Yes, and they promised support until 2020 and suddenly NOW they are screwing with it. For no valid reason.
No, they are not. And no, it is not sudden. You conveniently leave out this page:
https://blogs.windows.com/windowsex...acing-silicon-innovation/#Mk8VFY7Xd5OUBH1Y.97
... in which Microsoft announced
over a year ago this was going to happen. That is not my definition of "suddenly".
Microsoft officially stopped selling Windows 7 Home in 2013 for retail and 2014 for OEM's.
Microsoft officially stopped selling Windows 7 Pro in 2013 and OEM's in 2016 - only after a 1-year warning/extension from MS to OEM's to stop selling Windows 7 Pro to businesses.
Point being, as a consumer you shouldn't even have a Skylake with a Windows 7 install as the sales EOL AND product EOL for Windows 7 already came and went before Skylake was released. If you didn't know that and still bought a copy of 7 from Amazon, well, that sounds like an uninformed decision and one that Microsoft has warned against to consumers and OEM's. Sorry you weren't paying attention.
Now, hardware support is the venue of the PC maker NOT Microsoft. If INTEL or DELL doesn't wish to support, with drivers, the new hardware that is their call.
Incorrect. First, PC makers do not make the drivers. They package drivers from hardware manufacturers into 'branded' installers. Also, Microsoft actually has the final say in whether a driver is certified/compatible and subsequently signed as a genuine device driver (WHQL) or not. So, you see, you are entirely incorrect.
Windows Hardware Certification Kit User's Guide
Windows Hardware Certification Program
Signing a Driver for Public Release
In fact
, Windows HCK 2.0 was the last version that supported Windows 7 and the Microsoft WHQL labs have stopped certifying new Windows 7 drivers (Almost a year ago, limited exceptions during that time due to MS extending support past their original EOL) HCK 2.1 is the current version and supports 8.1 and up only.
But there is NO valid reason that Microsoft needs to withhold stated support except for the fact that they have no ethics. As shown by the Malware based forced you to upgrade GWX. This is in the same vein. Microsoft being deceptive.
You mean, besides the fact that this was announced over a year ago after a 2-year support extension at their cost? I fail to see the deception.
GWX is another matter altogether and is a straw-man argument here, albeit, I will concede that was deceptive.
Please, spare me the manufactured outrage. Tell you what, don't be surprised when Windows 8/8.1 mainstream support ends next year or Windows 10 in 2020.. your outrage could have been avoided by looking here:
Windows lifecycle fact sheet:
- Mainstream support. Microsoft will offer mainstream support for a minimum of 5 years from the date of a product's general availability.
- Extended support. Microsoft will offer extended support for a minimum of 5 years from the date of a product's general availability.
Yes, MS can end both Mainstream and Extended support on the same day, 5 years after release, if they wish.
SO, DON'T BUY WINDOWS UNLESS YOU AGREE THAT MS ONLY HAS TO OFFER YOU 5 YEARS OF SUPPORT. (PERIOD) - as stated by Microsoft... for years and years and years - this isn't new. That's still better than the competition (Apple &
Linux), consequently, as far as longevity of use and support is concerned.