Microsoft reveals Windows 8 & Surface RT Product Lifecycles

[Arthur]

Source: Microsoft (via gHacks)

 

When you buy software or hardware, you usually want to know how long the developer or manufacturer supports it. When it comes to Windows, the product life cycle of each version of Windows is divided into mainstream support and extended support. Mainstream support is the first phase of the product support life cycle. It covers both security and non-security updates for the operating system, as well as complimentary support that is included with the license and paid support. The extended support phase provides users of the operating system with security updates, and paid support is available as well.

 

The Windows XP and Windows Vista operating systems for instance are currently in the extended support phase, while Windows 7 and Windows 8 are in the mainstream support phase.

 

Microsoft has added Windows 8 and Windows RT to its product life cycle search. Here is a list of Microsoft operating systems and their mainstream and extended support end dates:

 

Windows XP: Mainstream support ended, Extended support end date: 08/04/2014.

Windows Vista: Mainstream support ended, Extended support end date: 11/04/2017.

Windows 7: Mainstream support end date 13/01/2015, Extended support end date: 14/01/2020.

Windows 8: Mainstream support end date 09/01/2018, Extended support end date 10/01/2023.

Windows RT: Not yet communicated.

Surface with Windows RT: Mainstream support end date 04/11/2017, Extended support end date: not applicable as it is a consumer device.

 

Windows 8 mainstream support ends in 2018, while extended support will deliver security patches for the operating system for another 5 years afterwards. That’s the expected time frame as it follows the support life cycles of previous versions of Windows.

 

It is interesting to note that Microsoft will support its Surface tablets until 2017. If you compare that to the product life cycle of other tablet devices, you will notice that this is a rather difficult thing to do, as most manufacturers do not reveal the life cycle of their products on the Internet.

 

Microsoft has yet to communicate the Windows RT end of support dates, and it is not really clear why the dates have not yet been communicated. What’s almost certain is that it won’t end before the Surface’s life cycle ends.

 

http://i.imgur.com/OFbLm.png

 

http://i.imgur.com/dpbJN.png

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/Q7Ybu.png

[mrbios]

Pretty much as expected then

[Michael]

Don't be surprised if Windows 7's lifecycle gets extended just like XP's We'll find out in a few years

[CyberNerd]

Don't be surprised if Windows 7's lifecycle gets extended just like XP's We'll find out in a few years

 

It was only extended to stop linux from taking the netbook market, which didn't stop it taking a good proportion of the tablet market.

 

The question now is for schools running XP is do they move to Windows8 for a good 8yrs of support or win7 for 3yrs.

Edited November 26, 2012 by CyberNerd

[sonofsanta]

The question now is for schools running XP is do they move to Windows8 for a good 8yrs of support or win7 for 3yrs.

 

 

Win7 mainstream support 2 years and change, Win8 mainstream support 5 years and change

 

Win7 extended support 7 years and change, Win8 extended support 10 years and change.

 

Think you're mixing your support windows FWIW, I'd say extended is the more important date, and at 7 years, Win7 is still well worth moving to (if only to hold out till Win9 when they undo/refine the changes of Win8)

[CyberNerd]

yes I made a mess of that post.

2yrs left for Windows7 mainstream support or 5yrs for windows 8 mainstream support.

[Michael]

I'd still stick with Windows 7 for the moment. I'm not ruling out Windows 8, however it should be just as simple to have dual Windows 7 and Windows 8 devices in the same domain. Most of the GPOs are identical, but proportionately I'd want it 90/10 in Windows 7's favour.

[CyberNerd]

But what about when the MS affiliated educational companies are only making TIFCAM apps?

Will Windows7 support TIFCAM? I'm just thinking long term here as we are due to upgrade from XP in 2013.

[Michael]

Never heard of a TIFCAM app, what is it? I just think Windows 8's going to be even more floppy than a floppy disk...

[VeryPC_Tom_M]

TIFKAM - The Interface Formerly Known As Metro.. or Windows Modern UI.. which is now known as "Windows Store Apps"?

[Michael]

Ahh right TIFKAM (The Interface Formerly Known As Metro).

 

I wouldn't be too concerned about it.

[Roberto]

But what about when the MS affiliated educational companies are only making TIFCAM apps?

 

Then they can piss off as far as I'm concerned. There's plenty more fish in the sea. Windows 8 is crap, and I'm certainly not going to recommend we upgrade to it.

[SYNACK]

But what about when the MS affiliated educational companies are only making TIFCAM apps?

Will Windows7 support TIFCAM? I'm just thinking long term here as we are due to upgrade from XP in 2013.

 

Why are you still bothering to use computers, have you tried a typewriter. XP in 2013 yikes.

