Avast! to Stop Spporting Old Systems End of 2009

Jut an FYI. From post at TechGuy's 31July2009. Checked it, for real.

Avast has added the following notice without much announcement.

See: :

"Note: The operating systems Windows 95/98/Me/NT4 will be supported until
the end of 2009."

 

dlsayremn wrote:<!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
> Jut an FYI. From post at TechGuy's 31July2009. Checked it, for real.
>
> Avast has added the following notice without much announcement.
>
> See: :
>
> "Note: The operating systems Windows 95/98/Me/NT4 will be supported
> until the end of 2009."<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->

One would hope that in the (nearly) decade since the release of said (most
of) OSes - you would have upgraded or moved on by now. ;-) In any case -
they were not the first to do this (Avast) nor are they the last - sometimes
it is just "time to move on". ;-)

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way

 

"Shenan Stanley" wrote:
<!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
> dlsayremn wrote:<!--coloro:green--><span style="color:green <!--/coloro-->
> > Jut an FYI. From post at TechGuy's 31July2009. Checked it, for real.
> >
> > Avast has added the following notice without much announcement.
> >
> > See: :
> >
> > "Note: The operating systems Windows 95/98/Me/NT4 will be supported
> > until the end of 2009."<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
>
> One would hope that in the (nearly) decade since the release of said (most
> of) OSes - you would have upgraded or moved on by now. ;-) In any case -
> they were not the first to do this (Avast) nor are they the last - sometimes
> it is just "time to move on". ;-)
>
> --
> Shenan Stanley
> MS-MVP
> --
> How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
> <!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->

Shenan, Have desktop w/Vista, laptop w/Vista, laptop w/XP, 10 year old
desktop w/98SE, 9 year old desktop w/ME, and 20+ year old Toshiba laptop that
still work perfectly. Would still be driving my 1969 Mustang (could do 110
mph, but got 24 mpg crusing at 70) if the floor boards hadn't rusted out.

<!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
>
>
> <!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->

 

dlsayremn wrote:<!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
> Shenan, Have desktop w/Vista, laptop w/Vista, laptop w/XP, 10 year
> old desktop w/98SE, 9 year old desktop w/ME, and 20+ year old
> Toshiba laptop that still work perfectly. Would still be driving my
> 1969 Mustang (could do 110 mph, but got 24 mpg crusing at 70) if
> the floor boards hadn't rusted out.<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->

Yes - but you moved on as you had to in order to do things you wanted to do.
Maybe the new digital camera did not work in Windows 98 or the new printer
or scanner... Maybe you bought software which required Windows XP SP2 or
greater, etc.

The point is - at least with software - if you want to keep up and continue
to try/do new things (from viewing certain web pages with flash/shockwave to
running certain games oer using certain applications ort utilizing newer
peripherals) - you will have to move on.

A car is a bad example for this IMO - especially a decently modern vehicle
(I'd venture to say anything 1960 or newer, but it could be older) since you
could just fix it up/maintain it and with few modifications it will be
street legal and usable indefinitely. The peripherals you can put in/on a
car do not usually come with such restrictions - or when they do - you
wouldn't care because you are unlikely to do that knowing what you have. It
still uses fuel/oil, it still needs windshield wipers and it doesn't care
what radio you put in it. A few modifications and you can make most tires
fit it. Software - especially software you cannot 'get under the hood and
modify' of - different case. ;-)

You can fix your floorboards - but you cannot force a program written to
utilize Windows XP SP2+ DLLs and such run on Windows 98 nor can you force a
hardware manufacturer who put out drivers for their hardware to provide you
with drivers for your Windows 98 machine when they produced their product
for Windows XP or newer only. ;-) There are many advantages over physical
labor/things you can touch/feel/modify to your liking over computer
software/hardware you may not be able to do that to. Same can be said the
other way around. ;-)

Not to mention that the 69 Mustang has an intrinsic and sentimental value
that an operating system is just unlikely to ever hold. I don't see a lot
of (it may exist) people running out to buy and soup up Windows 95 based
machines. ;-)

You could virtualize your Windows 98 machine, I'd probably suggest dropping
Windows ME all together (*grin*), and anything else you have older than that
could probably also be virtualized and they would run faster on whatever you
put them on, be easier to backup and more secure. Yet - you'd still be
moving on.

You may have all those older machines - but how often (comparatively) do you
use them?

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way

 

A flying-club not far from here uses two Windows 3.11 computers. They are
very heavily used, as pilots check the NOTAMS and weather on them every day.

The reason?

1. It works (and is actually faster than Vista!) so why change it?

2. Nobody is tempted to install software or fool-around on so ancient a
platform. Therefore they stay working.


"Shenan Stanley" wrote:

<!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
> You may have all those older machines - but how often (comparatively) do you
> use them?<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->

 

<snip>

Shenan Stanley wrote:
<snipped><!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
> You may have all those older machines - but how often
> (comparatively) do you use them?<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->

Anteaus wrote:<!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
> A flying-club not far from here uses two Windows 3.11 computers.
> They are very heavily used, as pilots check the NOTAMS and weather
> on them every day.
>
> The reason?
>
> 1. It works (and is actually faster than Vista!) so why change it?
>
> 2. Nobody is tempted to install software or fool-around on so
> ancient a platform. Therefore they stay working.<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->

Great - but the question was not directed toward them and I never said there
weren't uses for the older OSes... The question was/is to the responder who
said they, "Have desktop w/Vista, laptop w/Vista, laptop w/XP, 10 year old
desktop w/98SE, 9 year old desktop w/ME, and 20+ year old Toshiba laptop
that still work perfectly." <-- thus the "comparatively" was added; to be
more clear - if the person the question was directed to put the time used on
each of those machine into percentages overall - which one has the highest
percentage of daily use and which one has the lowest?


I said, "The point is - at least with software - if you want to keep up and
continue to try/do new things (from viewing certain web pages with
flash/shockwave to running certain games or using certain applications or
utilizing newer peripherals) - you will have to move on."

Your example is one of where there is no point in moving on - as no one
either cares to or has a need to.

There may well be a time when they will have to move on - or someone may
already have a better way of doing what they are doing with newer software
and they just don't care/don't know - no matter. The point given remains
the same. ;-)

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way