Microsoft To Start Selling Windows 7 Add-On Support April 1st (computerworld.com) 95
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
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
Re:What a joke... (Score:3)
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
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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.
April Fool's Dupe! ;) (Score:2)
Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)
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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.
Comment removed (Score:4, Insightful)
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That's a fucking deal (Score:4, Funny)
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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 purp
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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).
Re: That's a fucking deal (Score:3)
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?
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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.
Umm (Score:2, Interesting)
This is a joke right? Right?
might as well upgrade to windows 10 (Score:3)
That's one way (Score:3)
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 :)
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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.
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Unofficial service pack (Score:4, Interesting)
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Yeah, you can download it for free here. [fedoraproject.org]
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So many spins, and you suggest KDE? Puh-leeze.
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Pfft, KDE or die.
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Most DEs have equivalent menus, but in my opinion, KDE's is poorly designed. I much prefer Cinnamon.
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When I look at that "modern" crap, I run back to the "20 year old system" style.
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Ahem... search for Gen2 on TPB.
Paid enterprise support (Score:2)
Microsoft has you by the balls (Score:5, Interesting)
Re: Microsoft has you by the balls (Score:1)
Why would I need these patches?
Firewalls still work.
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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?
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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.
Software defects are profitable for Microsoft. (Score:4, Interesting)
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. [networkworld.com] "Buried in the service agreement is permission to poke through everything on your PC." (Aug. 4, 2015)
Microsoft's Intolerable Windows 10 Aggression [ecommercetimes.com] (May 27, 2016)
Microsoft is infesting Windows 10 with annoying ads [theverge.com] (March 17, 2017)
Microsoft, stop sabotaging Windows 10. [infoworld.com] (March 21, 2017)
Weaning off Windows 7? (Score:3)
This might be a neat idea for copyright limits... (Score:3)
And how can this be legal? (Score:1)
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.
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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.
Not a bad idea (Score:2)
Meh (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.
Re: I'm so old I remember Windows 7 was new (Score:1)
Those were the days. Back when late night comedy had jokes
Yeah.... (Score:2)
No further need (Score:3)
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.
Low Volume (Score:2)
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