Microsoft won't support next gen CPUs in older Windows versions

[Saracen]

It all does seem a little like MS are trying to 'force' everyone onto windows 10 one way or another...
First we get the annoying 'pop ups' on windows 7 with 'no opt out' and even hidden 'no I don't want to install'
Then there's the downloads in the background to catch people out
The 'bug' which turned on all the tracking settings again.
Now it's a case of basically saying you've got to use the newer version.

On one level I can understand the desire to reduce coding requirements but at the same time there are plenty of companies that don't upgrade their pc's due to certain requirements etc that often so there needs to be some sort of legacy support.

Then there's the second motive which I think this is about just as much as the above. People are getting fed up with tracking on websites, lots of people are using adblockers and the likes, some sites are even turning to blocking adblock users (stupid as we just won't go there) so where better to 'track people' than to put it in the OS.
Then there's the potential change to a subscription based os, yeah I know it's confirmed but still possible.

Basically once people are on windows 10 with the auto updates etc there's literally nothing a non tech savvy user can do to stop these things.

The weird thing is I kind of see this as Nadella pushing this direction because even though the direction was started with Balmer I honestly can't see him going down this route, he's even being vocal about 'metro apps' being a bad idea at the moment.

If it looks like a duck, waddles like a duck, is covered in feathers, likes swimming in lakes, reminds you of hoisin sauce, and regularly quacks .....


..... it probably isn't a white rhino.

Personally, though it's based on interpreting an accumulation of evidence, each item of which is far from conclusive on it's own, the overall picture convinced me, some time ago, that MS was indeed the species of duck I though it was.

Pass me the hoisin, please.

[DanceswithUnix]

If people don't like it, they could always contribute to ReactOS: https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?pa...4-RC2-Released

[bridges009]

Why is this even a story? Old unsupported OS won't be updated for brand new CPU features? Why would you think they would be? How many people would even notice? How many people are going to build a system with a bleeding edge CPU and install an old version of Windows on it?

[Tidus]

Why is this even a story? Old unsupported OS won't be updated for brand new CPU features? Why would you think they would be? How many people would even notice? How many people are going to build a system with a bleeding edge CPU and install an old version of Windows on it?

Lots of people are unhappy with Windows 10 and dubious of its privacy policy. I was planning on staying with Windows 7 on my upcoming build, hopefully the x99 Broadwell CPUs won't be effected by these changes.

[jab701]

A bit of a non-story...

Basically if Kaby lake supports newer video codecs or maybe on chip compression acceleration then MS wont backport it.

It doesn't mean the new processors wont run the older operating systems...to do that would fundamentally break x86...

[Corky34]

Why is this even a story? Old unsupported OS won't be updated for brand new CPU features? Why would you think they would be? How many people would even notice? How many people are going to build a system with a bleeding edge CPU and install an old version of Windows on it?

Because the old OS is still in mainstream support (Windows 8.1) and because in the past even when a Microsoft OS had entered extended support they would still issue updates for new CPUs like they did with Prescott, Bulldozer, and more recently with an update for Windows 7, 8, 8.1 to better support Skylake, granted Microsoft are perfectly within their rights to not do that for Windows 7 but this also applies to Windows 8.1 that's still going to be in mainstream support for another six months after this announcement comes into effect.

[eugenius]

Satya seems hell bent on moving people to Linux.

[AzumaKazuma]

Don't see what the problem is. Win7 and 8 will be legacy systems, by the time Kaby Lake comes out Win8 will be 5 years old. You can't expect businesses to continue integrating the latest tech into legacy products.

[whatif]

On one level I can understand the desire to reduce coding requirements but at the same time there are plenty of companies that don't upgrade their pc's due to certain requirements etc that often so there needs to be some sort of legacy support.

