With XP shut out in the cold, away from the warm arms of Microsoft's security updates, news that the software company is preparing to end mainstream support for Windows 7 may give some users some new chills.
But don't panic yet. Microsoft says it will continue to offer support for the OS for at least another five years.
Windows XP was given five years of support after it was pulled from the mainstream and Microsoft projects that Windows Vista and Windows 7 will receive their pensions of hotfixes and security patches for the same length of time. Microsoft has set its sights on supporting Windows 7 up until 2020.
Microsoft said it releases the life expectancies of its operating systems to help users plan in advance for migration to other systems. It's especially important in enterprise environments where data security, migration times and software compatibility can affect a large number of computers and core sectors of an organization.
"Every Windows product has a life cycle. The life cycle begins when a product is released and ends when it's no longer supported," Microsoft said. "Knowing key dates in this life cycle helps you make informed decisions about when to upgrade or make other changes to your software. Here are the rights and limits of the Windows life cycle."
On Jan. 13, 2015, Windows 7 will move into its period of "extended support." Microsoft said mainstream support for an OS lasts five years after a product launches or two years after a new OS has been released, whichever term is longer -- similarly, extended support lasts for five years or for two years after another product replaces the OS' successor.
Not much has been revealed about Windows 9, or if it will, in fact, bear "9" in its name. But with Windows 7 claiming roughly half of market share for operating systems, accounting for 75 percent when coupled with Windows XP, the next version of Windows will have big shoes to fill.
Traditionally, Microsoft comes out with a hit OS on every other release -- 7 received more love than 8, XP got more than Vista, 2000 over ME, and 98 over 95.
The first big enhancement Windows 7 users will miss out on is the upcoming DirectX 12 application programming interface. In March of this year, Henry Moreton, an engineer for Nvidia, said DirectX 12 will be used much more often and effectively than its predecessor.
"In the past, feature adoption has been muted by lack of support in the substantial console market, as well as absence of feature deployment on popular versions of the Windows OS," stated Moreton. "With DX12, there is an unprecedented convergence of APIs and breadth of support. DX12 will span PCs, XBox One, tablets and even phones."
