The Highlander Posted March 4, 2007 Report Share Posted March 4, 2007 Microsoft: Just five years support for Vista Home, Ultimate February 28, 2007 (Computerworld) -- Microsoft Corp. yesterday said it would limit support for three versions of the Windows Vista operating system, including its most expensive, to five years rather than the usual 10 years. The company defended the difference by noting that the clock just started ticking. "End of life-cycle support for Windows Vista is still five years out," a spokesperson said in an e-mail response. However, the software maker left the door ajar. "As we've done in the past, Microsoft will continue to evaluate the support life cycle for Windows Vista and make decisions about extending support if and when it is necessary," the spokesperson added. Although the corporate editions of Vista -- Business and Enterprise -- will be supported for the usual "5 + 5" span that includes five years of what Microsoft calls "mainstream" support and another five of "extended" support, the consumer versions currently have an end date of April 10, 2012. Vista Home Basic, Home Premium and Ultimate will stop receiving updates, even critical security updates, after that. Ultimate, which retails for $499 ($299 for an upgrade), is the priciest Vista edition, and is touted by Microsoft in its marketing materials as offering "all of the features found in Windows Vista Home Premium [and] also all of the features found in Windows Vista Business." Vista Business and Vista Enterprise users will receive security updates into 2017. The decision to cut off consumer Vista support after five years seems odd in light of a January move by Microsoft that added extended support to Windows XP Home and XP Media Center. Windows XP Home and XP Media Center, which were scheduled to drop off the support chart in mid-April 2009, were given an extension to April 2014. At the time, Ines Vargas, Microsoft's director of support policy, said the decision had been made in part because the company recognized that consumers were keeping their computers for longer lengths of time. Yesterday, Microsoft explained its reason for extending XP while keeping Vista at five years. "Microsoft's decision to provide an extended support phase for Windows XP Home and Windows XP Media Center was limited to those specific versions of the OS," the spokesperson said. "Given that Windows Vista recently became available to consumers, it is premature to make any decisions about an extension of consumer support at this time." Michael Cherry, an analyst at Directions on Microsoft, said he knows why Microsoft is, at least for now, holding the Vista line at five years. "Because they're optimists, they think they will have Vista's replacement out in time to beat that deadline," Cherry said. Likewise, the decision to extend XP support was taken for more reasons than keeping customers happy, Cherry added. "Microsoft was so late in getting Vista out, that there was a danger of XP falling off support within a very short time." Microsoft posts its support schedule for the various versions of Windows here. http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/?p1=11712 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grandpabruce Posted March 4, 2007 Report Share Posted March 4, 2007 Rats!!! I planned on picking up a copy of Vista in 5 years. That kills that idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynn98109 Posted March 4, 2007 Report Share Posted March 4, 2007 Let's see if I got this straight. WinXP extended support ends in April 2014. Vista support ends in April 2012. So if I start using WinXP (well, alledgedly Win2000 support will end in 2010, and I already have the WinXP SP2 computer), it will still be good to go when Vista runs out of support. This is supposed to convince me to shell out for Vista? Lynn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grandpabruce Posted March 4, 2007 Report Share Posted March 4, 2007 Let's see if I got this straight. WinXP extended support ends in April 2014. Vista support ends in April 2012. So if I start using WinXP (well, alledgedly Win2000 support will end in 2010, and I already have the WinXP SP2 computer), it will still be good to go when Vista runs out of support. This is supposed to convince me to shell out for Vista? Lynn Well, it makes about as much sense as buying Vista, itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
golinux Posted March 4, 2007 Report Share Posted March 4, 2007 Rats!!! I planned on picking up a copy of Vista in 5 years. That kills that idea. Just what I was thinking. This however, bothered me: "Microsoft's decision to provide an extended support phase for Windows XP Home and Windows XP Media Center was limited to those specific versions of the OS," the spokesperson said. So if I have XP Pro, I'm SOL?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gi7omy Posted March 5, 2007 Report Share Posted March 5, 2007 Let me see if I got this right - MS charged an arm and a leg for the latest and greatest - and in 5 years is gonna look the other arm and leg for an even later and greater? Or have they caught on that most people don't want to know about it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grandpabruce Posted March 5, 2007 Report Share Posted March 5, 2007 Just what I was thinking. This however, bothered me: So if I have XP Pro, I'm SOL?? I don't think that you will be SOL. I am going to pick up a full version of XP Pro, for this computer, if I can find it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ml Posted March 5, 2007 Report Share Posted March 5, 2007 I don't think that you will be SOL. I am going to pick up a full version of XP Pro, for this computer, if I can find it. They probably do what they did with the experimental electric cars....... destroyed them. ( Once a new OS is out, they don't want the old ones hanging about .) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
golinux Posted March 5, 2007 Report Share Posted March 5, 2007 I am going to pick up a full version of XP Pro, for this computer, if I can find it. I'm going to get a backup too for a second computer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynn98109 Posted March 5, 2007 Report Share Posted March 5, 2007 I don't think that you will be SOL. I am going to pick up a full version of XP Pro, for this computer, if I can find it. There appear to be a few copies on eBay - this isn't edited to delete reinstall discs, tutorials, and other non-items. http://computers.search.ebay.com/windows-x...10QQsacatZ41888 I wouldn't recommend dallying around. Lynn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerman Posted March 5, 2007 Report Share Posted March 5, 2007 My guess it that in 5 years they'll have Vista fixed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gi7omy Posted March 5, 2007 Report Share Posted March 5, 2007 My guess it that in 5 years they'll have Vista fixed. Or have a collection of bugs to add to Vista SE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Posted March 5, 2007 Report Share Posted March 5, 2007 My guess it that in 5 years they'll have Vista fixed. Just in time for the next crippled version Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
golinux Posted March 5, 2007 Report Share Posted March 5, 2007 Keep in mind that 5 years in MS time might not be 5 years on the lunar calendar! LOL! Remember how many years it took Longhorn/Vista to make it out the door. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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