Microsoft to abort Win 95, 98 | Times of India

[Ediacara]

Microsoft to abort Win 95, 98

AP< SATURDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2003 09:40:02 AM >

REDMOND: Microsoft Corp will stop offering support services next month for computer users whose machines are still running Windows 95 and Windows 98, though the company said it might still release security patches if threats appear serious enough.

About 20 per cent of all Windows -based computers in the US still run Windows 95 or 98, according to International Data Corp, a technology market research firm. People with those machines no longer will be able to call Microsoft for help after January 16.

More at the Times of India

[JailBush]

1. Wow, that's several million paying customers who will have an

opportunity to upgrade to Microsoft XP, switch to Linux, or buy an Apple/Mac. Thanks, Bill Gates!

[ClintonTyree]

2. It took this long............

to get them running properly and now Gates wants to screw everyone into the ground who still uses them. Typical, in GatesAmerica.

[Cooley Hurd]

3. You can't get web support for them now, anyway...

...what Microsoft should do it give every 95, 98 and WinME user a free upgrade to WinXP Home. That would the right thing to do...

[Occulus]

4. No,

what they should do, if they're no longer going to support it in any way, is open the source and make the OSes in general public domain.

Better yet, We The People should tell them they will do so or their corporate charter will be revoked.

[baby_bear]

5. I agree

The least MS can do is open the source code and let those of us not wanting to degrade, I mean upgrade, (ahem), do so at our own peril (as though we were not in peril when we bought the damn thing.)

Anyone who thought there was product support before should be happy to find out he/she is no worse off now than ever.

s_m

[Rainbows]

21. Couldn't agree more ...

the tech service online and over the phone tech support has cost me many hours and never solved a thing. And as far as peril, the huge 'front door' as opposed to back door that microsoft has planted into windows 2000, millinium, and XP so they can monitor the programs on your computer to make sure your not buying bandit software, allows nearly anyone even half assed good on a computer to enter your computer as well. Oh, they send out patches all the time, that work for about a day, until someone else find another way through the huge front door. This from a disenchanted and pissed off XP user, one of the used and abused.

[0007]

7. Exactly !!

But Bill Gates wants to bang on

[ixion]

8. yeah, MS would never do that...

The don't want to world to know the tomes of sloppy, hacked code that was Win9x

That's been the real reason behind the whole proprietary push. Lack of code review. :evilgrin:

[NeoConned]

17. I agree

but Gates became a millionaire by doing that. He became a billionaire by not.

[sam7]

22. They'll never do that.

Then we'd all see what a horrific mess the code is.

[It was not a pretzel]

6. will they throw in

a computer capable of running XP too? :eyes: Not everyone can afford a PC upgrade when MS bring out a new OS.

[Vitruvius]

9. Exactly; Steve Ballmer of Microsoft, addressing a convention of PC makers,

told them they should be "G-d d---ed grateful" to Microsoft because "why would anybody buy a new computer if our Windows upgrades hadn't brought their old computer to its' knees?"

And he gave them the world-famous Steve Ballmer smirk.

If you have an old PC, your best advice is to stick with the Windows you've got and the software you've got and NOT upgrade. Unless you want to turn it into a turtle.

And get a copy of a third-party security pgm.

[pinniped]

11. Anyone ever notice Ballmer looks like that 600 million...

dollar Tyco embezzler Kozlowski?

[alarimer]

10. right

My computer won't run XP so if I wanted to upgrade (which I don't) I would have to buy a new one. The thing that I don't like about XP is the registration process. I heard that you can only upgrade about 5 components (hard drive etc). Once you have done that, they think you have pirated software and won't let it run until you call them up. Such bullshit. I am seriously thinking about an Apple.

[LTR]

13. I just updated my second computer

I run XP on my main, and 98 on my 5 year old Compaq.

Just did Windows Update on my Compaq.

But that old Pentium II is ancient. I got it running as fast as possible, but it's still kinda slow. Maybe Windows did all they could with it. Besides, who writes viruses geared toward 98 anymore?

As for 95, that OS is a dinosaur.

Sadly, this means they'll still support ME. Terrible OS, IMO.

[BiggJawn]

31. They're gonna support ME???

They should've given that pOS a retroactive abortion.
My daughter's computer is still giving her fits, she's still running ME, says "I think I have a virus, Dad..." I tell her "Damn right, it's called WinDoz 'ME'..." I've told her many times she'd be better off with either 3.1 or DOSSHELL.....

[TacticalPeek]

12. Micro$oft? Support?

Seeing how M$ forces new sales by obsoleting its products, and gerrymanders the hardware world with its annual pc 'specs', why would any business buy these products and put their IT operations on such a slippery, expensive slope?

Answer: M$ market domination, by crushing or consuming competitors.
Solution: Someday Congress should pass anti-trust laws and the DOJ should enforce a free and fair market. Teddy Roosevelt for Prez in 2004.

[The Zanti Regent]

14. Screw Micro$*it, Use Linux!

Whole countries are turning on Micro$hit and A$$hole Gate$. Every PC that moves to Linux pounds another nail in the Micro$hit cofin!

[loudsue]

15. For us dummies....is Linux easy to use??

:shrug: Can even us computer illiterates use it?

