The Microsoft Corp. says it will end support for some of its older Windows versions, leaving 70 million users without security updates.
The Washington Post says the affected versions are Windows 98, Windows 98 Special Edition (SE) and Windows Millennium Edition (ME).
The policy takes effect July 11.
“You can’t always get what you want
“But if you try sometimes you just might find
“You just might find
“You get what you need, ah yes…”
For Kindle and with free ePub version. Only $9.49 Great reading.
Here is what Gary Shapiro CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) said: Dvorak's writing sings with insight and clarity. Whether or not you agree with John's views, he will get you thinking and is never boring. These essays are worth the read!
Subscribe to Main Blog feed here:
Subscribe to Comments too (below):
Bad Behavior has blocked 4454 access attempts in the last 7 days.
What!? These OSs were still supported?
Finally. There is a time when old stuff just needs to be allowed to rest in peace.
As I don’t know, anyone know how long Apple supports older versions of their OS? And any other comercial OS company support theirs. I’m just currious if MSFT is close to others in their life of product, or shorter/longer than others.
I wish people would stop feeling the need to write malcious code, to spam, and do all those other iritating things. Just because one can cause harm, mistchief, damage, trouble does not mean one should.
Good. We quit supporting 98 at work last year though a place I used to work at still has a small army of 95 machines in use.
i disagree. If a person has a p2 400 machine and is running windows 98 why cant they get critical fix support? Why should they upgrade? They dont have to.
“sorry sir but Ford no longer will offer support for your car. Its 10 years old and Ford just will not help anymore”
People spent thier money so i think they should get critical support. I am not saying they can call M$ and get help on win9x machines. They should get protection though. This is a bad PR move by M$.
Dont get me wrong 9x OS sucks. It sucked when it came out and it sucks now. The issue isnt the state of the OS its the fact that the guys that made it refuse to touch it anymore.
M$ should transfer support to a 3rd party, but in doing that that would show source code. So since that will not happen then a TON of new headaches will be buying new machines and using XP now. (wonderful for the hardware makers) IT support will be bombed with questions about XP from win95 users that cant just get it.
But hey at least we are not supporting 9x series huh?
Hard to imagine there are any Win 98 boxes left. If you have a machine that can’t run XP, run Linux.
At least M$ is still allowing you to run 98 and ME. When the time comes for XP to retire, M$ will flip the switch and thier OS will just cease to operate on your computer, PERIOD. Looking forward to that.
Why do people use car anologies when talking about software? The price difference between buying an Operating System and buying a car is very great. Why not ask yourself how long will I get support for my refrigerator or range? Some microwaves cost as much as Windows XP home. How long should makers of microwaves support their product?
When someone goes out and buys a $700 USD refrigerator, how long does the person expect the refrigerator to last? 5 years? 10 years? Now, how long should a $700 USD computer should last?
The good news is that you can upgrade the computer to some degree but you can not upgrade the refrigerator.
If the latest and greatest from Microsoft won’t work on your old computer, buy a new computer or find a different Operating System that will work.
Lavasoft isn’t upgrading their fine Zonealarm firewall for Windows 98 anymore because of this. It was pretty decent for Microsoft to support Windows 98 as long as they did.
Who cares? I tried using Microsoft telephone support a couple of times and it made me want to kill somebody.
Well, hard to imagine maybe, but I’m writing this comment from an old win98 box (AMD 450MHz). It’s slow and a bit prone to lockups but still _works_ for surfing, running office productivity s/w, the kid’s games, etc. It’ll be the kids machine exclusively as soon as I get around to setting up a dual boot Linux/win2k box, but for now it’s the family PC. In the real world where most families have limited discretionary income [let alone poor people], not everyone chooses to spend it on the purchase of new PCs. While Linux is an admirable alternative, the average PC user may lack the gumption or know-how to make the OS switch. Since the article cites 70+ million win98/millenium users at the end of 2005, I would say it should be pretty _easy_ to imagine some other win98 users still out there as well.
As far as Ford support, maybe 10 years out is not a problem as Chris commented, but when I called this past winter to get a new dual battery cable for my ’85 F250 diesel pickup [you know, the monster cable you can’t get at the after-market auto parts stores because it’s 2/0 gauge wire, 10 feet long w/ a 2nd terminal midway in the cable for the 2nd battery in series 😉 ], the Ford dealership told me that they had ‘obsoleted’ the part. Fortunately, the Sterling Truck dealership in town had a cable that worked because they are still supporting older International Harvester diesel engines in larger trucks.
If you look around hard enough for vehicle parts, you’re likely to find _something_ that will work. Unfortunately, with an OS like win9x it’s even more proprietary than vehicle parts. I think that in light of the 70+ million users still out there, it’s really shameful for M$ to not provide, at a minimum, critical security patches for the security holes that _still_ continue to be discovered almost 10 years after the OS was released. Ending user support is one thing, but after all, in the case of OS security flaws it’s not really the end user that’s at fault, is it?
