Win8 EOL or Ian Paul off meds?

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Ian Paul has an interesting article today basically saying to all of you Win8 users that MS is dumping you after the Tuesday patch from ANY further support. Considering there are about as many Win8 users as Win8.1, I thought that was interesting. I also didn’t remember the EOL deadlines being anywhere near now and before Vista. Since there is apparently no way of making comments there, I thought I’d ask rumor control here.

Microsoft Patch Tuesday kills off Windows 8 and Internet Explorer 8, 9, and 10

Ian Paul
PC World
Jan. 12, 2016

http://www.pcworld.com/article/3021789/windows/microsoft-patch-tuesday-kills-off-windows-8-and-internet-explorer-8-9-and-10.html

“…. The biggest item on the chopping block is Windows 8. Not Windows 8.1—that sweeping update is still supported—but the original, non-Start button version of Windows 8. After Tuesday’s updates, Microsoft will cease support for the 3 year, 2 month, and 17-day old operating system. That means Windows 8 is going the way of Windows XP; no more security updates, no bug fixes, nothing.

Users still on Windows 8 will have to upgrade to Windows 8.1 or make the jump to Windows 10. …”

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http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/lifecycle

Client operating systems

Windows 8

Latest update or service pack

Windows 8.1

End of mainstream support

January 9, 2018

End of extended support

January 10, 2023

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https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/search/default.aspx?sort=PN&alpha=Windows%208&Filter=FilterNO

Windows 8 10/30/2012 1/9/2018 1/10/2023 1/12/2016 Customers have 24 months to move to Windows 8.1 after General Availability in order to remain supported. See the Windows 8.1 FAQ for more information.

–yes, end of support for the service pack is today. I honestly have no idea what that means. But I am pretty certain it does not mean “no more security updates, no bug fixes, nothing.” Since XP’s EOL for support for service pack was 8/30/2005, while extended EOL (when security updates and bug fixes ended) was 4/8/2014.

————————————

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/gp/lifecycle-windows81-faq

Windows 8.1 falls under the same lifecycle policy as Windows 8, and will reach end of Mainstream Support on January 9, 2018, and end of Extended Support on January 10, 2023. With the General Availability of Windows 8.1, customers on Windows 8 have 2 years, until January 12, 2016, to move to Windows 8.1 in order to remain supported.

–OK ominous

————————————–

Perhaps I should start a poll (or a pole):

[*]Ian is definitely off his meds.
[*]About time you slackers went to Win10.
[*]Welcome to the machine!

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Yep, that assessment seems to be right and similar assessments have been made by other people, e.g., Paul Thurrott:

https://www.petri.com/microsoft-ends-support-for-its-divisive-os-windows-8

Guess it’s time to upgrade to 8.1, for whoever hasn’t done it, yet. I guess this will be a problem for those users with computers with CPU’s that are not 8.1 capable. Probably best to get back to 7, in that case.

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Win8 EOL or Ian Paul off meds?

Those are not mutually exclusive choices, both can be true at the same time!

:p

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Only 21% of Windows 8 users are still using Windows 8.0: Desktop Operating System Market Share – December, 2015

The requirement to update to 8.1 to remain supported was announced 2.5 years ago: Microsoft mandates Windows 8.1 upgrade

It does mean no more security patches for 8.0, as confirmed in that Petri.com article.

The FAQ linked above says, “Windows 8.1 does not change any hardware requirements compared with Windows 8 or Windows 7.”

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Only 21% of Windows 8 users are still using Windows 8.0: Desktop Operating System Market Share – December, 2015

The requirement to update to 8.1 to remain supported was announced 2.5 years ago: Microsoft mandates Windows 8.1 upgrade

It does mean no more security patches for 8.0, as confirmed in that Petri.com article.

The FAQ linked above says, “Windows 8.1 does not change any hardware requirements compared with Windows 8 or Windows 7.”

The FAQ is wrong. I have a clear idea that I have seen posts from people running 8 who were not able to run 8.1 because of additional requirements in terms of CPU. A quick search confirms it:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2058683/new-windows-8-1-requirements-strand-some-users-on-windows-8.html

So, as the article states, some users will be left stranded on Windows 8.

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I am not surprised anyone noticed.

I am surprised MS could get away with it without someone filing a class action. I presume the support date deadlines when Win8 was being purchased are the same as for Win8.1 now. Seems like MS changing the terms and conditions. That is breech of contract anywhere.

But not my problem. So welcome to the machine it is.

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A class action for people who are too lazy to take advantage of a free upgrade?

Complaining they’re not getting updates because they refused the major ones?

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A class action for people who are too lazy to take advantage of a free upgrade?

Complaining they’re not getting updates because they refused the major ones?

I installed Windows 8.0 on my computer soon after it came out. With StartIsBack, my machine ran really well.

I then decided to go with 8.1 when it came out. My ride got a bit bumpy under 8.1, so I decided to go back to 8.0.

So no, I was not “too lazy to take advantage of a free upgrade”. And I didn’t “refuse the major one”.

Group "L" (Linux Mint)
with Windows 10 running in a remote session on my file server

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I installed Windows 8.0 on my computer soon after it came out. With StartIsBack, my machine ran really well.

I then decided to go with 8.1 when it came out. My ride got a bit bumpy under 8.1, so I decided to go back to 8.0.

So no, I was not “too lazy to take advantage of a free upgrade”. And I didn’t “refuse the major one”.