One of our 4 major banks in Australia was still using windows 2000 when we were using windows 7.
How much of a hassle is it for large corporations to go through with OS changes every time that MS demands it. Not talking about hardware changes, just that there should be ongoing legacy support for those who have bought and use, and is to much trouble to update the OS all the time.
I remember when updating to 95 was seen as a good and desirable thing to do (95 was much better than where I started with using punch cards), now people just want to stay with what they are comfortable with, In Australia we have laws protecting consumers - if you buy something, it has a "expected" life in regards to warranty. Now this supersedes anything that the company states - eg buy a fridge and the company gives a 5 year warranty, if it breaks down in 9 years, you still have warranty because it's expected life is a minimum of 10 years and the company has to honour it by law. Why can't we apply the same thing here where there is a expected life for a OS?
I know we live in a consumer based society, but why do we HAVE to consume at a rate dictated by the supplier, shouldn't it be based on what the consumer wants to consume?
Then there are situations like my parents (almost turning 80) where they are used to the older systems - showed them 2013 office and they hated it - kept saying where is everything, how do I do this and that - ended up far more hassle for me and they wanted the old one back. Same thing happened with win 8 with their new laptop, praise be to your God that there were programs like Start-Is-Back. :-)
Big corporations may have troubles, but keeping aging parents happy is even harder. Ha Ha :-)

[Corky34]

Don't see what the problem is. Win7 and 8 will be legacy systems, by the time Kaby Lake comes out Win8 will be 5 years old. You can't expect businesses to continue integrating the latest tech into legacy products.

If rumors are anything to go by Windows 8.1 will still have six months left of mainstream support when Kaby Lake hits the market, mainstream support being the time when Microsoft promised they would add new features.

[DanceswithUnix]

Basically if Kaby lake supports newer video codecs or maybe on chip compression acceleration then MS wont backport it.

Backport what? AFAICS they don't do much anyway. How much backporting did they do when the AM1 or latest Atom platforms came out? Those are pretty highly integrated parts, just what MS are talking about here. The responsibility lies with Intel and AMD to produce drivers which I thought were the same between Windows 7 and 10 in which case there really isn't any information here.

Unless they are talking about packaging those drivers into service packs for their OS's so that they turn up on the latest optical media. But I thought that is part of what companies pay Microsoft for when they give them money to distribute a driver.

I can't believe a company can be so quick to shrug off responsibility, but then I can't believe some people run their companies on these products.

[Corky34]

That's what irks me the most, it's not like anything is going to need backporting, i wouldn't be surprised if Microsoft already know that, that's what makes this announcement so galling, it's like being told that the guarantee on that new car you bought a few years ago that you were told covers everything is now not going to cover the engine for the last six months, sure it's probable, even highly likely that nothing is going to happen in those six months, but that's not the point.

For all the bad PR that this announcement has generated you would think Microsoft would've just bit the bullet and either not said anything or just let the last six months of Windows 8.1 mainstream support run it's course.

[TheAnimus]

That's what irks me the most, it's not like anything is going to need backporting, i wouldn't be surprised if Microsoft already know that, that's what makes this announcement so galling, it's like being told that the guarantee on that new car you bought a few years ago that you were told covers everything is now not going to cover the engine for the last six months, sure it's probable, even highly likely that nothing is going to happen in those six months, but that's not the point

You ever written a device driver? The kernel has changed a lot, especially around bootstrapping it would be a completely different task and share little code between 7 and 10.

Now MS easily has the resources to do this, but let's not start saying it's no difference.

[Corky34]

No one is saying it should be done for 7, in fact only a few post up this page i said "the old OS is still in mainstream support (Windows 8.1)" and it will be for another six months from when Microsoft has decided to stop adding new features to support newer CPUs, that's whats so unbelievable about this announcement, they could have just let mainstream support for 8.1 end and they would have been perfectly within their rights not to update it to support newer CPUs, but no, they decided to make a massive PR gaff.

[jigger]

Why is this even a story? Old unsupported OS won't be updated for brand new CPU features? Why would you think they would be? How many people would even notice? How many people are going to build a system with a bleeding edge CPU and install an old version of Windows on it?

I'm not even sure at what point to start. The answer to all five questions is 42.

[ik9000]

I'll be upgrading my OS tonight. From win7 to win7 SP1. Apparently it's not that buggy any more and is better supported. They can whistle dixie if they want me to move to win10.