Posted on 11/01/2016 2:54:57 PM PDT by dayglored
Microsoft today quietly put an end to sales of Windows 7 licenses to computer makers, marking a major milestone for the seven-year-old OS.
According to Microsoft's rules, the Redmond, Wash. company stopped selling Windows 7 Professional or any version of Windows 8.1 to OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) as of Oct. 31.
The end of Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 left only Windows 10 as a long-term choice for OEMs that pre-load Windows on their wares.
The original end-of-sales deadline for Windows 7 Professional was to be Oct. 31, 2014 -- two years after the launch of Windows 8 -- but early that year Microsoft broke with practice and only called for an end to consumer systems. It left open the cut-off for Windows 7 Professional, saying it would give a one-year warning before it demanded that OEMs stop selling PCs with that edition.
Microsoft issued that warning a year ago.
Organizations with enterprise licensing agreements and Software Assurance -- the annuity-like program that provides additional rights -- may continue to purchase new PCs, then downgrade the OS from the already-installed Windows 10 to Windows 7 if they want to keep using the older edition.
And new Windows 7 Professional PCs won't vanish immediately; OEMs will be allowed to use what licenses they have in stock.
...[more at link]...
(Excerpt) Read more at computerworld.com ...
And yet it sometimes seems the jury is still out on Windows 10....
Just found ut last week that my workplace is getting new Win10 PCs in the coming weeks.
I was quite shocked as out IT is very conservative on what they use, and only in special cases even allow Macs or Linux machines.
I guess they said “screw it” and will leap to current.
Will be interesting to see how they are configured.
Everything else is pure garbage and worth nothing.
I love my Windows 7. I don’t care if I am technologically in the dark ages. Maybe Jesus will return before I am forced to switch or go totally disconnected to the real. . .make that unreal world.
Some months back a neighbor bought an OEM Win 7 Professional 64 bit to install on her Win Home 7. What with one thing or another she’s not yet asked me to install it for her.
I don’t think it’s a problem, but....?
I have a couple of licenses I don’t need. Cheap!
It might be an investment opportunity
I have a couple of unopened XP retail boxes. I doubt they are worth much anymore.
FU, Mr. Softee.
I love my Windows 7, hate the 8 that my wife has, and will NOT migrate to 10.
Again, FU, Mr. Softee.
New versions of Windows are a lot like new Dr Whos, everybody hates them until they’re EOLed then everybody whines they should have been permanent.
When my desktop finally dies I will be getting a Mac like my wife. Yes a little more expensive, but I hate Microsoft.
When mine dies I’ll get another PC. MS is irritating, but Apple has ALL the same habits that people whine about from MS and cost more. They EOL stuff just like everybody else.
Classic Shell works pretty good to make Windows 10 look and act like Windows 7.
What does “downgraded” Win7 —> Win10 really mean, on a new unit purchase?
I just did a fresh install of Windows 7 Professional on my PC. Don’t intend to move to Windows 10 until absolutely necessary.
Everything you do on Windows 10 is sent to the NSA.
This action was mandated by Obama back in 2012 under the guise of national security, which is why you see Microsoft pushing Windows 10 so bad.
They are not allowed (by court order) to disclose this information to the public. It also allows homeland security a back door access to ANY Window 10 machine. It is built into the OS kernel.
I love the new era Dr. Who as much as most of classic Who.
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