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Microsoft To Start Selling Windows 7 Add-On Support April 1st (computerworld.com)

AmiMoJo quotes Computerworld: Microsoft plans to start selling its Windows 7 add-on support beginning April 1. Labeled "Extended Security Updates" (ESU), the post-retirement support will give enterprise customers more time to purge their environments of Windows 7. From Windows 7's Jan. 14, 2020 end of support, ESU will provide security fixes for uncovered or reported vulnerabilities in the OS.

Patches will be issued only for bugs rated "Critical" or "Important" by Microsoft, the top two rankings in a four-step scoring system. ESU will be dealt out in one-year increments for up to three years and support will be sold on a per-device basis, rather than the per-user approach Microsoft has pushed for Windows 10 licensing. Costs for ESU will start out low — $25 or $50 per year per device — but will double each year, ending at $100 or $200 per device for the third and final year

95 comments

  1. April Fool's Dupe! ;) by ToTheStars · · Score: 1

    Come on, we just had an article about how bad customer service is profitable, we don't need another one: https://slashdot.org/story/19/...

  2. That's a fucking deal by DogDude · · Score: 3, Funny

    That's a fucking deal. Our company will definitely do it.

    --
    I don't respond to AC's.
    1. Re:That's a fucking deal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      it only gets you three more years. And then you will be even more screwed than you are now, because you will have even more stuff dependent on windows 7.

      If you want to be a Microsoft shop, Microsoft will force you to keep paying them for upgrades in their ability to spy on you and push you around.

    2. Re:That's a fucking deal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      How does "stuff become dependent on Windows 7"?

      The Windows API has not changed significantly in several decades. I have software written decades ago that still works just perfectly on the latest version of Windows 10.

      If you have software that is dependent on a specific version of Windows, then you do not have software that uses the Windows API, and it is your own fault for deliberately riding the lock-in bus ... (dot SNOT, and a myriad of other fly-by-night technologies introduced by Microsoft for the purpose of keeping you buying new versions of their shit).

    3. Re: That's a fucking deal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "The Windows API has not changed significantly in several decades"

      This canâ(TM)t possibly be true.

    4. Re: That's a fucking deal by DogDude · · Score: 1

      This canâ(TM)t possibly be true.

      It canâ(TM)t be and is true! That's why I can run 25 year old software on Windows 10, and I can run brand new software on Windows 7 (probably XP, but I don't have too many of those left).

      --
      I don't respond to AC's.
    5. Re: That's a fucking deal by cyber-vandal · · Score: 2

      You mean the .NET Framework that's been around for 20 years and is still supported at versions 3.5 and 4.7 or .NET Core, the rewritten open source version that is about to hit version 3? Which one is the fly by night one?

    6. Re: That's a fucking deal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What you're talking about is backwards compatibility - modern versions of Windows still support very old API calls.

      But over the years, Microsoft has presumably added thousands of new APIs both for new stuff, and newer/safer/more convenient ways of doing the old things.

      "Decades ago", 32 bit was barely a thing much less 64 bit. There was no IE, no DirectX, etc

    7. Re:That's a fucking deal by rastos1 · · Score: 1

      The Windows API has not changed significantly in several decades.

      Windows look however did. If you want your application to blend in, then it needs updating. Also if you wrote something low-level such as printer drivers, then your W95 code will not run W10.

  3. Umm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    This is a joke right? Right?

  4. might as well upgrade to windows 10 by FudRucker · · Score: 2

    because it will be only 85 more upgrades and you will be back to using windows 95

    --
    Politics is Treachery, Religion is Brainwashing
  5. That's one way by jmccue · · Score: 2

    Well that is one way to get people use to paying subscriptions, start charging for upgrades on a yearly basis for an OS people seems to love and throw in a subscription to Office cloud

    Glad I left the M/S train a long time ago :)

    1. Re:That's one way by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Yeah but you have to use some shitty unix like system. That is no way to be productive.

      Well, your message certainly is unproductive and you utilised numerous UNIX-like systems to be able to post it.

