The OS everyone seems to love to hate is yet again NOT the problem here. Intel made the decision to cease driver development for platforms older than Windows 10. Kaby Lake, and its predecessor Skylake, were designed around UEFI for more security. Due to the swiss cheese nature of the pre-Windows 10 kernel, Intel decided to do away with legacy support.
Microsoft’s been leading the charge to force adoption of newer platforms, because legacy hardware support is becoming an increasing problem for OS packaging. You all bitch about Microsoft’s “bloat,” and when they do something about it, everyone’s in a damn tizzy about “Microsoft can have my Windows XX when they pry it from my cold, dead hands!” Yet, if you go talk to folks like Swordmaker on the Mac side, how many of them are trying to work on an old G5 Mac platform?
If you want to run legacy hardware, go ahead over to Linux. Microsoft is trying to innovate and be one of the safest operating environments around, but everyone complains when they remove the unsafe components.
I find that statement astonishing, rarestia. I respect your opinion on such matters, given your background, so it's not that I disbelieve you, but rather:
EVERY release of the NT kernel since 5.1 XP SP2 has been touted as "The Most Secure Windows Ever". Every one said it was important to upgrade because of security, implying the older kernels were swiss cheese.
My feeling is that Microsoft and Intel collaborated on the CPU enhancements (which I do not doubt are significant and legit) in a way that would allow Microsoft to now pull the rug out from under their PRIOR PROMISES OF SUPPORT UNTIL 2020 AND 2023.
If this story about Kaby Lake et al were true, then Microsoft would REQUIRE THOSE CPUS for running Win10. In other words, they would not permit Win10 to run on old hardware that DID NOT take advantage of the new CPU enhancements.
Sorry, it doesn't wash. Nothing personal, rarestia, but I think you've bought the official company line, and I just don't see it the same way.
As a system admin for a software company whose products have existed for two decades, now on a dozen different platforms, I have perhaps a different perspective on the value of compatibility and support.