"Whose."
"What?"
Posted on 01/17/2016 6:38:49 AM PST by dayglored
Soon, when you buy a new PC, it won't support Windows 7 or 8. Microsoft has announced a change to its support policy that lays out its plans for future updates to its older operating systems, and the new rules mean that future PC owners with next-generation Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm processors will need to use Windows 10.
It's not usual for old PCs to fall short of the minimum requirements of a brand new operating system, but in this case, the opposite is happening. Microsoft and its partners will not be putting in the significant work necessary to make new hardware work with older versions of Windows. The old operating systems, at best, will merely lack the latest updates. At worst, they might not function properly.
"Going forward, as new silicon generations are introduced, they will require the latest Windows platform at that time for support," Microsoft notes in a blog post published on Friday. "Windows 10 will be the only supported Windows platform on Intel's upcoming 'Kaby Lake' silicon, Qualcomm's upcoming '8996' silicon, and AMD's upcoming 'Bristol Ridge' silicon."
This new policy doesn't mean that Windows 7 and 8.1 are no longer supported in general. The two operating systems will continue to get updates through January 14, 2020 and January 10, 2023, respectively. But that's only if you're using hardware that was contemporaneous with those operating systems.
For current PC owners, the detail to note is that Intel's current, sixth generation processors, known as Skylake, are the first that won't support either of the older versions of Windows. (Intel and Microsoft say that the [Skylake] platform and Windows 10 were designed for each other.) Microsoft is phasing in the policy now.
For the company's all-important enterprise customers, who often lag behind on hardware and software updates in order to guarantee stability, Microsoft says it will be maintaining a list of approved Skylake systems that are guaranteed to have Windows 7 and 8.1 support through July 17, 2017. That gives companies an 18 month grace period to buy modern hardware for employees before committing and implementing upgrades to Windows 10.
After the grace period, only "the most critical Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 security updates will be addressed for these configurations, and will be released if the update does not risk the reliability or compatibility of the Windows 7/8.1 platform on other devices." Companies and consumers, of course, can still buy older PC hardware that doesn't utilize Intel's Skylake platform or other modern CPUs — the last generation of supported Intel processors are known as Broadwell, and those chips are still widely available.
The policy change not only makes Microsoft's hardware partners happy — they no longer are on the hook to develop as many costly software updates for past versions of Windows — but it also helps Microsoft push adoption of Windows 10. The company sees the operating system as the "final" version of Windows; it's now a service, not a product, and this change better reflects that. There's only one current version of Windows, and while Microsoft will fullfill its legacy hardware obligations, it won't be expending resources to help users steer clear of its latest and greatest.
No we won’t. No one will build them because the chipsets will not be available.
Sounds like ‘Maintaining a Monopoly’ to me....................
Well, it must have been ‘double clocked’...................
Or possibly, some third party is making them “co-join” at the point of some serious threats....
********************
I’ll say it ,, NSA ... they must be frustrated by the motherboard manufacturers and having to design spyware into different bios’s so they’re going straight to the processor manufacturers. This could kill MS and Intel just as the NSA has killed USA built hardware in foreign markets.
"Whose."
"What?"
http://superuser.com/questions/277655/what-is-a-single-chip-microcomputer
If you are really concerned about privacy, use Tor and other clearly anonymizing technologies.That does nothing to protect your privacy from Microsoft.
If you use Windows 10, you have already agreed to let Microsoft have every keystroke you type and any file stored on your computer. I don't know to what extent they are taking advantage of this, but they have both the ability and permission to watch everything you do on "your" computer.
I understand that many people don't care that Microsoft is watching over their shoulder, and they don't care that they are at risk of letting "black hats" access their system if Microsoft has less than perfect security.
Me, I'm running Linux, with Windows 7 in a virtual machine for those rare occasions when I actually need it.
My lips move when I type. Sounded fine to me......
Oh?
Intel, AMD and Qualcomm are the only people on earth who can make chips?
Zatso?
Russian and Chinese military electronics all come with an “Intel Inside” sticker?
Japan doesn’t have any wafer fabs or chip designers either, I bet.
Granted, the start-up barriers are formidable, but nothing a major corporation or a nation-state can’t climb if the perceived reward is high enough.
Sounds to me like they learned something from Sony Playstation. None of their systems beyond PS2 are backwards compatible.
They make up for it, I guess, by making the price of their systems low.
So, as a non-tech type, should I buy stock in Apple? Sounds to me Microsoft wants to drive a lot of customers away by forcing Windows 10 on everyone. I have enough problem trying to operate a smartphone.
VMWare is fantastic.
I’m not an investment adviser, but I think you should invest in companies and markets you understand.
Can I assume that the conversion would work for the various AnyKey kbs that Gateway used to distribute?
I’m reading this on my new spiffy Fedora Linux install that runs like a charm. I’m finally off the Microsoft plantation.
No kidding. Check the prices for a working PC XT on Ebay.
Me, I'm running Linux, with Windows 7 in a virtual machine for those rare occasions when I actually need it.
Are you expecting that you will get "perfect security" out of that?
Ah yes Bill is at it again
What? Ah, Sir Martin-- You have arrived just in the nick of time... 
to deliver a point of grammar!
Grammar my arse! Why did he... 
not bring wine?
Or at least... 
Lone Star Draft!
By the way-- Has anyone seen... 
my brother?
He was with me last night... 
sleeping his way through all of us who played Sarah Conner.
Go... 
on--
Well, at least the horny little devil kept the best... 
for last--
I say give him a hand... 
for that!
Oh, funny, Bendy-- Very... 
funny!
I will keep what I have, thank you.
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