      You might want to clue in all of those scientists and filmmakers too. Certainly once they realise how unproductive they have been with their *NIX powered supercomputers, they'll trade up for Spywa...er...a Windows 10 PC.

    2. Re:That's one way by Merk42 · · Score: 1

      Charge for support? Evil Microsoft!

  6. Unofficial service pack by jfdavis668 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Is someone planning on creating an unofficial Windows 7 service pack like they did for Windows XP?

    1. Re:Unofficial service pack by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Yeah, you can download it for free here.

    2. Re:Unofficial service pack by Stormwatch · · Score: 1

      Ahem... search for Gen2 on TPB.

    3. Re:Unofficial service pack by Stormwatch · · Score: 1

      So many spins, and you suggest KDE? Puh-leeze.

    4. Re:Unofficial service pack by Highdude702 · · Score: 1

      Pfft, KDE or die.

    5. Re:Unofficial service pack by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      provided the hotfixes and patches aren't coded to verify 'subscription' status, i fully expect they will be 'in the wild' the day they're released... and even if they are, i'm sure they'll still be available..

      there might even be a simple registry edit to enable windows update to get them normally (like you could with xp.. thru next month, april 2019, when the final embedded version is finally retired)

    6. Re:Unofficial service pack by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      KDE has the start menu that windows users are so in love with. Other similarities, too.

    7. Re:Unofficial service pack by Stormwatch · · Score: 1

      Most DEs have equivalent menus, but in my opinion, KDE's is poorly designed. I much prefer Cinnamon.

    8. Re:Unofficial service pack by Order_66 · · Score: 0

      And that's the beauty of linux, you prefer Cinnamon, others prefer KDE(including myself), you're able to use what you prefer but with windows you're forced to use what microsoft thinks you should be using.

    9. Re:Unofficial service pack by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Cinnamon is only good for novices who like the look of 20 year old operating systems.

      KDE is easy to use, powerful and actually looks like a modern DE.

    10. Re:Unofficial service pack by Stormwatch · · Score: 1

      When I look at that "modern" crap, I run back to the "20 year old system" style.

  7. Paid enterprise support by YrWrstNtmr · · Score: 1

    This was supposed to be a good thing. Like RedHat, right?

  8. Last good Windows was 7 so I did this... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Last good Windows was 7 so I did this: I went to Linux & am GLAD I did - it does ALL I NEED & is very 'polished' now + continuing to improve (+ admittedly - my Win7 64-bit distro FINALLY crapped out 2010-2018 & I wanted to port my work to Linux/BSD/MacOS anyways).

    * I've used Linux on/off since Slackware 1.02 in 1994 (no GUI support for X - Diamond Stealth 24 ISA "windows accelerator" (bitblt etc. inside hardware or drivers in Windows)), then RedHat in 1999 (had GUI then, but software & OS + dev tools were 'crude' then imo), then KUbuntu 10.10 in 2010 (close, but no cigar) - however:

    KUbuntu 18.04 Long Term Support (extends to what? 2030 now?? Correct me on specifics there & thanks IF needed) is awesome & so is FreePascal + Lazarus IDE (multiplatform Windows, Linux, BSD & yes, MacOS (port's coming when I 'fireup' my new Mac-Mini - what's HOLDING ME BACK? Linux & how nice it is now - no joke).

    APK

    P.S.=> Anyways - I never EVER thought I'd say it (me, "former posterchild for Windows on /." pretty much): Go Linux folks... apk

    1. Re:Last good Windows was 7 so I did this... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      former posterchild for Windows on /.

      No, you are and forever will be the poster child of untreated mental illness on /.

  9. WHEN THE MAFIA SELLS PROTECTION by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ....they are NOT joking.

  10. Re:What a joke... by Excelcia · · Score: 2

    It's actually not a bad idea. Microsoft has been trying to transition for Software as a Service for years. They want to drag everyone kicking and screaming into paying them monthly for the privilege of using Windows. So, how to transition people who would rather go back to DOS than pay Microsoft to use their OS? You bring out back-to-back versions of Windows that are so hated and draconian that people will pay to keep security updates going on Windows 7.

