Dos_Box Posted January 13, 2015 Posted January 13, 2015 Has it been that long already?! Today, 13 January, is the day on which Microsoft's Windows 7 passes from mainstream support into extended support. The milestone is the first on the road to Microsoft pulling the plug on January 14th, 2020. Read more from The Register here: Windows 7 MARKED for DEATH by Microsoft - starting NOW • The Register
FN-GM Posted January 13, 2015 Posted January 13, 2015 "The change from mainstream to extended support means Microsoft won't do free support for Windows 7 as of today" Has it ever been free?
mulderite Posted January 14, 2015 Posted January 14, 2015 We've been using Windows 7 since Summer 2012. I don't really want to even begin thinking about changing from it just yet. I would think we'll eventually miss Windows 8 altogether and move straight onto Windows 10. I'll do the usual thing of giving it at least a year from its release before we do though. Let it get patched up with a service pack or two before we adopt it.
FN-GM Posted January 14, 2015 Posted January 14, 2015 Let it get patched up with a service pack or two before we adopt it. You will be waiting a long time. Microsoft don't do service packs anymore.
mulderite Posted January 14, 2015 Posted January 14, 2015 Really? I didn't know that. Well, I'll still give it a good year after its eventual release.
Arthur Posted January 14, 2015 Posted January 14, 2015 (edited) You will be waiting a long time. Microsoft don't do service packs anymore. Microsoft release rollups every so often for 8.1 though, along with ISOs that have the update integrated to save you time when it comes to creating an image. The most recent being November's. http://www.winbeta.org/news/microsoft-releases-windows-81-isos-november-rollup-update-3-included Edited January 14, 2015 by Arthur
localzuk Posted January 14, 2015 Posted January 14, 2015 We've been using Windows 7 since Summer 2012. I don't really want to even begin thinking about changing from it just yet. I would think we'll eventually miss Windows 8 altogether and move straight onto Windows 10. I'll do the usual thing of giving it at least a year from its release before we do though. Let it get patched up with a service pack or two before we adopt it. Indeed. We've only been on Windows 7 since Sept 2013 here. We're not going to be looking at moving to a new version of Windows for at least 3-4 years I would guess! Well, not unless Windows 10 is *that* much better anyway. It'd have to solve a bunch of problems for me to want to move.
BatchFile Posted January 14, 2015 Posted January 14, 2015 So then, the date for adoption of Ubuntu as the OS of choice for student PCs here is set as January 14th, 2020. Reasoning: Windows 8 is such a massive interface and culture change, we may as well go for something that's free and no more of an upheaval and save some cash in the process.
truebluesteve Posted January 14, 2015 Posted January 14, 2015 We've been using Windows 7 since Summer 2012. I don't really want to even begin thinking about changing from it just yet. I would think we'll eventually miss Windows 8 altogether and move straight onto Windows 10. I'll do the usual thing of giving it at least a year from its release before we do though. Let it get patched up with a service pack or two before we adopt it. Same here - Windows 8 just ain't gonna happen! 1
Oaktech Posted January 14, 2015 Posted January 14, 2015 So then, the date for adoption of Ubuntu as the OS of choice for student PCs here is set as January 14th, 2020. Reasoning: Windows 8 is such a massive interface and culture change, we may as well go for something that's free and no more of an upheaval and save some cash in the process. Have you seen 10 yet? I showed my parents who are in their 60's and used to windows 7 a VM of 10. Other than being weirded out by the concept of a VM they navigated it on a laptop with absolutely no issues and quite liked the modern apps like the photo gallery and news. I'm pretty convinced that 10 will be a good OS.
BatchFile Posted January 14, 2015 Posted January 14, 2015 Have you seen 10 yet? I showed my parents who are in their 60's and used to windows 7 a VM of 10. Other than being weirded out by the concept of a VM they navigated it on a laptop with absolutely no issues and quite liked the modern apps like the photo gallery and news. I'm pretty convinced that 10 will be a good OS. Nope, and I hope not to for a while having installed the RTM of 8 early on just to have a look - It was a while ago, but I was astounded by what was missing (like a GUI to change the computer name and join the domain - ended up doing it from a command line IIRC) and the fact that, due to being behind a proxy, nothing on the front page full of apps worked. I dare say these issues have since been fixed, but it was at that time that I decided Linux was the way we would probably be going for curriculum use; I just don't like the way MS are heading anymore. Just my opinion, but these are my experiences summarised: NT4 - solid as a rock but lacking certain features (like USB support) XP - Worked. Easy to deploy and administer. Adequately featured Vista - Cluttered and unstable 7 - Adequate, but bloated and a backward step from XP deployment wise - sysprep a joke 8 - Didn't work. Released before complete. Crazy UI without start button, have to press Win+X to get it to do anything sensible.
