I can think of a paralegal I'm related to as an example--want stability and no interference with their work flow because what they are doing with their computers is already stressful enough and they don't need to deal with computer glitches or spend the time to relearn a new system or application.

 

That's a good description of KernelEx. Quoted from its original developer, Xeno86.

KernelEx, extensions to it, and other improvements have helped a lot, but they don't make everything compatible. It doesn't work with a lot of Microsofts own software, thanks largely to the DLL hell they've created. I can't run the latest browsers but I can run more current ones than I would be able to without it. Without KernelEx, I'd be limited to 1.X versions of SeaMonkey, which has trouble with quite a few sites. With KernelEx, the 2.X of SeaMonkey run properly. The 2.X versions handle most websites and is compatible with most of the current extensions I use. I also can run current versions of Flash Player on those rare occasions I need it.

On those rare occasions I need a more up to date OS, I can boot to XP or run it as a virtual system. There is a pre Microsoft version of VPC that runs well on 98 and hosts XP quite nicely. It can also run some Linux live CDs. The first thing MS did after buying Virtual PC from Connectix was to remove 9X compatibility. The Connectix version of VPC doesn't have all of the features of the newer virtualization apps, but it does have one feature that I consider very valuable given recent revelations about spying and data logging the users. This version logs almost nothing. When I set it to undo changes automatically, nothing that you did is logged. Even with sufficient RAM, a stock 98 unit would have trouble running XP on VPC, largely due to poor resource and memory management. The Revolutions Pack upgrade greatly improved both and upgraded 98s appearance at the same time. Microsoft claimed that the resource handling problems in 98 couldn't be fixed. RP9 might not be a true fix, but it comes close.

Compared to XP, 7, and 8, one of 98s greatest assets is that it respects the users privacy. Compared to 7 and 8, it logs almost nothing. What little it does is easily found and removed without the need for 3rd party software. AFAIC, that alone makes 98 worth using whenever the circumstances allow it. With System Safety Monitor and a rule based firewall enforcing a default-deny policy, Proxomitron filtering the web content, and Tor providing good anonymity, security is almost a non-issue.

 

Not too concerned with the OS, but I had issues with Office (as I posted anecdotally in another thread).
I bought a new 'puter. Formatted old machine with original restore disc to give to my GF.
Reinstalled MS Project 2010 on new box. Message popped up that max number of installs had been reached. Don't know how their licensing works, but I suppose I should have uninstalled it before formatting...nevertheless...
Called phone number displayed and stayed on hold for >2hr.s, all the while phone flashing the text "Welcome! Please wait". Well wait I did. While waiting I researched MS Project alternatives and found one that's worked out quite well (at a fraction of the price). No worries, MS lost me as a customer.