> Win-7 is sliding toward obsolescence ...
I have bad news for you. ALL versions of Windows start "sliding toward obsolescence" a year after they're released.
Hell, some were obsolete even BEFORE they were released. Witness Vista.
Win7 has hit the end of free maintenance calls, and no more major features will be added. That's all. Win7 will remain perfectly functional for the next 5 years, until they stop the security updates.
FWIW, I still have an XP box running. It's not on the network, so I'm not worried about it.
FWIW W10 is supposed to upgrade for “life.” MS claims it’s not a move toward a different business model...lease instead of buy...but it probably is. Like Office 365.