    People won't pay to use their OS, but they may pay to keep security updates going on the last version to be usable. Way to sneak Software as a Service into the back door, Microsoft.

  11. Microsoft has you by the balls by xack · · Score: 4, Interesting

    They know people don't want to upgrade their "just works" Windows 7 environment, especially after the pain of having to upgrade from Windows XP just a few years ago, so they will use support extortion and will probably "leak" security holes out to Wannacry's programmers. Their end game is to get everyone on the upcoming "Windows 365" subscription treadmill so they will use the "support protection racket" for Windows 7. They knew exactly what they are doing by releasing it on that date (April 1). Unfortunately promises of the penguins saving us has failed to come every year for nearly two decades now.

    1. Re:Microsoft has you by the balls by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Took me a little doing but the penguin has saved me. Just have to put the time in to adjust and learn. Now my Windows box sits mostly in the off position and most everything I mess around with is on Linux. If Windows ever goes completely I won't miss much of anything now.

    2. Re: Microsoft has you by the balls by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Boring. I have OSX. It just gets upgraded nicely and automatically. All I have to do is click the little update button after I read the summary. Next next next

    3. Re:Microsoft has you by the balls by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Windows 10 has severe privacy issues, the license permits Microsoft to spy on users' data and transfer data onto its systems. A business needs to protect its data to survive. For the workplace, Linux can be used. For games as well, but still it is more difficult to set things up for emulation (Wine, ...). ReactOS is an alternative, a free Windows kernel, but needs more investion to produce something usable. It is possible to harden a Windows 7 system if there is an option not to use insecure parts (like the scripting engine) and browser addons like NoScript and safe configuration of all installed applications (MS Office without macros, Adobe Reader without active executable parts, ...).

    4. Re: Microsoft has you by the balls by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Different model: Mac users buy luxury consumer hardware & the software & service are included in the price. With PC's users buy the hardware & software bundled together but from different vendors. Users have the choice to buy Windows or get a free install of a variety of flavours of Linux, e.g. Ubuntu. PC users can also extend the life of their hardware by removing Windows & installing Linux. It's a pity not so many users know about these options.

    5. Re: Microsoft has you by the balls by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And is Apple still providing patches for the version from 10 years ago? No, they are not.

    6. Re: Microsoft has you by the balls by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Why would I need these patches?
      Firewalls still work.

    7. Re:Microsoft has you by the balls by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      so they will use support extortion and will probably "leak" security holes out to Wannacry's programmers

      Does your carer know you're off your meds?

    8. Re: Microsoft has you by the balls by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      For the vast majority of people the question of OS is largely irrelevant. Chrome runs on all major platforms- why is this even a question any more?

    9. Re:Microsoft has you by the balls by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Unfortunately promises of the penguins saving us has failed to come every year for nearly two decades now.

      Once Windows 365 comes out and you are forced into renting time on your own PC, you can bet your house that the penguins will blast off.

    10. Re: Microsoft has you by the balls by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I have OSX. It just gets upgraded nicely and automatically. All I have to do is click the little update button after I read the summary. Next next next

      It does upgrade nicely and automatically! Then half your apps break, but oh, we'll sell you the latest version off the App Store for 300 quid. Fuck off mate. Apple gives you 3 years of security updates till you're forced onto the latest rubbish. Everything after 10.9 is unusable

    11. Re: Microsoft has you by the balls by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What? I have a 2012 MacBook Pro still getting updates. No it isn't 10 years but it's 7 going on 8. Pretty damn close.

  12. Software defects are profitable for Microsoft. by Futurepower(R) · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Having poor quality software makes more money for Microsoft!

    Lately, Windows users are not allowed to know what Windows updates actually do. In the past, for example, users were pushed to Windows 10, without giving their permission. So, now Windows 7 customers will be paying for updates that may be abusive.

    Some of the many stories about Windows 10 indicate deliberate abuse of customers:

    Windows 10 is possibly the worst spyware ever made. "Buried in the service agreement is permission to poke through everything on your PC." (Aug. 4, 2015)

    Microsoft's Intolerable Windows 10 Aggression (May 27, 2016)

    Microsoft is infesting Windows 10 with annoying ads (March 17, 2017)

    Microsoft, stop sabotaging Windows 10. (March 21, 2017)

  13. Weaning off Windows 7? by Dunbal · · Score: 2

    I know some companies still using XP.

