Windows 98 Phased Out
Via_Patrino writes "According to Microsoft on january 16, MS Windows 98 and 98se will end Extended Support Phase, that means they'll became obsolete and assisted support will no longer be available from Microsoft, affecting about 27% of the internet users. That means even if 98 is working well for your needs (and especially computer specifications) and you want to pay for support (because that might cost less than switching hardware) you can't, because who will be able to patch eventual new bugs (security related or not) besides Microsoft? So if you're not planning a switch it might be your last opportunity to update MS Windows 98, after that some software might disappear from MS website (just like MSIE 5.5 for 95 did)."
Before people panic in the streets, it should be made clear that MS still plans to patch vulnerabilities in Win98. Hopefully this means people will keep using Windows Update to keep their system as risk free (from viruses, trojans, etc.) as reasonably possible. (Besides using things like virus scanners and anti-spyware tools, of course!)
-Teckla
how about people, like myself, that have hardware that will NOT run anything after Win98? I have a p133 laptop that I use for web, email, etc, that cannot run Win2k (it gets to the text boot screen and freezes).
Looks like MS is forcing me to upgrade my hardware too? Not cool.
That does not mean anything - many niche OS users keep their niche browsers identyfying as "Microsoft Explorer for Windows" just to fool javascript websites that display the stupid "If you don't have MSIE, you can't access us, goodbye" messages. Even my Safari identifies itself as MSIE 6.0, otherwise my damned bank wouldn't let me check my own bloody account.
I love OS X myself, but I still have to say you're off base a bit on '98. The nice thing about Win '98 is MS had the product out for so long, they did quite a few revisions to it, improving things like USB support and networking capabilities. The original '98 release might not have been spectacular, but most people I know found that '98 "Second Edition" was about as good as Windows ever got, before changing to the NT-based design found in 2000 and XP.
When they did the Windows Millenium version, THAT'S where they really blew it. All they did was add fluff, plus a half-broken system to roll-back to previous system states that ends up slowing the whole thing down.
I don't know how you can claim Windows '95 was superior to '98, when it lacked USB support completely, had very little native device driver support by comparison, didn't support Internet Connection Sharing or even support for internal ISDN modems (no native support for bonding multiple 64K "B" data channels together), and a slew of other things.
Why does everyone make a big stink and bi0tch at Microsoft for doing something like this? Very few companies provide any support at all for old versions of products. Many will cease support old versions the very instant a new version comes out, and will tell its users to upgrade to the newest version if they want support.
Microsoft, on the other hand, provides support for it's software for five (?) years, even after it's been succeeded by Windows 2000/XP!
No, because redhat is open source he does have an argument.
unofficial redhat patches nr. 1
unofficial redhat patches nr. 2
Now, where are those unofficial windows patches?
Wasn't the an article posted within the last month? This is a way to force corporate desktops into XP or 2k. That's where the real money is anyway. Mom and Pop pay once for the os, the business world has MIS depts or pays support. Great way to insure migration.
09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B - D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0 45 5F E1 04 22 CA 29 C4 93 3F 95 05 2B 79 2A B2
It would be helpful if you posted a list of what you used your computer for. If it is surfing the 'net, writing simple word docs, etc, you can probably use Linux to accomplish the same tasks, and have it supported.
The more you know, the less you understand.
Looking for older versions of IE for your older machines? Check out evolt's archive of old broswers. They even have 16-bit versions of Netscape and IE.
Um, no. Linux requires a 386 or greater on x86 and always has.
Hail Eris, full of mischief...
E pluribus sanguinem
This is Microsoft's description from their Windows 98 Downloads page:
Download 'em all before January 16, them burn 'em onto a CD. We just don't know how long those updates will be available.Just because you might drive a 57 Chevy does NOT mean Chevrolet should still provide new parts for that car. If you really want to keep that car, then your only choice is to go with aftermarket parts (Linux as an OS for the PC) and/or parts from a junk yard or bought directly from someone else (EBay and computer swap meets)
Of course, it would just be more cost effective to buy a new car that comes backed by a warrenty. A shiny new PC with XP in this case from Dell.
Seriously, why should MS be forced to support there older software for as long as they do. I would say they are being more then fair about it with ample warning ahead of time. I doubt you can say the same thing for Apple. They are notorious for leaving their users high and dry when it comes to support after a few years of Mac ownership.
Life is not for the lazy.
When was the last time a 2.0 series kernel was released with a new patch?
You also don't have to _PAY_ to upgrade to a 2.4 or 2.6 series kernel...
Windows NT 3.51 Service Packs
TCP/IP for Windows for Workgroups 3.11
WfW 3.11 SMB fix for Samba smbclient
I mean, what more do you want? I know I know, the source. But Microsoft has a history of supporting their products for a very long time, and continuing to host updates for their old products, they're freely available without even logging in.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
It might not be a wonderful architecture but this idiocy that it's just a GUI shell has to be called out.
have you tried doing this ?
OBD-II only has a "Base" set of codes that are common to all cars. It's sort of like SNMP where anyone can go and define their own MIBs as long as they're in the right form. The difference is, if you want he VW proprietary codes or functions, you cant do it with a generic tool, you need a special one.
I'm guessing you've never actually tried this - a bill was just passed forcing auto makers to open up the diagnostic tools/info they have to independant mechanics. If you wanted to do some basic types of operations on a BMW, for instance, there are a few different machines you need.. a DIS.. a MODIC, etc. These are like 5-digit cost custom computers that knowhow to do things like reprogram the key to match the ECU, tell the car that its OK that it has a different engine than the one its expecting, etc etc.
_Every_ current car has something in it that can only be repaired at the dealership right now.
My opinions are my own, and do not necessarily represent those of my employer.