Microsoft Confirms It Is Dropping Windows 8.1 Support 575
snydeq (1272828) writes "Microsoft TechNet blog makes clear that Windows 8.1 will not be patched, and that users must get Windows 8.1 Update if they want security patches, InfoWorld's Woody Leonhard reports. 'In what is surely the most customer-antagonistic move of the new Windows regime, Steve Thomas at Microsoft posted a TechNet article on Saturday stating categorically that Microsoft will no longer issue security patches for Windows 8.1, starting in May,' Leonhard writes. 'Never mind that Windows 8.1 customers are still having multiple problems with errors when trying to install the Update. At this point, there are 300 posts on the Microsoft Answers forum thread 'Windows 8.1 Update 1 Failing to Install with errors 0x80070020, 80073712 and 800F081F.' The Answers forum is peppered with similar complaints and a wide range of errors, from 800F0092 to 80070003, for which there are no solutions from Microsoft. Never mind that Microsoft itself yanked Windows 8.1 Update from the corporate WSUS update server chute almost a week ago and still hasn't offered a replacement.'"
It's OK for Apple but not Microsoft? (Score:5, Insightful)
Apple doesn't support more than one version of iOS. If you want to fix a problem with 6.1.2, you get to go to whatever version is current (7.1). You don't get to go to 6.1.3, you don't get to go to 7.0.5 or 7.0.6, you go to 7.1. Your choice is "upgrade or don't."
Jeez (Score:5, Insightful)
Just patch windows 8.1 with the update. It makes the OS unequivocally better. Whining about it is just silly.
Re:Nope, not okay for either (Score:4, Insightful)
and you should accept that down-grading will mean you are vulnerable to any issues later versions have fixed.
Re:It's OK for Apple but not Microsoft? (Score:5, Insightful)
Well you're comparing phones/appliances to computers, so yes.
Windows has for many years now used a multiple-tier support strategy (the Windows Lifecycle policy [microsoft.com]). Microsoft supports an OS for 10 years, and during that period if they issue a service pack then they support the previous sub-version of Windows for 2 years. Windows 8.1 Update is about 30% of a service pack; the update contains a number of feature enhancements and on a code level it becomes a "base" OS that all future updates are built against. So unlike a normal security update, you can't skip Windows 8.1 Update and still get other security updates. This in turn can be interpreted as a violation of the Lifecycle Policy, as it's functionally a service pack and therefore Microsoft should continue providing security updates for Windows 8.1 (sans Update) for 2 years.
iOS on the other hand offers no such policy. You are expected to use the most recent version of the OS and Apple has never said any differently, full stop.
Never mind the huge difference between an OS for a disposable device, and an OS for computers that is expected to last for a decade or more and is interfaced with massive amounts of custom hardware and software. Unsurprisingly, the type of device and the expected use case for it is a big factor in how long an OS is supported and how OS updates are handled.
Upgrade, don't update. (Score:5, Insightful)
WAIT! it's April 15th, not 1st! (Score:2, Insightful)
MS is just so sad
it hurts
Re:Now I Know... (Score:5, Insightful)
Tell him that M$ have done the same old, same old, attempted to correct their failures in the cheapest way possible by shoving the cost back on consumers. Can't get the upgrade to work, suck it up, format, re-install, repatch, re-upgrade and repatch and the restore you back up data, don't have backups, M$ answer to you, well, that's your fault for trusting their software.
Just patch it with Linux (Score:0, Insightful)
FTFY ;)
So? (Score:4, Insightful)
Why not go back to the old SP system and stop this (Score:4, Insightful)
Why not go back to the old SP system and stop this mess of a new update system where some stuff is in the windows store and others is in the windows update system.
As for this not working for all does it have any thing to do with 8.0 to 8.1 being more like a full os upgrade then an SP? and why did make the 8.1 iso not take Windows 8 product keys?
MS needs to go back to how it used to be with XP, vista, 7. Where it's not lot's of separate updates it is rolled up on to big install that has it all or least offer that as a choice not only for people who say have 2-4+ pc's and don't want to have re download the same updates on each pc but in some cases that combo updates work better.
Re:u wot m8 (Score:3, Insightful)
well they released an update that you must get to get updates!
just another MS win8 era naming fail. how they can fuck up so badly is a miracle.
(and nevermind that windows 8 is what.. under 2 years old?? and 8.1 is not getting security updates now?? )
Re:Wanna give up on these guys yet ? (Score:4, Insightful)
I wonder what I'd prefer ... clean crash along with the info that there will never be a patch to it, or a segfault where I will no later than 3 days later have a patch delivered... Decisions, decisions...