LeMarchand Posted January 14, 2015 Posted January 14, 2015 I was astounded by what was missing (like a GUI to change the computer name and join the domain - ended up doing it from a command line IIRC) and the fact that, due to being behind a proxy, nothing on the front page full of apps worked. It's in the same place it has been since at least XP... 1
SHimmer45 Posted January 14, 2015 Posted January 14, 2015 Windows 7 imo is going to become the new "XP"
BatchFile Posted January 14, 2015 Posted January 14, 2015 (edited) It's in the same place it has been since at least XP... it maybe is NOW - but in that original version it was missing and I had to google a workaround:rolleyes: (I don't THINK it was a beta...) Edited January 14, 2015 by BatchFile
sted Posted January 14, 2015 Posted January 14, 2015 it maybe is NOW - but in that original version it was missing and I had to google a workaround:rolleyes: (I don't THINK it was a beta...) it always was with the release versions of 8.0/8.1 cant gurantee about beta/prerelease I cant remember that far back
LeMarchand Posted January 14, 2015 Posted January 14, 2015 it maybe is NOW - but in that original version it was missing and I had to google a workaround:rolleyes: (I don't THINK it was a beta...) Nothing I downloaded needed command lines to join the domain; if I wanted to do that sort of thing by command line I'd use Linux ! I went for the very first "you don't have to be someone special to download this" build, so you must have had a VERY early build (hence its unfinished state?). Certainly the builds I tried were almost indistinguishable from the finished product.
mrhcarlin Posted January 14, 2015 Posted January 14, 2015 I'm pretty convinced that 10 will be a good OS. I know I'm being pedantic, but 8.1 is a good OS...it's just not as business-oriented as 7. 8.1 is a fundamentally better and more optimised OS, though - from the kernel to SSD support to its general performance. But, as was mentioned earlier, 7 likely will become the new XP in that it is super robust for schools and corporations. It's easy to use, easy to deploy, easy to manage, and it just works with nigh on every piece of software or hardware you can throw at it. 4
BatchFile Posted January 14, 2015 Posted January 14, 2015 (edited) I know I'm being pedantic, but 8.1 is a good OS...it's just not as business-oriented as 7. And that's my main gripe with 8.x for workstations - we don't wany big pretty apps on the home page, we want a nice, serene desktop to start work and a sensible start menu to select from, in the school environment. Just like XP. Or 7 if you must. Edited January 14, 2015 by BatchFile
LeMarchand Posted January 14, 2015 Posted January 14, 2015 And that's my main gripe with 8.x for workstations - we don't wany big pretty apps on the home page, we want a nice, serene desktop to start work and a sensible start menu to select from, in the school environment. Just like XP. Or 7 if you must. Boot to desktop if that's a problem. I'd argue that the Start Screen is a good way to display what software you have available: nice big icons and you can arrange the stuff that's actually used there in a way that makes sense to your users and leave everything else on the secondary screen. It's just because it's different that people are making a fuss. That said, I have yet to hear of any pupil or even teacher(!) not being able to navigate the Start Screen in my school that has it on all pupil-use laptops.
Oaktech Posted January 14, 2015 Posted January 14, 2015 I know I'm being pedantic, but 8.1 is a good OS...it's just not as business-oriented as 7. 8.1 is a fundamentally better and more optimised OS, though - from the kernel to SSD support to its general performance. But, as was mentioned earlier, 7 likely will become the new XP in that it is super robust for schools and corporations. It's easy to use, easy to deploy, easy to manage, and it just works with nigh on every piece of software or hardware you can throw at it. I don't think you're being pedantic, It isn't a good desktop OS let alone business OS despite being perfectly competent. I just think 10 is just going to be a better OS for what most of us want it to do
mrhcarlin Posted January 15, 2015 Posted January 15, 2015 We have a 2012 R2 box for RemoteApp and have Start8 installed on it. We're able to manage Start8 shortcuts the same as our Windows 7 clients for users using the virtualised Full Desktop. The Windows 10 Start menu, currently, is functionally not the same as the Windows 7 or Start8 Start menu, but it's early days yet. I look forward to seeing how it can be managed and deployed in a corporate setting.
Michael Posted January 15, 2015 Posted January 15, 2015 Let me be the first to say that I'd be extremely surprised if Windows 7 support doesn't get extended. It's only right seeing as Microsoft have done a less than satisfactory job with Windows 8 and 8.1, so it's only natural that Network Managers will look and test Windows 10 with caution when it's finally released.
localzuk Posted January 15, 2015 Posted January 15, 2015 Let me be the first to say that I'd be extremely surprised if Windows 7 support doesn't get extended. It's only right seeing as Microsoft have done a less than satisfactory job with Windows 8 and 8.1, so it's only natural that Network Managers will look and test Windows 10 with caution when it's finally released. I'd be surprised if they did extend it to be honest. They're releasing 10 this year, so people will have 5 years to test 10! That should be more than enough time. I think they might, as a company, have realised that extending XP support for as long as they did was a mistake.
sted Posted January 15, 2015 Posted January 15, 2015 We have a 2012 R2 box for RemoteApp and have Start8 installed on it. We're able to manage Start8 shortcuts the same as our Windows 7 clients for users using the virtualised Full Desktop. The Windows 10 Start menu, currently, is functionally not the same as the Windows 7 or Start8 Start menu, but it's early days yet. I look forward to seeing how it can be managed and deployed in a corporate setting. in what way ive got it redirected and locked down via gpo with the same gpo settings i used with 7 iirc (its been a while)
Roberto Posted January 15, 2015 Posted January 15, 2015 in what way ive got it redirected and locked down via gpo with the same gpo settings i used with 7 iirc (its been a while) Likewise. We use GPPs to construct the start menu and the same settings work equally (and very) well on Win 7, 8.x & 10.
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