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Microsoft Locks Ryzen, Kaby Lake Users Out of Updates On Windows 7, 8.1 (kitguru.net)
Artem Tashkinov writes: In a move that will shock a lot of people, someone at Microsoft decided to deny Windows 7/8.1 updates to the users of the following CPU architectures: Intel seventh (7th)-generation processors (Kaby Lake); AMD "Bristol Ridge" (Zen/Ryzen); Qualcomm "8996." It's impossible to find any justification for this decision to halt support for the x86 architectures listed above because you can perfectly run MS-DOS on them. Perhaps, Microsoft has decided that the process of foisting Windows 10 isn't running at full steam, so the company created this purely artificial limitation. I expect it to be cancelled soon after a wide backlash from corporate customers. KitGuru notes that users may encounter the following error message when they attempt to update their OS: "Your PC uses a processor that isn't supported on this version of Windows." The only resolution is to upgrade to Windows 10.
I'm sure someone will release a CPUID hack to pretend to be a lower end cpu, much like Agner Fog used when proving that Intel's compiler and the code it produced would shit on both AMD and VIA on purpose.
"His name was James Damore."
Why the hell are people shocked? Microsoft first said it was going to do this 14 months ago, way back in January 2016.
Does anybody really think that everyone will "upgrade" to windows 10 because of this?
I will gladly run it unsupported. Just because Microsoft pulls support doesn't mean the OS suddenly stops working. In fact, I've been running with windows updates off for well over a year now so "support" for win 7 is irrelevant to me.
Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
REF: https://arstechnica.com/gadget...
No, I do not have to move to W10, ever. From this day, I am locking MS out. I realize some people can not do this for various reasons, but I can, and I will. MS has completely lost it, and I don't think they have as much power as they think. We will see. But I will never run Windows 10 on any machine of mine. I was an original 'Insider' from 10/14, and gave it every benefit of the doubt for two years, but it was never going to work for me. No, as far as I'm concerned, MS has just lost it.
In all seriousness, I believe these chipsets were sold in machines that originally came with Windows 10 (or not with Windows). This only affects people who bought new PCs, then manually installed an old OS because they liked it more. That's low volume stuff that is only overrepresented here on Slashdot. Most of the world doesn't even notice moves like this, because their PC came with Windows, whatever version, and it still works and updates.
--Jaborandy
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Efficiency_Video_Coding
"HEVC is restricted by patents owned by various parties. Use of HEVC technologies requires the payment of royalties to licensors of HEVC patents, such as MPEG LA, HEVC Advance, and Technicolor SA."
All 3 of those working groups stated have strong ties to the MPAA, who doesn't like older Operating Systems used by pirates. The entire push for TPM modules on computers and Secureboot was primarily from the MPAA and RIAA effectively telling Microsoft "Either keep your users from pirating our stuff or we will revoke your Coded Licensing for Windows Media Player and ensure nobody can play DVD's on computers" in the late 00's. It wasn't until after those technologies were deployed that software companies began using them for security, e.g. using TPM modules to lock down disks or Secure Boot to lock down boot-code.
This is the same story replaying itself, but this time Intel is the victim. Pretty much all of the mid-sized and large web media companies are grouping together to build competing, free standards e.g. VP9. I expect HEVC to end up the same way many proprietary standards on video capture equipment ended up; obsolete in 3 years.
If you're looking to skip a processor generation, right now is the time.
Use Linux, no one forcing you to do anything ever again. Might learn something about how computers actually work too. It's not hard, just daunting at first glance. It's an awful lot easier than it used to be, when we where using dip switches and jumpers to configure hardware.
I guess you're used to talking to Joe Average who doesn't even know why he bought a computer. Maybe that would excuse you. But considering I've been around computers since punch-card days, can code in anything from ASM to LUA, have always built my own rig, have had several installs of linux from slackware through mint and I probably know a great deal more about computers than you do, I find you come off as a tad bit patronizing. Not everyone who uses Windows is a red neck hill-billy.
My statement stands. You however are full of shit. Keeping track of every little nuance of your linux distro is a full time job. If you DON'T stay current, then you have as little choice as to what happens to your linux kernel and distro as any Windows user has over their OS. apt-get update is not going to save you. Open source is all well and good if you're on the coding team for that particular project. No one has time to go through every single fucking line of code for every driver, utility, application, etc. So you end up "trusting" the open source community. Well guess what.....
Some of us would rather skip the illusion of safety and open-ness and get on with our lives without kidding ourselves.
And all of this argument doesn't change the fact that Microsoft is using its market position to force the consumers down a path they don't necessarily want to go.
Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
I agree. Incredible!
Windows 10 is possibly the worst spyware ever made. From that article: "Buried in the service agreement is permission to poke through everything on your PC."
My opinion: There should be far stronger protests, including legal action and laws against that kind of abuse.