Well, if you choose not to upgrade, then you can’t really complain about lack of support. I may choose not to upgrade to 10, but I realize what the consequences will be. Once I make that choice, I know what I lose and what I gain. As much as it may be annoying that MS does that, I think they have the right to decide which OSes they support, going forward.

There are no cost free options and, truth be told, no one supports their operating systems for as long as Microsoft does. On Windows 8, I think the only reason for complaints come from people whose computers could not be upgraded to 8.1 because MS changed the CPU requirements. Those will be left in a limbo.

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My ride got a bit bumpy

Good luck with the class action then.

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My ride got a bit bumpy

Good luck with the class action then.

I don’t plan on participating in any class action. I’m just ticked off that MS is cutting support so soon for 8.0.

Group "L" (Linux Mint)
with Windows 10 running in a remote session on my file server

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I don’t plan on participating in any class action. I’m just ticked off that MS is cutting support so soon for 8.0.

You must have been unlucky with 8.1. Most reviews rated it much better than 8.0: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_8.1#Critical_reception

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You must have been unlucky with 8.1. Most reviews rated it much better than 8.0: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_8.1#Critical_reception

I installed 8 and did my best to deal with the tile interface. I lasted about a month before installing StartIsBack. Once I did that, I loved 8. I found it to be a bit faster and more stable than 7, although that could have been due to my comparing a clean install of 8 with a long-term use of 7 since the last clean install. In short, everything worked excellently in 8.

Then 8.1 came out, and I installed it. After doing that, some things no longer worked correctly. For example, File Manager had issues. After troubleshooting it, I found that Format Factory was causing the problems with File Manager, so I uninstalled it. But there were other issues. (I don’t recall what they were.) So I went back to 8, and it was smooth sailing from then on.

I decided at one point to go back to 7, so I still have support from Microsoft for a while.

My thought is that some rules changed from 8 to 8.1. And my computer is old and lame — it came with Vista, and it maxes out at 2 GB of RAM. Perhaps if I were to do a clean install of 8.1, and then get all new software, everything would be ok. I’m not willing to spend the money on all new software, and I don’t have the time to redo everything, so I’ll just stick with what I have now.

Group "L" (Linux Mint)
with Windows 10 running in a remote session on my file server

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…. my computer is old and lame — it … maxes out at 2 GB of RAM. …

ummm yes. I’d put XP on it. Actually I don’t think I could even stand that. 2GB is just too darned small of space to keep me happy.

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ummm yes. I’d put XP on it. Actually I don’t think I could even stand that. 2GB is just too darned small of space to keep me happy.

But someone once said “640K is more memory than anyone will ever need on a computer” :rolleyes:

Actually, its a myth that the quote is attributable to Bill Gates: http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/tech-myths/5-myths-about-bill-gates3.htm

Jerry

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…. my computer is old and lame — it … maxes out at 2 GB of RAM. …

ummm yes. I’d put XP on it. Actually I don’t think I could even stand that. 2GB is just too darned small of space to keep me happy.

It works quite well with Windows 7 (or 8) 32-bit.

Group "L" (Linux Mint)
with Windows 10 running in a remote session on my file server

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I saw this reported yesterday a couple places. Of course, they were basically restating prior reports with headlines like “WINDOWS 8 IS BEING ABANDONED BY MICROSOFT”. Of course, what all the articles really mean is that continued patches for Windows 8.0 are being stopped and only 8.1 will be receiving patches after this.

I wonder what this means to people with a Windows 8.0 phone – one of the many early models that will not be upgraded to 8.1 (like the one in my pocket).

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I saw this reported yesterday a couple places. Of course, they were basically restating prior reports with headlines like “WINDOWS 8 IS BEING ABANDONED BY MICROSOFT”. Of course, what all the articles really mean is that continued patches for Windows 8.0 are being stopped and only 8.1 will be receiving patches after this.

I wonder what this means to people with a Windows 8.0 phone – one of the many early models that will not be upgraded to 8.1 (like the one in my pocket).

Windows Phone is out of this picture. There is no relation between Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8. The unified operating system base is Windows 10 and not any of the previous versions. As far as I know, all phones with 8.0 can be upgraded to 8.1. Some of the phones that can run 8.1 won’t be upgraded to 10, but that is a different, unrelated subject.

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It gets even better: Future (forced) updates of Windows 10 will include support for new Intel architectures (Skylake anyone?).

Machines that upgraded from “older” Windows 7 or Windows8/8.1 machines will be left out if their cpu does not support the new features; and how could they?

The industry, meaning Intel & Microsoft will make many machines “defunct” long before the lifecycle of their original Windows version ends.

Well, PC sales have slumped so they need to prop demand up; right?

Generally I have no empathy for people still on Windows 8; isn’t it somewhat their own “fault” when they get left out in the cold?

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Machines that upgraded from “older” Windows 7 or Windows8/8.1 machines will be left out if their cpu does not support the new features; and how could they?

Will be left out of what, precisely?

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•Welcome to the machine!

Hardly worth loosing any sleep over, we all know MS is sharpening their axes
in prep for chopping everything that isn’t Windows 10.

Life goes on, people will continue to use whatever outdated OS they want, …as they always have & continue to do.

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In Microsoft’s view 8.1 is the same as a service pack as far as lifecycle support goes. That means the prior version of the OS (8.0) goes out of support 24 months after the release of the update (8.1). Win 8.1 was released October 2013 which means that support was actually 2 months longer than it should have been.

Joe

--Joe

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