[CyberNerd]

Why are you still bothering to use computers, have you tried a typewriter. XP in 2013 yikes.

 

Staff and students couldn't care what operating system they use. As far as they are concerned they use applications. XP still supports applications.

They would care if they couldn't find their applications.

I'm half tempted to just put them onto linux. In out tests we booted an 8yr old laptop into Fedora vs a new Corei3 Windows7. Fedora was on youtube before Win7 had even got to the logon screen.

[SYNACK]

Staff and students couldn't care what operating system they use. As far as they are concerned they use applications. XP still supports applications.

They would care if they couldn't find their applications.

I'm half tempted to just put them onto linux. In out tests we booted an 8yr old laptop into Fedora vs a new Corei3 Windows7. Fedora was on youtube before Win7 had even got to the logon screen.

 

Yea, because Youtube is about the level of education now.

 

When it comes down to it, it does not really matter about the platform but at this point I'm wondering why you threw out the C64s as that is obviously the level that is being aimed for. Base level computer - that is all.

 

Edit: Oh and I'm sure that your more skilled students roll their eyes at having to use XP, even if they are Linux lovers using a OS 4 revisions old has got to be grating, not everyone loves that rattling, leaking smoking charm of classic stuff. Its got to be fun dealing with the vulnerabilities of a platform that old too.

Edited November 29, 2012 by SYNACK

[CyberNerd]

When it comes down to it, it does not really matter about the platform but at this point I'm wondering why you threw out the C64s as that is obviously the level that is being aimed for. Base level computer - that is all.

 

We have windows XP because it is a) supported b) runs everything we need c) is as fast as Win7 on our hardware d) saved us a huge amount of time money and stress by upgrading to every new windows since e) users don't even USE the operating system.

 

Lets face it - windows explorer and notepad are the only useful native windows applications anyway.

[SYNACK]

Lets face it - windows explorer and notepad are the only useful native windows applications anyway.

 

IE is fine and the rest got stripped out thanks the courts and EU. Besides stuff like RDP7/8 RemoteApps are all windows integrated, sure you can get a low rent uncompressed unaccelerated version through Linux but it's just not the same. Synchronised files, automated system repair, DirectAccess, centralised management are all nice features that may not be directly exposed to the user, they just work behind the scenes making things easier for everyone and making for less work.

 

Half the stuff that used to break in XP either does not break or fixes itself. Its nice that you have time to squander tracking down drivers and hacking solutions together for old stuff. I deal with a stack of schools and need things to work without fluffing and fix itself if it can..

 

Users do USE the OS, to login and as the platform for all their Applications, dirty slow unreliable web-apps are another story but that is largely thanks to powergrabs by various other companies and the shoehorning of interactivity into a document markup language and protocol.

[CyberNerd]

IE is fine and the rest got stripped out thanks the courts and EU. Besides stuff like RDP7/8 RemoteApps are all windows integrated, sure you can get a low rent uncompressed unaccelerated version through Linux but it's just not the same.

We use Chrome and ICA. IMO they are both better than their windows counterparts. They are both cross platform.

 

Synchronised files, automated system repair, DirectAccess, centralised management are all nice features that may not be directly exposed to the user, they just work behind the scenes making things easier for everyone and making for less work.

From a management perspective I'd rather just plug them in and forget about it. Chromebooks look way better for scenario!. but hey -I'm lazy

 

Half the stuff that used to break in XP either does not break or fixes itself. Its nice that you have time to squander tracking down drivers and hacking solutions together for old stuff. I deal with a stack of schools and need things to work without fluffing and fix itself if it can..

I don't. it gets Virtualised. Did you know that Virtual XP boots faster than virtual windows 7 on the same hardware?

 

Users do USE the OS, to login and as the platform for all their Applications, dirty slow unreliable web-apps are another story but that is largely thanks to powergrabs by various other companies and the shoehorning of interactivity into a document markup language and protocol.

you got me on the login. The login processes is way too slow.

 

 

Anyway -I'm still wondering if we should go straight to windows 8. I still don't see any advatages of moving to windows 7. TIFKAM would be the biggest advantage so far and I don't even like it.

Edited November 29, 2012 by CyberNerd

[SYNACK]

We use Chrome and ICA. IMO they are both better than their windows counterparts. They are both cross platform.

Matter of opinion, I hate Chrome, buggy POS has crashed more times on me on various machines than Firefox and way more than the latest IE.

 

ICA is better, it is also more expensive and can be harder to manage.

From a management perspective I'd rather just plug them in and forget about it. Chromebooks look way better for scenario!. but hey -I'm lazy

If you can stand webapps sure

I don't. it gets Virtualised. Did you know that Virtual XP boots faster than virtual windows 7 on the same hardware?