Windows 98 Special Edition??? I thought it was Windows 98 Second Edition??
So what. It’s not like you have to register that OS. The original source code on the CD will still work for as long as you want. A bigger problem is how long will MS keep open their XP activation lines?
#13 – I give it 2 years max after Vista is release (if it is ever is released). Then maybe another 2 before they just shut off your XP all together.
I better get an internet connection at home and update my old 200mhz PMMX!
“This is a bad PR move by M$.”
“At least M$ is still allowing you to run 98 and ME.”
I can’t believe some people STILL type “M$”. Grow the fuck up already. Being a full-time Ubuntu user, it’s annoying to see people type such childish garbage about a company they supposably “hate” and continue to use it.
“I give it 2 years max after Vista is release (if it is ever is released). Then maybe another 2 before they just shut off your XP all together.”
I think it’s going to be a lot longer. Too many companies and individuals have too many computers that won’t run Vista and they won’t upgrade (since there is little in Vista worth upgrading for) to new boxes until the current ones (which run faster now than the apps they use require) die completely. I also think you’re going to see big companies demanding XP support for longer. This is a different world than when XP came out when there was a compelling reason to upgrade. What compelling reason exists now to upgrade for 95% of users?
Actually Microsoft does provide a perfectly good solution for “patching” any machine running old software: buy a new one. For less than $1000 (or even less than $500) you can buy an entirely new machine with the latest security patches and more.
I have no remorse for people running old software or old hardware. Why not require Microsoft to release Win3.x or Win 2.x or DOS security patches? If you want that software to be secure, either replace the machine and software or unplug from the Internet.
#16, chris, many people prefer to use M$. If you find it annoying then look the other way.
#18, Thomas, great idea. So who do I send the bill for the $500 computer to, you or Micro$oft? My kid’s computer runs on ME. Too many of her games choke and crash on XP.
ME was sold to make the “internet experience” more enjoyable. Win 3.0, 3.1, and DOS were not sold with the intension of even connecting to the internet. Walking away from buggy software because you want to sell more new stuff is just wrong. Then telling me I have to replace a computer to accommodate M$? I paid for the OS and the computer. Hey, those guys wrote the buggy software. Don’t confuse the two.
And I have no empathy for condescending, self righteous armpits that like to blame the consumer for M$’s errors.
> #18, Thomas, great idea. So who do I send the bill for the
> $500 computer to, you or Micro$oft? My kid’s computer runs
> on ME. Too many of her games choke and crash on XP.
Just as you might pay more to repair your TV or VCR than you would to replace it, there are many times in life when the repair cost is more than the replacement cost. For over ten years I drove an 88 300ZX. The day I replaced it was the day it was going to cost more than the rosiest Blue Book value to rebuild the engine in order to make it pass smog. Should I rail against Nissan for not providing free repair on their vehicle 10 years and over 200,000 miles later?
Suppose your kids were hooked on games that only run on Win 3.1 or DOS 3.3? Should that be Microsoft’s fault? There are many games out today. Buy them some new ones, teach how to play sports or have them get another hobby. I hear that some of the new games are pretty good. ;-> If you want to provide games that will not have security issues and will be playable pretty much indefinitely, then get a console system.
> ME was sold to make the “internet experience” more
> enjoyable. Win 3.0, 3.1, and DOS were not sold with the
> intension of even connecting to the internet.
Windows ME is almost seven years old. That’s an eternity in computer terms. It was sold to make the Internet experience MORE enjoyable than competing choices AT THE TIME. That time however has past.
> Walking away
> from buggy software because you want to sell more new stuff
> is just wrong.
You make it sound as if WinME is only a year old. Maintaining a software product in its original form for seven years is generous IMO.
> Then telling me I have to replace a computer
> to accommodate M$? I paid for the OS and the computer. Hey,
> those guys wrote the buggy software. Don’t confuse the two.
Yes you purchased a license to use the software indefinitely if you wish. However, your purchase agreement did not include indefinite support and patches. Don’t confuse the two.
> And I have no empathy for condescending, self righteous
> armpits that like to blame the consumer for M$’s errors.
I have no empathy for people that are incapable of understanding the economics and business motivations for producing a software product and providing support. Does Apple still support Version 5 or Mac Plus? Of course not. This has nothing to do with “blaming the consumer.” This about understanding the economics of producing and supporting software.
Isn’t it obvious that MS is ending support for Win 98 NOW and intentionally delaying the release of Vista to force an intermediate upgrade to XP upon those who are unwilling to go naked without security fixes?
win98 was one of the most stable OS that microsoft ever made