End free security updates for XP Home in 2007?

[idiotprogrammer]

Has anyone seen this article about MS ending free security updates in
2007?

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060103-5891.html

I bought box/cd of Home Edition 3 weeks ago. I just installed the OS
two days ago.

Does this mean that after Jan 1 my system will be unable to do any kind
of automatic updating of Windows XP Home?

If true, I am outraged. None of the marketing information mentioned
anything about the fact that you wouldn't be eligible for security
updates after a year.


Robert Nagle
http://www.imaginaryplanet.net/weblogs/idiotprogrammer/

 

[Tom [Pepper] Willett]

The mainstream support ends December 31, 2006. Extended support ends
December 31, 2011. During extended support, you still get security updates.
Visit the MS site for details of product lifecycle.

Tom
| Has anyone seen this article about MS ending free security updates in
| 2007?
|
| http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060103-5891.html
|
| I bought box/cd of Home Edition 3 weeks ago. I just installed the OS
| two days ago.
|
| Does this mean that after Jan 1 my system will be unable to do any kind
| of automatic updating of Windows XP Home?
|
| If true, I am outraged. None of the marketing information mentioned
| anything about the fact that you wouldn't be eligible for security
| updates after a year.
|
|
| Robert Nagle
| http://www.imaginaryplanet.net/weblogs/idiotprogrammer/
|

 

[idiotprogrammer]

By extended support, I assume you mean paid support for security
updates.

However, because Home edition is a consumer edition (instead of a
professional edition), it does not include a period for extended
support.

http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifepolicy
http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/?p1=3221

It is unclear whether that saves MS the trouble of deliver security
updates. I don't care about new features or stability. I just want
patches against the multitude of Windows exploits that are out there.
Because I just bought the Home Edition, it seems I am only going to
have that for a year.

The real issue is labelling. MS sold a product without disclosing an
important bit of consumer information. It shouldn't have done this.

I'm sorry if I sound angry. But I'm facing the prospect of having to
buy a second license just because MS never revealed when it would stop
including security updates.

(On a positive note, though, my hardware is all Vista friendly so far).


Robert Nagle
Houston, Texas
http://www.imaginaryplanet.net/weblogs/idiotprogrammer/

 

[Wesley Vogel]

Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 2
17-Sep-2004
[[Support ends either 12 months after the next service pack releases or at
the end of the product's support lifecycle, whichever comes first.]]

Windows XP Home Edition
http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/?p1=3221

Windows XP Professional
http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/?p1=3223

Microsoft Support Lifecycle Policy FAQ
http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifepolicy

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In

 

[idiotprogrammer]

as far as I can tell, the links you provided all seem to confirm what
the original article said.

MS documentation is unusually vague. What is support? Paid? UNpaid?
Automatic updates? Hotfix downloads? Will anybody from MS even be
working in the XP Home user space.

If consumer editions don't have "extended support", does that mean that
MS will not be providing security fixes to anybody? Does it mean that
XP professional hotfixes would generally work on Home Editions? Does it
mean that consumers will have to rely on 3rd parties for
security/hotfixes? How would a consumer install these third party
security fixes?

This ambiguity helps MS indirectly because it causes people like me to
pay for an additional OS.

The information here http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/?p1=3221 is
important information, yet nowhere to be found on its promotional
pages.

I hate to sound like an anti-MS dweeb, but MS has definitely not been
straightforward here. If they don't want to extend free access to their
Security Updates, then no computer store should be selling Home Edition
to ANYBODY. That includes HP, Dell, Comp USA, Walmart. Doing so would
be absolutely irresponsible.

Robert Nagle
Houston, Texas
http://www.imaginaryplanet.net/weblogs/idiotprogrammer/

 

[Ron Martell]

Has anyone seen this article about MS ending free security updates in
2007?

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060103-5891.html

I bought box/cd of Home Edition 3 weeks ago. I just installed the OS
two days ago.

Does this mean that after Jan 1 my system will be unable to do any kind
of automatic updating of Windows XP Home?

If true, I am outraged. None of the marketing information mentioned
anything about the fact that you wouldn't be eligible for security
updates after a year.


Robert Nagle
http://www.imaginaryplanet.net/weblogs/idiotprogrammer/

This is pure speculation with no real substance behind it.

Microsoft is still providing critical security updates for Windows 98
and Windows Me but if you check back through previously published
support guidelines you will quickly discover that this support was
supposed to have ended years ago. But it didn't.