I've thought about converting to Apple....but I've got 2 PC's and a laptop that aren't Apples...and a whole pack-house full of software that run on Windows. Do we have to buy special software to run on Linux??

You can see by my questions, I'm probably a hopeless case....but I thought I'd ask.

:kick:

[bemildred]

19. It depends a bit on what you use the machine for.

For web activities Linux works great. Many of the most important
applications now have good or excellent Linux programs that are
functionally equivalent to Windoze versions.

I run a dual booted machine, and most of the time run in Unix.
You might keep one Windoze machine and run Linux on the other.

For office things or specific commercial applications one
might need Windoze. Especially, ALL that software you have
will still require Windoze to run on (there are some exceptions
to that, but you will not want to get into that, it gets very
technical.)

I do not recommend Linux for the technically challenged unless they
get it pre-installed, and ideally a bit of help with setup is good.

The good part is that once you have your Linux box set up, you have
essentially NO security problems, and no further expenses or hassles,
no security patches, no firewalls to upgrade, no bullshit at all.

My recommendation in your case would be Apple. Much less hassle.

[short bus president]

28. no

It's not an OS for someone who is not either a geek or a wannabe geek. It's just not refined enough at this point. Software installation, for instance, can be cumbersome. I understand some distributions (the OS formerly known as Lindows and Xandros are two that come to mind) are supposed to be incredibly simple to use and very windows-ish in appearance, but I've never seen either of them. Sun is also pushing its Java Desktop OS now (half price ($50) from Sun's website), but I've not been able to sample that one, and I ain't gonna pay for it if I've not been allowed to play around with it first.

[Unforgiven]

30. Not Really

I'm not profeicient in computer usage, but I find no problem at all with Mandrake Linux. However my first machine was a hand me down from my wife who upgraded to a faster processor so she could game. I watched her cuss and fume with Windows 98 and I decided I would never bother. Why put up with that greif? Anyone who is fed up with the Windows experience should at least dual boot their machine or try several of the distros that run only from a c-d, there are plenty of distros you can download for free. I am running Mandrake 9.2 right now and I down loaded it from Mandrake's site I think it is the best version since 7.2. As a matter of fact I just downloaded and burned VectorLinux to a c-d tonite and it runs right from the c-d as a demo, so it never touches your hardrive. Or you can do a hardrive install by downloading the appropriate c-d's VectorLinux also uses the Opera browser which is incredibly fast on my machine. It's worth checking out.

Here is a link for those of you who would like to take a leap of faith.

http://www.linuxiso.org/index.php

[Don_G]

16. Office 2000 Is Part Of It Too

It seems that Bill Gates needs a couple of hundred dollars from every computer user every year.

Link: http://rss.com.com/2100-1014_3-5116216.html?tag=st_rn

[koopie57]

18. Microsoft to abort...

I wonder if the freepers are bitching about microsoft doing abortions now. :shrug:

[goobergunch]

20. I've never needed Microsoft tech support for my 98

I don't see why I'll need it now. :P

[Ediacara]

24. the thing is....

I KNOW I'll need tech support on 17 Jan (the day after they stop offering it).

[kaitykaity]

23. I've never needed support for my 95 either.

Somebody else will offer the support and make
the money.

I hate MS, and you couldn't pay me to give up 95.
The Worm and all the other viruses just pass me right
on by.

[goobergunch]

26. Heh...same with my Win98 here (n/t)

[Desperadoe]

25. RIP

I am running Windows XP on 6 computers, 5 I've built and my 4 year old Compaq that I upgraded from 98. I've run 95, 98, ME, 2000 and XP is, by far, the best OS that MS has ever produced. It's well worth the price and the support is very adequate.

I've had no problems with activation, even though I change hardware frequently, as needed. I had to do the phone activation twice and it was painless.

If you can build a better OS, then, by all means, do it. If you can buy a better OS, then do it.

Bitching about things, without offering an alternative solution, is just bitching.

[fedsron2us]

27. XP

has taken a lot of criticism because it is a bit of a memory hog and was released with far too many security loop holes (most now fixed). Allowing for these weaknesses it is a far more stable and reliable platform than Windows 95 or Windows 98. I upgraded from the latter operating system two months ago and I have not experienced a single single system freeze or crash since that date. For the novice user I would recommend either using XP or buying an Apple/Mac. By the way this is not a criticism of Linux which I have also run on one of my machines for the past 3 years. Its just that it requires a little more technical knowledge to install and maintain.

I think that at long last MS are getting the message about security and their next OS system should incorporate anti-virus features, a robust firewall and some sort of root protection for system files.

What does still irritate me is the ludicrous price the public is asked to pay for the MS Office Suite of programs. Word Processing, Spreadsheets etc have now been around for a long time and the development costs must have been recouped quite a while ago. Charging big bucks for these products is simply not defensible. Users should seriously be looking at the Star Office suite from Sun or the Open Office freeware to meet these needs.

[LTR]

29. I wouldn't trust a Micro$oft anti-virus prog

I don't even run XP's firewall.

I'd rather go third party, like Norton, for AV and firewall needs. They do an outstanding job.