{"id":74727,"date":"2015-02-10T18:02:58","date_gmt":"2015-02-10T23:02:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rbachnet.wwwmi3-ss40.a2hosted.com\/index.php\/"},"modified":"2022-08-12T16:07:43","modified_gmt":"2022-08-12T20:07:43","slug":"windows-7-reaches-middle-age","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rbach.net\/index.php\/windows-7-reaches-middle-age\/","title":{"rendered":"Windows 7 Reaches Middle Age"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Windows<\/a>Now that you have almost eliminated\u00a0Microsoft<\/a> (MSFT<\/a>) Windows XP<\/a> from your network and settled on Windows 7<\/strong> it should be time to catch your breath. But NOOO!! Windows 7 has reached the end of mainstream support.<\/strong>\u00a0 That’s right we are already 5 years into the Windows 7 era. Repeat after me… Windows 7 still has five years<\/strong>\u00a0left …\u00a0<\/strong>Windows 7 still has five years left …\u00a0<\/strong>Windows 7 still has five years left.<\/p>\n

M\"Microsoft<\/a>icrosoft commits to 10 years of security fixes and 5 years of feature enhancements and bug fixes for each major OS release. Windows 7 has moved from mainstream support – free help for everyone – to extended support, which means Microsoft will charge for help with the software. That will end in 2020<\/strong>\u00a0when Microsoft turns out the lights on Windows 7 for good.<\/p>\n

The recent techno-flops<\/strong> from the boys and girls in Redmond, Vista, and Windows 8<\/strong> have taught enterprises to plan for a new desktop OS every other release. This puts businesses in a bind. MSFT’s track record prevents forward-looking firms from organically growing their desktop fleet into the next cycle. There are those that argue that until Microsoft separates consumer from commercial desktops, Microsoft commercial customers<\/strong> will continue to skip one or more iterations of Windows<\/strong>, their only real answer to the high costs and disruption of upgrading.<\/p>\n

Gregg Keizer<\/a>\"Mirosoft<\/a> at ComputerWorld<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>cites research from\u00a0Gartner<\/a> (IT<\/a>) which prognosticates that many enterprises cannot change their processes. Many organizations will go through the same machinations they did with XP. Or maybe even balk at dumping Windows 7 at the same pace as the venerable Windows XP, making things worse.\u00a0Michael Silver<\/a> of Gartner told ComputerWorld<\/em>\u00a0that having a plan could help organizations avoid a repeat of XP’s expensive end-of-support scramble. Gartner believes that the same EOL<\/a> mad-scramble<\/strong> we saw with XP will occur again<\/strong> when time is up on Windows 7. Mr. Silver claims:<\/p>\n

[A repeat of Windows XP] is certainly likely to happen … One of the big differences that’s been under-considered is that because Vista took five years to come out [after XP], there were eight years between XP and Windows 7. So Windows XP felt pretty old. … Windows 7 won’t feel that old to people…”\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\"MicrosoftMr. Keizer\u00a0argues that the failure of Windows 8 to win enterprise hearts and minds has created an oddity: Even though Windows 7 has made middle age, Microsoft continues to let OEMs<\/a> sell PCs running the Windows 7 business edition.<\/strong>\u00a0 Microsoft has yet to name an end date for OEM sales of machines powered by Windows 7 Professional. But because it has promised a 12-month notice, those PCs can still be sold at least until early January 2016, when the OS has but four years of life left.<\/p>\n

But if you are just finishing your last migration, then you don’t have all that much time to start planning the next one.<\/p>\n

rb-<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

If you don’t like the Redmond hamster wheel, consider your alternatives. Sophos compares<\/a> the Windows upgrade schedule to some other options. 10 years might be the best option out there. For example:<\/em><\/p>\n