    --
    Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
    1. Re:Weaning off Windows 7? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Don't connect the systems to the internet and 99% of your issues are gone.

  14. Oh yea, how could I forget this? apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    See subject & I neglected to note what I am porting between computer platforms: APK Hosts File Engine 2.0++ 64-bit for Linux h t t p : / / a p k . i t - m a t e . c o . u k / A P K H o s t s F i l e E n g i n e F o r L i n u x . z i p (remove spaces between chars & download)

    APK Hosts File Engine 10++ SR-1 32/64-bit for Windows https://hosts-file.net/?s=Down... (DL link @ bottom)

    * Soon for MacOS too (I just got a NEW Mac-Mini to port it there)

    APK

    P.S.=> Gives users more speed/security/reliability/anonymity, NATIVELY (no "bolt-on-'MoAr'" ILLOGIC-LOGIC full of security issues galore (Antivirus (Tavis Ormandy) &/or DNS ala US DHS issues DNS redirect is HUGE danger (not w/ hosts vs.) https://threatpost.com/gov-war... & ICANN ISSUES SAME WARNING https://tech.slashdot.org/stor... ) + excessive resource use & "moving parts" that get exploited due to complexity... apk

  15. This might be a neat idea for copyright limits... by ToTheStars · · Score: 2

    Why don't we do this for copyright? Instead of letting companies keep a copyright for 120 years or whatever it is by now, charge a registration fee that escalates geometrically. Choose the constant and ratio so that it's cheap for the first couple of decades, or maybe even waive the fee for the first decade, so that small authors don't get pinched out, and then by the time you get to fifty years or so, the fees are in the millions of dollars per work per year, so that only the biggest ongoing blockbusters are kept out of the public domain for that long (which seems reasonable -- if a company is willing to spend millions of dollars to retain a copyright, presumably they are being good stewards and getting a return on that investment). We should also tie software copyright to liability -- if Microsoft is charging people to get support for their software, then they should be on the hook when things break, EULAs be damned, and if they don't want to deal with that, well, all they have to do is release the software and its source code into the public domain.

  16. Re:Still IMPERSONATING me JEALOUS "Lil' Jowie"? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    APK thinks making a forum post on a website means that he was a SANS Keynote Speaker. Lol. You can't make this shit up. I bet he tells his mom that he founded /.

  17. Re:April Fool's Dupe! ;) by hairyfeet · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Uhhh...show me a version of Linux you don't have to pay support for that gets 10 years of patches WITHOUT upgrading, because if that is what qualifies for "bad service" I just wish I could get even half that for most of my devices.

    Say what you will about their releases (Good Lord you couldn't pay me to run Windows 10, 8.1 with classic shell is a million times more stable) but I can't think of a single other company that gives 10 years (and in some cases more, geez they supported XP for what felt like an eternity) of security patches even on the lowest end consumer devices. Hell these days you can't even get 3 years of patches on a $1000+ Google phone when Google made the bloody thing, for a company like MSFT to support patches for 10 years on an OS that is 3 versions behind? Quite impressive IMHO.

    --
    ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
  18. Re:What a joke... by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

    So, how to transition people who would rather go back to DOS than pay Microsoft to use their OS? You bring out back-to-back versions of Windows that are so hated and draconian that people will pay to keep security updates going on Windows 7.

    It's going to transition people straight to Apple, probably, although they abandon operating system versions too. It will also transition many people straight to TPB to download the updates. And it will transition a few people to Linux.

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  19. Re:Still IMPERSONATING me JEALOUS "Lil' Jowie"? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I dunno about that other guy, but you definatly have issues and come across as a lunatic. Get back on your meds. It's for your own good.

  20. Re:This might be a neat idea for copyright limits. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "Why don't we do this for copyright?"

