News Microsoft doubles Windows 7, Vista lifespan

It's not such a great disaster that Vista is included if you can't buy it anymore - when I needed a copy last year for my rellie's PC I had to get it secondhand from the Amazon Marketplace. Extending support leaves the door open for upgrades to 32-Bit Windows 7 as a final upgrade on older PCs, then a newly bought machine will just jump you to Win 8. I can't see a downside to it at all.

 

I'll be sticking to Windows 7. MS has already made the Xbox360 look "metro" and it frankly looks awful. Big bulky boxes everywhere.

I have no desire to make my PC look like it's from Fisher Price.

 

if they put the original start menu back, instead of forcing Metro down people's throats, i would probably upgrade to win8, i actually like win8's other features such as file copying and file replace dialogue box.

Metro isn't for desktop, plane and simple. x86 Windows isn't for tablets either, ARM Windows is not really Windows due to lack of backwards compatibility. so why are MS trying so hard to enter a market they have no understanding, while destroying their current strength?

 

Because Microsoft is learning to think ahead by a decade, like Apple does. In five years' time tablets will be everywhere, and powerful yet frugal enough to run x86 Windows OS. It's time to get in on the act now, before Apple has too much of a lead on establishing standards.

 

Hmmm, if, and it's a big IF, Win 8 can be used just like Win 7, Vista and XP, with a keyboard and mouse, then fine. But if it is touch centred, I'll definately give it a miss. Why? Well, my screen is positioned about 4 feet away from me at home and I have to stretch to touch the screen in work. Not good for the posture at all!

 

*raises hand* I've done exactly the same for my Windows 7 installations and will continue to do so wherever I can.

I used Vista on a dev box and decided not to move to it on that basis, I'll expect that I'll make the same call with regards to Windows 8.

As far as the announcement is concerned, it appears to be going back to the old way Microsfot ran support as at one point they supported at least 5 desktop OSs side by side (95, 98, 98 SE, ME and 2000).

 

All that GUI stuff is for pussies anyway. Let's go back to the good old days of MS-DOS: command line interface, no ***** coloured icons to click on with your ***** mouse. Real men use keyboards, darn it! They write commands. In monochrome.

But seriously(-ish): who actually thinks that Windows 8 is actually going to drop the desktop and windows GUI altogether and just use Metro? Stop sniffing the TIM cleaner.

 

LMAO, thanks mate!

 

LMAO, yea Apple whas totally wrong doing in the GUI interface all those years ago. Simple and lightweight is the new black, screw aero!

I can't see it either but I'm anal about a clear desktop. With windows 7 everything is in the bar at the bottom. The idea of on screen widgets in 7 and vista was nice but tbh most where complete bull with little or no flexability. Metro has got me excited since their phones have real time updating , the symetrical nature of tiles plus real time info means the desktop will hopefully (haven't read much since so much changes before release) actually become useful instead of a glorified picture frame.
TBH microsoft need to tow the line for once. Considering the only OS alternative for a custom PC is Linux it's not as if people will jump ship. It needs to be done if it moves in line with a grand plan and adds something semi functional (live tiles would be brilliant if adopted properly) rather than change for the sake of change, doing it cause its the latest trend regardless of how it performs with current interfaces. While PC users should welcome change, the change should be beinificial in some way. Thats why iOS worked. It was designed with a target audience in mind rather than the shoehorn approach. If MS is shoehorning Metro onto desktop its just gonna be the revers of shoehorning windows onto tablets way back. Even now 7 is a dog to use (laptops in Uni use them and they are good if they don't lock up. Amazing considering it's 1st gen i5 processors, 4gb ram etc! they are HP tho)

 

Ill stick to 7...