Secondly, Windows XP Home and Windows XP Pro (also Media Center and
Tablet versions) are all compiled from the same source code base. So
it is difficult for me to envisage that Microsoft would go to the
extra work and expense necessary so as to prevent a security update
from being installed on XP Home while still allowing it to be
installed on Pro and Tablet (and Media Center?) versions.


Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP (1997 - 2006)
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca

"Anyone who thinks that they are too small to make a difference
has never been in bed with a mosquito."

 

[Yves Leclerc]

By extended support, I assume you mean paid support for security
updates.

However, because Home edition is a consumer edition (instead of a
professional edition), it does not include a period for extended
support.

http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifepolicy
http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/?p1=3221

It is unclear whether that saves MS the trouble of deliver security
updates. I don't care about new features or stability. I just want
patches against the multitude of Windows exploits that are out there.
Because I just bought the Home Edition, it seems I am only going to
have that for a year.

The real issue is labelling. MS sold a product without disclosing an
important bit of consumer information. It shouldn't have done this.

I'm sorry if I sound angry. But I'm facing the prospect of having to
buy a second license just because MS never revealed when it would stop
including security updates.

(On a positive note, though, my hardware is all Vista friendly so far).


Robert Nagle
Houston, Texas
http://www.imaginaryplanet.net/weblogs/idiotprogrammer/

As with "other" versions of Windows, it seems that 'extended" support seems to
mean technical support with a Microsoft agent and or download updates way pass
"End of Life" of the problems. As with Windows 98SE, you can still get
"updates" but you can not contact Tech support for help, unless you are on
extended support contract.


If you expect MS to support any version of Windows for every, you are
dreaming. How else will MS get us to "move" to the next version (level) of
Windows??

 

[Alias]

Has anyone seen this article about MS ending free security updates in
2007?

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060103-5891.html

I bought box/cd of Home Edition 3 weeks ago. I just installed the OS
two days ago.

Does this mean that after Jan 1 my system will be unable to do any kind
of automatic updating of Windows XP Home?

If true, I am outraged. None of the marketing information mentioned
anything about the fact that you wouldn't be eligible for security
updates after a year.


Robert Nagle
http://www.imaginaryplanet.net/weblogs/idiotprogrammer/

You will get security updates. You might have to buy Vista to get
Windows Media 11 or the new version of Outlook Express. Me and 98 still
get security updates. If MS didn't do that, the net would fall apart and
that would not be in MS' interests.

 

[Alias]

If you expect MS to support any version of Windows for every, you are
dreaming. How else will MS get us to "move" to the next version (level) of
Windows??

By writing a better program? At this point, I see little reason to
upgrade to Vista. And, if I do, it will a year or so after it comes out.

 

[Guest]

I agree with your attitude and am equally upset as I just bought XP Home last
week. Thanks, Microsoft, for so valiantly bringing this to my attention
anywhere mass quantities of your software are sold. If this is true, then I
have a whopping 11 months of updates before I and others are hung out to dry.

Strange how the Pro price has risen a bit in the last month, while home has
gone down a bit where I look...

I seriously hope they reconsider since we've only been waiting for Longhorn
since who knows when.

 

[Guest]

Nobody expects support for forever. We would, however, like some feeling of
Longhorn being released in the near future for the majority of the
intelligent public (IT included) who dabble their feet in the water before
forced into a new OS if you want to be protected against security threats
that they have to release patches for on a regular basis.

I'm not saying that all these patches equal shame on Microsoft for not
seeing it in development, people always take punk shots at who's on top, but
this would be like everybody being expected to give up Win2K or WinME and go
to XP without knowing much about XP and its requirements.

Also consider the driver writing community, which needs time to write new
code for new OS's. This doesn't happen overnight. I'd be infuriated if I
was forced to upgrade (spending who knows - $150, 200? OEM) to something my
peripherals quit working on...

 

[Richard Urban]

It has already been considered and acted upon. Two more years to go. The
same as XP Professional.

--


Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!

 

[Guest]

Thank you for replying. Hope to see a press release formalizing the
commitment. Regards,

 

[Tom [Pepper] Willett]

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/lifecycle/servicepacks.mspx

 

[Bruce Chambers]

I agree with your attitude and am equally upset as I just bought XP Home last
week.

