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from the tears-were-shed-across-the-land dept.
Microsoft continues to phase out Windows 7 and 8.1:
Out with the old, and in with the new. Microsoft yesterday stopped providing Windows 7 Professional and Windows 8.1 licenses to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), including its PC partners and systems builders. This means that, as of today, the only way you can buy a computer running Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 is if you can still find one in stock.
Two years ago, Microsoft stopped selling Windows 7 Home Basic, Windows 7 Home Premium, and Windows 7 Ultimate licenses to OEMs. Now Windows 7 Professional and Windows 8.1 are also out of the picture, leaving Windows 10 as the only remaining option, assuming you want a PC with a Microsoft operating system.
This is Microsoft's way of slowly phasing out old operating systems. The Windows Lifecycle chart for sales doesn't have an end date for Windows 10, since that operating system doesn't have a successor.
(Score: 2) by iamjacksusername on Wednesday November 02 2016, @03:42PM
It's a time and resource issue. At least through Windows 7, you could leave Windows update set to install updates automatically and be reasonably assured that no major changes would occur. There were issues but were rare enough that the cost to mitigate them was more expensive than fixing them as they arose. When the client owns the system, you do not have a lot of options for OS management and rarely can you bill the client for it. It is a cost that a business ends up eating. Given the historical track record for Windows Update through Windows 7, there was no business case for implementing a full management package on client-owned remote sites with 1 or 2 users. And there was absolutely no desire on the part of management to try and sell the client on the cost as they get beat up enough on prices for the business services they provide... the services that actually generate revenue for the business.
What's changing is that now we are going to have to actively manage this equipment and will have to eat the cost as a cost of doing business. Compared to managing sites with Windows 7 clients, Microsoft has added $0 of value and increased costs. It sucks.