    Because the US legislators are in the pocked of the big media companies, and in turn strongarm other nations into accepting their corrupt sell-out system of infinitely extened copyright. Disney is on a track to own our entire popular culture. They don't want that gravy train to end. Otherwise they'll have to stop beating the dead horses of our childhood fantasys and actually make something new.

  21. And how can this be legal? by gweihir · · Score: 0

    I mean, what they are fixing are defects in their product. This is not about extended or better functionality, this is about fixing their own screw-ups. The law is utterly borked here and has no relation to the actual reality of software.

    --
    Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
    1. Re:And how can this be legal? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I mean, what they are fixing are defects in their product. This is not about extended or better functionality, this is about fixing their own screw-ups. The law is utterly borked here and has no relation to the actual reality of software.

      Partly agree, but what's reasonable? Do they still need to fix bugs in Win98? Win95? Win3.1? DOS?

      How long do car manufacturers have to support cars?

    2. Re:And how can this be legal? by gweihir · · Score: 1

      I don't think they have to support stuff forever, that would not be reasonable.

      What I think is that if they have security fixes, they must make them generally available. I really making security-fixes that _are_ available pay-only, enterprise-only is not acceptable.

      --
      Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
  22. Re:This might be a neat idea for copyright limits. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Because that favors huge businesses that can afford huge fees over small people that patents were designed to protect.

  23. Not a bad idea by iampiti · · Score: 1

    It's a Win-win for Microsoft since, on one side, they make money and also give support to people that want to keep using Windows 7. On the other hand the escalating costs are an obvious mechanism to nudge people to Windows 10.

  24. Re: This might be a neat idea for copyright limits by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Open Source and Free software are copyrighted, too, and not all of it funnels money to the people who hold those copyrights.

  25. Meh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Windows 10 is really an ad for Linux. When Win7 dies, so does Microsoft. It's not like they provide anything unique or useful anymore. RIP Microsoft, you remind me of Blackberry. Good riddance.

  26. MS Should Be Fined Millions For This! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    MS is stealing from millions with this forced upgrade or theft for additional service on an OS we already paid for. Someone needs to shoot Bill and Melinda Gates.

  27. I'm so old I remember Windows 7 was new by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    and told others to wait for Office 2010 (W7 came first). Phrazing. Man-o-man, David Letterman was still on TV.

    1. Re: I'm so old I remember Windows 7 was new by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Those were the days. Back when late night comedy had jokes

  28. Re:This might be a neat idea for copyright limits. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The current system favors huge businesses that can afford huge fees over small people that patents were designed to protect.

    It does not work as intended.

  29. They picked the best day for it. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Hey FOOLS, PAY us more money to be able to continue to use the thing you already paid for, on April Windoze-Luser Day!

  30. Re:What a joke... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's going to transition people straight to Apple, probably, although they abandon operating system versions too

    Indeed. Literally EVERY vendor does this. EVEN the OSS world. (Widnows 7 is almost 10 years old. The oldest still supported LInux kernel I can find at here dates from 2014, fully five years after Widnows 7 came out.

  31. Yeah.... by Oligonicella · · Score: 1

    And then you suddenly find yourself on a Windows 10 system.

  32. Re:April Fool's Dupe! ;) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Uhhh...show me a version of Linux you don't have to pay support for that gets 10 years of patches WITHOUT upgrading

    Okay

  33. Re:April Fool's Dupe! ;) by Anonymous+Brave+Guy · · Score: 1

    Your argument seems to be broken given that Windows is paid for up-front and we're talking about security fixes that are fundamental defects in the original product here.

    Also, probably the most popular desktop Linux distro now does offer 10-year support on its LTS releases.

    --
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  34. Re:April Fool's Dupe! ;) by theycallmeB · · Score: 1

    Three versions behind? Ha! After accounting for all the things they broke and the spyware/telemetry they added I would say Windows 7 is at least a version superior to 10.