Let's see.... You just purchased a 3+ year-old OS and expected it to
last forever? That was awfully unrealistic of you, don't you think?
Remember, at the rate technology has been advancing since the '80s, 3
years is the computing equivalent of 2 generations.



--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having
both at once. - RAH

 

[Windom]

Let's see.... You just purchased a 3+ year-old OS and expected it to
last forever? That was awfully unrealistic of you, don't you think?
Remember, at the rate technology has been advancing since the '80s, 3
years is the computing equivalent of 2 generations.

We don't expect it to be supported forever. However, if we purchase
the product new in 2006, it is not unreasonable to expect it to be
supported, at least with online security updates, until 2008.

Windom

 

[Windom]

I agree with your attitude and am equally upset as I just bought XP Home last
week. Thanks, Microsoft, for so valiantly bringing this to my attention
anywhere mass quantities of your software are sold. If this is true, then I
have a whopping 11 months of updates before I and others are hung out to dry.

Send feedback to Microsoft via their web site. I did. I received a
reply stating that mainstream support will end two years after the
next release of the product. However, they did not specify when
the next release will be made available, nor did they comment on
my concern that security updates will not be available after Jan. 31,
2006 for the Home Edition. They just sort of dodged that issue.

Windom

 

[Windom]

Secondly, Windows XP Home and Windows XP Pro (also Media Center and
Tablet versions) are all compiled from the same source code base. So
it is difficult for me to envisage that Microsoft would go to the
extra work and expense necessary so as to prevent a security update
from being installed on XP Home while still allowing it to be
installed on Pro and Tablet (and Media Center?) versions.

It may be difficult for you to envision, but if they want to force
home users to upgrade to Vista, I wouldn't put it past them to
deny us the updates.

Regards;

Windom

 

[Shenan Stanley]

We don't expect it to be supported forever. However, if we purchase
the product new in 2006, it is not unreasonable to expect it to be
supported, at least with online security updates, until 2008.

Why?

You essentially went out and bought a product manufactured in 2001/2002..
Just because you bought it today doesn't mean the company that made said
product still makes or supports it (not speaking of Windows in particular
here - but any product in general.) I mean - in four years time the
producer of the product you just purchased "new" could have actually gone
out of business, been bought out, etc.

I just don't understand the logic. You are the one who chose (for whatever
reason) not to purchase Windows XP until 4+ years after its release.
Computing and the products witin that category turn around so quickly it is
laughable. In the early 90's - a 50Mhz computer was screaming fast.. Now -
3000+Mhz is the norm. 4MB of RAM was more than sufficient - and a 200MB
hard drive - huge! Now you can hardly buy machines with less than 80GB hard
drives and if you run with less than 256MB RAM - you aren't running Windows
(or you are not happy with it. heh)

In the 4+ years between Windows XP's release and now you have seen processor
speeds more than double, prices on hardware decrease more than half and the
availability of cheap/free alternatives for everything increase many times
over (usable by the general public stuff anyway.)

Just because it is new to you doesn't mean it is *new*. *grin*

You can always check out the life cycle of any Microsoft product (that has
gone into "RTM" status) here:
http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifeselect

Special note to you: You get your wish no matter what. You wanted support
until 2008 - well, even if some miracle happens and Vista/Longhorn is
released TODAY, you will still have support until 2008.. The product life
cycle page dutifully reports:

Windows XP Home Edition - Mainstream support will end two years after the
next version of this product is released.

Research - it's so much fun (better if done before you jump in head first,
though!)

 

[Windom]

Why?

You essentially went out and bought a product manufactured in 2001/2002..
Just because you bought it today doesn't mean the company that made said
product still makes or supports it (not speaking of Windows in particular
here - but any product in general.) I mean - in four years time the
producer of the product you just purchased "new" could have actually gone
out of business, been bought out, etc.

I just don't understand the logic.

Hello Shenan:

Thanks for the follow-up. You are very well spoken and I appreciate
you perspective on this issue.

I think we're just going to have to agree to disagree on this, though.
If Microsoft had discontinued the XP product two years ago, then I
might be able view this situation differently. However, Win XP Home
is still the most current consumer operating system that they offer,
and they're still making plenty of money off of it. I happen to feel
that buyers are entitled to a certain, albeit limited, level of
support. I realize that this may not seem logical to you, but some
situations transcend the application of logic.

Have a nice weekend, and thanks for your input.

Windom