Microsoft is working with some of its biggest partners to kill Windows 7 and 8

Business Insider ^ | 01/18/2016 | Max Slater-Robins

[SeekAndFind]

Microsoft is working with Intel, AMD, nVidia, and Qualcomm to support Windows 10 at a chipset level, effectively killing the future of Windows 7 and 8.

The changes, which were announced in a company blog post, are the next step in Microsoft's big push to get everyone, from personal users to businesses, onto the latest version of the operating system.

The partnership with the chip makers is surprising, as cutting support for Windows 7 and 8.1 on future PCs could adversely affect sales.

"Going forward, as new silicon generations are introduced, they will require the latest Windows platform at that time for support," the blog post reads.

According to Microsoft, Windows 10 will be the only supported operating system for the next generation of processors from Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm. Anyone who wants to use Windows 7 or 8 will not be able to when the new chipsets start rolling out.

The announcement, fronted by Terry Myerson, the head of Windows and Devices at Microsoft, is unusual for the company and highlights just how much it wants Windows 10 to be a success. The company recently confirmed that Windows 10 had hit 200 million users, around one fifth of the one billion goal.

Myerson stressed that Microsoft was aiming to be transparent with its enterprise customers who, when the new chipsets become available, will be shepherded onto Windows 10. Traditionally, the upgrade path from one version of Windows to another is a much longer period of time.

[DesertRhino]

“while allowing developers to write programs (apps)”

And I refuse to call a program an app, or a soldoer an operator. My mom was an operator.

[CedarDave]

For your MS Ping list.

[LegendHasIt]

Yeah, I have been running Mint Linux on one of my older laptops for about a year, and just set it up on this Desktop on a solid state drive a few days ago.

I’ll likely transition to using it nearly full time on all of my laptops and desktops over the next few months

[angryoldfatman]

LOL! You notice which one I put in parentheses.

They’ve always been, and always will be, programs to me. I’m old-school. Little script-kiddie may write apps, but us KLOC pumpin’ code monkeys write programs, buddy.

[PreciousLiberty]

“And I refuse to call a program an app, or a soldoer an operator. My mom was an operator.”

Programs have been called “applications” forever. “App” is just an abbreviation. :-)

[doorgunner69]

I'm with you, sick of all this renaming crap. No one ever accused me of following trends, though.

Oh yeah, homosexuals are suffering from same-sex attraction disorder ( a mental illness), and are NOT "gay", which means happy. More wretched renaming, or co-opting words.

[Texas Patriot61]

I have two windows 7 desktops and one laptop. I will not buy another machine that runs microsoft os.

[hoosierham]

Will the next generation of processors even allow Linux to run?

Will internet sites start refusing non-microsft browsers?

[sassy steel magnolia]

This will definitely make my Husqvarna Viking Rose 600 sewing machine an outdated unusable item! The original embroidery software for this machine is outdated, but I was able to use 4d embroidery software ( even if the 4d is older) as long as I have an older computer that uses window 7. I don’t see me getting a newer sewing machine for just a hobby. Husqvarna so that support the older software and now Microsoft is shutting down MS7 and 8 support. Sigh. So much for sewing...

[LegendHasIt]

"Will the next generation of processors even allow Linux to run?"

Not if MicrosoftNSA has its way. I hope my current machines will last me until I die.

" Will internet sites start refusing non-microsft browsers"?

I'm sure some will. I can't imagine Free Republic knuckling under to The Behemoth... But there have been for years sites that choose to only run correctly under MSInternet Explorer.

[dayglored]

Windows 10 and the death of Win7 and Win8 ... PING!

You can find all the Windows Ping list threads with FR search: just search on keyword "windowspinglist".

Thanks to CedarDave for the ping!!

[dayglored]

> That's cool. I hate the tiles system being forced on us in 8. And I hate their spy infested 10 a bet more. I never though this day would come for me, but I think I might finally need to dig deep and buy an Apple next time.

You may not even have to dig that deep, depending on what you're looking for.

> Somewhere Swordmaker is smiling.

I don't doubt it :-)

[dayglored]

Ping to #32 above :-)

[dayglored]

> Will the next generation of processors even allow Linux to run?

There are already motherboards that won't run anything but the "permitted" operating systems (guess which ones are permitted).

> Will internet sites start refusing non-microsft browsers?

There have always been browser-specific sites but it's quite possible, since a site can tell what operating system you're using (as well as which browser) that they could lock out all but Windows users.

Microsoft has encouraged such behavior in the past, as long ago as 15 years. Certainly in the Ballmer "Linux is cancer" years a decade ago...

[Swordmaker]

How is this legal?

The new leadership at Microsoft seems to have forgotten the legal lessons of the past. . . completely. If they think the anti-trust litigation they barely squeaked by in the mid-1990s was onerous when they started blocking Netscape, which almost caused the government to break them up into several smaller companies, wait until they see what the Department of Justice may have in store for them with this stupid move.

[tacticalogic]

I’ll wait and see how it plays out before I start grinding molars over it. W7 is getting a little long in the tooth now, and W8 needed to die anyway.

[Swordmaker]

That’s cool. I hate the tiles system being forced on us in 8. And I hate their spy infested 10 a bet more. I never though this day would come for me, but I think I might finally need to dig deep and buy an Apple next time.

Somewhere Swordmaker is smiling.

Nope, not smiling. Apple uses these processors, too. Of course, Apple has already demonstrated OS X running on an A9 and A10 processor, they've also shown Windows running on an A9. So Apple could, if necessary, scale up the capability of that line and tell Intel where to shove it, if Intel processors suddenly would only work with Microsoft operating systems. . . and still maintain viability to run OS X and also run Windows in a virtual machine.

[Ex-Pat in Mex]

The same way Uncle Sugar has a kill switch for the Internet, Microsoft will have the ability to disable Win 10... and leave you with no operating system for your computer.

It is all about total control over you.

[Swordmaker]

Microsoft is working to require Intel, AMC, nVidia, and Qualcomm to make their processors and graphics cards to work only with Windows 10 in the future. What would this mean for Linux and Apple OS X? Has Microsoft even considered what the anti-trust and anti-competitiion considerations would be? It looks as if the new management at Microsoft doesn't even remember, if it ever knew about, the Netscape v. Microsoft wars of the mid-1990s and how close Microsoft came to being broken up into several smaller companies by the US Department of Justice for just such anti-competitive shenanigans! This is far bigger than that tempest in a teapot by comparison! -- PING!

Thanks to dayglored for the heads up ping. . .

Microsoft v. Apple and Linux via Proxies
Anti-Trust anyone?
Ping!

The latest Apple/Mac/iOS Pings can be found by searching Keyword "ApplePingList" on FreeRepublic's Search.

If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me

[Biggirl]

It will simply Linux all that popular.