  35. First decade only. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And make it both a fixed fee and a percentage of revenue off the works. This will make it less and less profitable with each renewal period, while letting regular authors, whose work might only be popular for 1-5 decades make money off it, while also opening up copyrighted works on average at around 3 decades, which is when the people who read/viewedit in childhood will be able to respin it with their own works. Children should have the opportunity to offer a new take on a work within their young(ish) adult life, which means 30 years is the maximum ideal life for copyright terms, so that the following generation can take their own stab at expanding, respinning, or otherwise recreating the original works without the unfair burdens placed on them by absolute monopolies on the work, many of which may have become an indelible part of their psyche or imagination. This doesn't mean you have to allow others to commercially resell that original work (the original author can be given a slightly longer copyright term on the verbatim work for sale purposes), but any transformative or expansive works should be allowed to reference the original work without fear of being considered a derived work for copyright purposes. Furthermore republishing rights to the original copyrighted work should only remain with the author if they are producing a run of at least 100 copies of the work a year, and go away after that. If an author isn't investing/selling at least 100 copies of their work each year, then one has to ask if they are really serious or commercially invested in their copyrighted work.

  36. No further need by Khyber · · Score: 2

    I've already fucked with Windows 7 thanks to NSA releasing Ghidra. I've fixed most of the security issues, and fixed the INTENTIONAL degrading of GPU performance, and re-acquired my rightful framerate in basic fucking games like Windows ports of REGULAR DOOM (Before the update that halved the RemoteFX performance in Wndows Server 2008R2, I was getting 60+FPS in the Windows Doom port using Zandronum. After that update hit my system, I got roughly 25 FPS. This is repeatable across games like TABG, PUBG, Dead by Daylight, and more.)

    Also of note, Windows 7 has a neat little backdoor. I won't say anything more than look at your Explorer process if you accepted the telemetry-enabling Win7 updates. Even if you disable Windows Update across the board with shit like group policy restrictions (on those versions which support it,) they will still infect you with updates, it's literally built-into the Explorer process itself. And without Explorer running, you can't run Windows.

    Game fucking over. Microsoft has literally violated the shit oiut of the CFAA, and nobody will do a thing about it.

    You fucking cowards. I stand here, about to win my 4th settlement against massive companies for violating our laws, and you hetero faggots just mill around thinking you can't risk your job because of court shit - GUESS WHAT, BY LAW THEY CAN'T FUCK YOU OVER FOR HAVING TO GO TO COURT.

    Second Protip: If you can't AFFORD to file suit, the courts have you covered there, with a goddamned FEE WAIVER upon proving you don't have the income to pay for this. GET OFF YOUR FUCKING ASS AND SUE, YOU COWARDLY FUCKS.

    --
    Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
    1. Re: No further need by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Citation needed.

    2. Re:No further need by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      New Zealand has consumer protection laws that are not arbitarially time limited.
      So if you live in NZ, apply your consumer rights.

    3. Re:No further need by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And without Explorer running, you can't run Windows.

      Wrong. I have a number of Plex boxen that do not launch explorer at all. You're either being unintentionally dishonest, or wilfully spreading lies. Up your game.

  37. Re:April Fool's Dupe! ;) by hairyfeet · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I paid for my Android phones up front, didn't get me more than a couple months worth of security patches.

    And does modern software actually work on this LTS you speak of? Because I've found the big gotcha in Linux is a lack of a stable ABI (which is quite sad as MSFT has had one for what 2 decades now?) so that software requires kernel version x, GCC y which means you can't actually run up to date software that isn't backported by the distro. Again say what you will or make any excuses about how Linux doesn't need an ABI but I can install Win 7 right now and run the latest versions of pretty much all popular software out there OOTB.

    --
    ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
  38. Re:April Fool's Dupe! ;) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    even on the lowest end consumer devices. .

    AFAIK 32 bit devices are often excluded.

  39. Re:No further need to insert my corncob deeper by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    cuz I done deep throated the cob so far it came out my mouth and that is why I wrote the spew you endured. my apologies. just kidding. eat shit and die. not necessarily in that order. chaos is where I am at. I am the lord you need. don't you forget about I.

  40. Microsoft no longer usable, now evil by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Windows 10 = Install-ware (Apps you don't want), Spyware (Microsoft, Fuck you), Advertising ware (And advertising ID in the O/S I paid $200 for? Fuck you Microsoft), User-hate-ware, Microsoft Revenue-ware, Anti-Privacy-ware, We own-your-hardware-ware, your computer isn't yours=ware, Your ass is ours-ware.