That's great, you've fashioned adapters to put your favourite wooden wheels on the new cars you are forced to buy. New cars are heavier than old ones too, its all the extra safety and power that they build into them. Windows 95 should boot really fast on the same environment, it does not mean that it is better at anything but boot speed.

you got me on the login. The login processes is way too slow.

Guess what, its faster in Windows 8 but yes logons can be slow

Anyway -I'm still wondering if we should go straight to windows 8. I still don't see any advatages of moving to windows 7. TIFKAM would be the biggest advantage so far and I don't even like it.

 

Well you've left it this long, if you are going for another whole decade without upsetting anyone with little changes or improvements you may as well go as new as you can now, if your lucky you will have retired by the time you get around to it again.

Edited November 29, 2012 by SYNACK

[CyberNerd]

Well you've left it this long, if you are going for another whole decade without upsetting anyone with little changes or improvements you may as well go as new as you can now, if your lucky you will have retired by the time you get around to it again.

 

We've hardy made 'little changes'. We just adopted a different methodology that centered around what SLT and users wanted to do (BYOD, webapps) before MS 'allowed' us to do it.

The other side is that we have to continue to support legacy windows apps.

 

My question was really whether we should adopt windows 8 to keep pace with TIFKAM apps (as i mentioned all our other apps are supported on XP) or whether we should ignore them. Others suggested ignoring them - which leaves me to think there is no reason to upgrade XP if I can put it on ICA or virtualised.

[VeryPC_Tom_M]

My question was really whether we should adopt windows 8 to keep pace with TIFKAM apps (as i mentioned all our other apps are supported on XP) or whether we should ignore them. Others suggested ignoring them - which leaves me to think there is no reason to upgrade XP if I can put it on ICA or virtualised.

 

Here's my thoughts...

 

I currently use Windows 8 at work and have used it at home since the Customer Preview.

 

EVERYTHING I do at work, including using Office 2013, is run through the desktop. Maybe occasionally I'll view a photo in TIFKAM, but I've redirected most image types to the 'regular' Windows Photo Viewer, as I find that the TIFKAM Photos app is clunky to use.

 

To help me use Windows 8 on a day-to-day basis, I've installed ClassicShell, a link to which can be found in other posts here, which gives me a 'regular' Start Menu.

 

Have I seen anything exclusively TIFKAM that I can't do with desktop software? Not yet.

 

Am I open-minded about TIFKAM? I'd like to think yes, but I'm still waiting to be convinced to adopt it for day-to-day use on my desktop.

[Roberto]

Here's my thoughts...

 

I currently use Windows 8 at work and have used it at home since the Customer Preview.

 

EVERYTHING I do at work, including using Office 2013, is run through the desktop. Maybe occasionally I'll view a photo in TIFKAM, but I've redirected most image types to the 'regular' Windows Photo Viewer, as I find that the TIFKAM Photos app is clunky to use.

 

To help me use Windows 8 on a day-to-day basis, I've installed ClassicShell, a link to which can be found in other posts here, which gives me a 'regular' Start Menu.

 

Have I seen anything exclusively TIFKAM that I can't do with desktop software? Not yet.

 

Am I open-minded about TIFKAM? I'd like to think yes, but I'm still waiting to be convinced to adopt it for day-to-day use on my desktop.

 

This pretty much describes my feelings, except that I found myself not using TIFKAM at all in the past few months, and I found myself getting more and more annoyed with those tiny little things that just felt wrong with Windows 8 to the point where I gave up and rolled my home machine back to windows 7. And frankly, it's real good to be 'home'.

[daveyboy]

So, remind me - How is moving up to going to up student grades? show more Value Added?

 

Shouldn't we be discussing what Browser we should be using ? you know Fluffy Cloud / Web apps / Martini Teaching / BYOD ?

 

Or even, what your school is doing about moving to everything / everywhere / any device / anytime / IlovemyiPhone / ihateAndroid / canIusemyXbox ?/ whataboutCatchupTV - canIviewLessonsonthat / WhaatDoYaMeenNoSupportItsOnly1am?

[sonofsanta]

So, remind me - How is moving up to going to up student grades? show more Value Added?

 

Because since moving to Windows 7, I've never had a quieter month in IT support than this last month.

 

How much of this is from the Win7 system being all of my own creation, instead of inherited as the XP was*, and how much is just integral to Win7 I can't say, but overall the network provision here is much more stable and capable and staff can rely on it being available for lessons. Sometimes, as support staff, all you need to do to contribute is support.

 

 

 

*Not saying that I am inherently brilliant (although, y'know...) - just that I know the ins and the outs of the system now rather than having to work them out and discover surprises in the setup.

[daveyboy]

Maybe thats just down to your 'inherent brilliantness' ..... I wonder, would it have been the same if you had done the same with XP?