New
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Now this is great news!!
Full ZDNet article: http://www.zdnet.com/article/microso...or-windows-10/It's been a bad week for conspiracy theorists. As the Windows 10 launch nears, Microsoft is clearing up loose ends. Today's announcement of a 10-year support commitment for Windows 10 should remove one persistent bit of FUD from the discussion.
Earlier this week, Microsoft published its license terms for Windows 10. Today, the company updated its support lifecycle policy for the new OS. In the process, they've cleared up the confusion over a phrase that defines the new Windows 10 servicing model.
Here's the tl;dr:
- For Windows 10, Microsoft will continue its traditional 10-year support lifecycle. The five-year mainstream support phase begins with the release of Windows 10 on July 29, 2015, and a second five-year extended support phase begins in 2020 and extends until October 2025. (That's a few months later than July 29, 2025, because of the way Microsoft calculates support dates.)
- A note to that policy qualifies the support commitment to devices where the OEM continues to support Windows 10 on that device
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Microsoft support lifecycle for Windows: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/lifecycle
Although the Microsoft link itself doesn't give any comfort on the 'supported lifecycle' phrase, as it says:
Ed Bott gives some comfort here:A device may not be able to receive updates if the device hardware is incompatible, lacking current drivers, or otherwise outside of the Original Equipment Manufacturer's ("OEM") support period.
But there's nothing official there, we only have Ed Bott's word for it. Microsoft themselves still haven't said anything concrete about support for updates on old devices, except to say that they may stop when you're out of OEM support.If you're concerned about the ramifications of that OEM support clause, you can rest easy, based on what I've heard from insiders with knowledge of the new rules.
You can upgrade to Windows 10 today even on devices where the OEM does not officially support Windows 10 and has no plans to do so. If an OEM sells a device running Windows 10 today and stops delivering driver and firmware updates for it, the device will continue working and it won't stop receiving updates.
I thought this was the last Windows, i.e., ad infinitum??? So what is this lifecycle 10-year support stuff? Just playing the advocate.For Windows 10, Microsoft will continue its traditional 10-year support lifecycle. The five-year mainstream support phase begins with the release of Windows 10 on July 29, 2015, and a second five-year extended support phase begins in 2020 and extends until October 2025. (That's a few months later than July 29, 2025, because of the way Microsoft calculates support dates.)
I'm giggling here, aloud, waiting our resident tinfoil hat member society to start with this :).
Me and Mr. Bott have had quite a different opinion a few times but this quote from him makes me forgive him everything:
I have quite a strong opinion about who of our resident tinfoil hat society starts. Let's see if I am right or wrong...It's been a bad week for conspiracy theorists. As the Windows 10 launch nears, Microsoft is clearing up loose ends. Today's announcement of a 10-year support commitment for Windows 10 should remove one persistent bit of FUD from the discussion.
Updates are cumulative, with each update built upon all of the updates that preceded it. A device needs to install the latest update to remain supported. Updates may include new features, fixes (security and/or non-security), or a combination of both. Not all features in an update will work on all devices. A device may not be able to receive updates if the device hardware is incompatible, lacking current drivers, or otherwise outside of the Original Equipment Manufacturer’s (“OEM”) support period. Update availability may vary, for example by country, region, network connectivity, mobile operator (e.g., for cellular-capable devices), or hardware capabilities (including, e.g., free disk space).
I wonder how the press will take the OEM clause. I really think they are trying to cover the legal aspect. Some computers that are upgrade from windows 7 or 8.1 will fail, which means that your device is not supported.
The question what happens if a driver update or a feature update won't work on a system you upgrade from? Are you out of luck and you have to go back to windows 7 or 8.1 to be secure?