    Microsoft you're evil.

  41. Re:April Fool's Dupe! ;) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Took them long enough! / We'll see if they actually support it that long / Whatever handwave excuse Slashdot gives when Microsoft does something they ask for.

  42. Back to Win7 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I spent from 8a to 5:30p yesterday trying to update my Win10. When it showed there was another update that might take longer than the previous updates to finish, I pulled the HD and put the Win7 HD back in the pc.

  43. That's why I'm on Linux Mint Now by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm a Windows user since 3.11 and I flipped to Linux Mint 18 over a weekend. It's not that hard and I had 0 Linux experience. Picked up a beginner's guide to Linux eBook on Amazon for cheap and started running Linux as my main machine in less than a week. It wasn't all roses, a few things to work out with file sharing, but mostly because I was copying files from Windows machines. You may think that you can't replace some software but you can and so far it's all free. I left my old machine in tact as a backup and haven't powered it on in months. Will be reformatting is soon. If you're tired of MS's shit then vote with your wallet and stop funding them.

  44. Speak for yourself... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    See subject: Everyone sees you constantly STALK me by UNIDENTIFIABLE anonymous. You're a proven whacko

    APK

    P.S.=> Grow up... apk

  45. Re:April Fool's Dupe! ;) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Also CentOS:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CentOS#End-of-support_schedule

  46. Khyber you can use other desktop shells by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "without Explorer running, you can't run Windows." - by Khyber ( 864651 ) on Monday March 11, 2019 @12:47AM (#58250574)

    See subject & https://duckduckgo.com/html/ + search "shell" and "registry" - YOU CAN USE SHELLS OTHER THAN EXPLORER Khyber.

    APK

    P.S.=> I'm surprised you didn't know that & said what you did, but it IS in error on that account per what I quote from you above (this is a VERY OLD TRICK too)... apk

  47. Re: Still IMPERSONATING me JEALOUS "Lil' Jowie"? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    APK impersonates GayPK again as well as many others

  48. Re:April Fool's Dupe! ;) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I know he said it, but none of the official Ubuntu pages reflect this change, it is also unclear if this is for everybody of just paying customers. Ubuntu Advantage paid support still provides patches for 12.04.

    openSUSE is another distro that will have very long support, since it is based on SUSE Enterprise that has 10 year support.

    Most of these distros do use point releases or service packs, one could argue there are still "upgrades" although it is more like a rolling release (with only a few of them). RHEL is on 7.6 now.

  49. Low Volume by DarthVain · · Score: 1

    I suspect this will be super low volume, but may allow some companies that didn't plan to more easily transition.

    My problem is that I have an app that only works on Windows 7 32bit. We're trying to re-develop it for Windows 10 64bit, but it is being a real PITA. At one point I briefly consider the above, extended security update purchase. However it is moot, as a large organization it was decided long ago to transition to Windows 10, and there is no way in hell IT is going to allow Windows 7 to persist on the network. So it's likely not really even an option for me unfortunately. Then again we'd just be delaying the inevitable anyway.

    That said, for say smaller orgs that are all Windows 7, that gives them options to properly move over in a more managed way.

  50. Re: Still IMPERSONATING me JEALOUS "Lil' Jowie"? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I seriously doubt that.

  51. Re:Still IMPERSONATING me JEALOUS "Lil' Jowie"? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You definatly (it's definitely idiot) can't spell and APK is normal. You little idiots are pests to everyone including APK. Get a life idiot.

  52. Re: What a joke... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Except 2000, XP, Vista, 7 and 8.x were all fine (by Microsoft standards). The worst versions of Windows were 1.x, 2.x, 3.x, 9x/Me and 10.

    In fact, Windows 10 is by far the worst version because it's no longer an OS but a marketing and test platform that Microsoft expects you to pay for, expects to harvest your data from, expects you to do unpaid QA work on and allows them to totally control your computer. No other version of Windows was insidious like that.