Bullet, meet foot (Score:5, Insightful)
A timely reminder why users should stick with a stable, proven OS such as Win7 (and to a lesser extent, WinXP).
Less fancy unnecessary features like Metro also means less chances for cock-ups to happen.
If MS' intention is to migrate users of older OSes to Win8.1, it is not doing itself any favors here.
Re:Wanna give up on these guys yet ? (Score:5, Insightful)
At least it fails gracefully with a clean error code. In Linux world it would show up as a dialog with corrupted text and a mysterious "Invalid argument" error message written in some log. ;)
Mostly under Linux the error messages are useful to someone technical. Increasingly other OSes (Windows, OS X, iOS, Android) consider useful error mesages to be not user friendly and just give you a generic "something broke" error that is no use to man nor beast - frequently I'm left digging out tcpdump to diagnose customer's problems because the application itself won't give me any information (yes, even in the system log) - I shouldn't need to tcpdump their IMAP traffic to discover that the server is telling them their password is wrong damnit!
Re:u wot m8 (Score:5, Insightful)
You know what's even more user-friendly? Just clicking the little update icon in the bottom right corner, entering your root password, and clicking OK.
I know how your type likes to hate on everything Linux without having any clue what you're talking about, but seriously, upgrading your distro isn't rocket science.
In all fairness, fixing a broken update can, however, be close to rocket science :)
I use linux, and will continue to... But in this day and age, with all desktops going towards composite window managers, sucky nvidia drivers is a pain in the ass.
But it's a matter of luck when buying a laptop...
Re:It's OK for Apple but not Microsoft? (Score:1, Insightful)
>> Well you're comparing phones/appliances to computers, so yes.
Phones and appliances are computers.
Re:Wanna give up on these guys yet ? (Score:4, Insightful)
How long did it take Ubuntu 12.10 to fix their "installing this OS bricks E1000 adapters" bug?
Anyone claiming Linux doesnt have these sorts of issues is full of shit.
Re:Bullet, meet foot (Score:5, Insightful)
A timely reminder why users should stick with a stable, proven OS such as Win7 (and to a lesser extent, WinXP).
???
A lot of their Windows XP stuff requires SP3. Is this any different?
Slashdot is ridiculous (Score:5, Insightful)
This whole thread is absurd, as are all the people jumping on the "bash MS" bandwagon.
* Microsoft will continue to support 8.1, and everyone here KNOWS that.
* Everyone knows that because Microsoft has a bigger problem with having to support old platforms than any other vendor out there. Many posters here generally know this, too, but are being obtuse so that they can harp about Microsoft ending support for a new platform (which isnt even remotely believable).
* The author of the blog even knows that! The Microsoft technet entry says almost the opposite of what the blogger does-- that 8.1 WILL recieve updates. All he got right is that you do need to install a prereq to get them, like we've seen with countless other OSes. The venerable XP does this, too.
* Half the people gloating over the "bugginess of Windows" are fans of an OS that is experiencing one of the biggest internet vulnerabilties in about a decade in its SSL stack, but thats OK in their eyes somehow because its not packaged with the OS and therefore theyre allowed to be buggy.
* Some people are taking the time to smirk about the confusing version numbering of Win8-- which is doubly hillarious given how ridiculous Linux's versioning was until about a year ago.
* And if I had to guess, the aforementioned problems could possibly be related to the aforementioned heartbleed bug, as we dont know what all was leaked and Microsoft is almost certainly not going to want to go into it.
But yea, dont let that stop the fun.
Slashdot == Fox News. Really. (Score:1, Insightful)
Let's generate some outrage! We want to be angry about Microsoft!
Yes, how dare they refuse to support older patch levels of the same OS. Outrageous.
Re:Bullet, meet foot (Score:5, Insightful)
Or linux.
Re:Bullet, meet foot (Score:4, Insightful)
8.1 and the SR1 makes it just about tolerable but the most glaring omission is still the lack of a start menu. They could and should have a mini-metro popup that offers functionality analogous to the old start menu. Rumours suggest that one is being worked on but its not in this release.
Re:Slashdot is ridiculous (Score:2, Insightful)
The thing is, you can still call MS and get them to support XP if you beg with enough money. Good luck calling RedHat and getting them to support RedHat Linux 7 (not the enterprise one, the 2002 one).
Actually I'd bet if you offered enough money you could get them to support it. But you know what? It doesn't matter if they refuse because you have the source and can pay your own person to support it if you are really desperate.
That's the nice thing about open source. You aren't dependent on the original vendor. Hell you could get someone to support any OSS if you begged with enough money whether or not the original vendor is still in business.