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Microsoft Warns Windows 7 Has Serious Problems

11 points by nikbackm 11y ago

Piskvorrr 11y ago
Summary: "Windows 7 is a serious (cannibalization) problem for Microsoft," not the other way around. Cf: Vista uptake vs. XP.
sreenadh 11y ago
A rather cheap trick by M$ to get us to move to the 10. Make a good OS that does not make the users feel handicapped or at the mercy of the company, then users will come.
- neikos 11y ago
  I think they have burned the bridges for that.
  - sreenadh 11y ago
    As someone who is trying to move to Mac and earlier failed to move to Linux. I must say that Windows has some good applications and I still reply on windows for that apps. I hope they just the stop all their nonsense interface and go back to windows 2000.
rossy 11y ago
> There’s only one problem with Capossela’s statements: they are complete rubbish. Woah, okay. Is it possible that Microsoft is telling the truth? Windows 7 will be supported till 2020, so it will still get security patches, but MS can't just patch in OS-level threat mitigation features like HEASLR. People seem to think that the choice between 7 and 10 is a choice of user interface, but MS still make changes under the hood between versions. As a software developer, this sort of thing is frustrating, since if you want to use the shiny new API features of newer Windows versions, you have to write fallback code for the older versions. Things aren't so bad if the oldest version you have to support is Windows 7, but back when XP was relevant, that normally meant supporting DirectSound as well as WASAPI and Direct3D 9 as well as (or instead of) Direct3D 11. Personally, I think if you don't like the direction that Windows is going in, you should consider the switch to Linux or OS X. Specifically, if you prefer a traditional desktop interface over a touch interface and you don't want your desktop computer to start looking more like your phone or tablet, Linux and OS X might be the last places you can turn. When Windows 7 gets as old as XP is today and 50% of people are still using it, I think developers will start to get as frustrated with 7 users as they are with XP users.
- Piskvorrr 11y ago
  Personally, I don't think there's anything wrong with "your OS is old, buy this new version - it is better." What irks me with Windows Nein is the forcible push: "you will migrate NOW, and you will like it, serf! We own you and your computer anyway."
- serge2k 11y ago
  > Specifically, if you prefer a traditional desktop interface over a touch interface and you don't want your desktop computer to start looking more like your phone or tablet Have you tried windows 10? They pretty much fixed that stupidity.
Someone1234 11y ago
> Windows 7 is no less secure than Windows 10 That's definitely untrue. Both receive security updates, sure, but that's where the similarities end. In terms of exploitation mitigation Windows 8, 8.1, and 10 pushed things forward, e.g. SmartScreen, Secure Boot (Device Guard), Control Flow Guard, Integrity Levels (inc. Restricted Caller), improved KASLR, improved ASLR, Isolated User Mode (Pass The Hash Protection), SMEP support, SEHOP, tons of new compiler-provided security functionality, and a more secure IE (better isolation/boundaries).
djaychela 11y ago
I think the problem for MS is that Windows 7 is much like Word 2003. It has all the features that most users will ever want, and works well enough to mean there's no real reason to want to upgrade, hence them needing to offer the free upgrade to 10, and hence that process now slowing down as the "ooh, look, shiny!" brigade are done, leaving those who are happy with W7 who will take a lot more persuading. I've updated my laptop to W10, and when I get a chance it will be reverted to the image I took before the upgrade, as it offers me nothing new (as a user, I'm sure the points outlined elsewhere on this page as under-the-bonnet improvements are true for developers), and in fact works less well than when it was running W7 - there are a bunch of things that just don't work properly, and a load of things appear to be unfinished/missing (settings, etc). If I could move completely away to Ubuntu then I would, but I have one piece of software on my laptop that I need to run which needs Windows (Cubase), and on my desktop I have a variety where there isn't a linux-compatible alternative that works well enough, so that's that. But I will be running W7 until it's too dangerous to do so, as I detested Windows 8, and for me W10 still has the horrible look and feel of it.
gscott 11y ago
Windows 7 is the last normal operating system from Microsoft so I install it for myself I can't imagine being stuck on Windows 10 which phones home to Microsoft on every action you take.
- MollyR 11y ago
  I agree, that really irritated me as well. I've even started to checkout Linux Mint to prepare myself on leaving windows behind completely.

11 points by nikbackm 11y ago

Summary: "Windows 7 is a serious (cannibalization) problem for Microsoft," not the other way around. Cf: Vista uptake vs. XP.

sreenadh 11y ago

A rather cheap trick by M$ to get us to move to the 10. Make a good OS that does not make the users feel handicapped or at the mercy of the company, then users will come.

neikos 11y ago
I think they have burned the bridges for that.
- sreenadh 11y ago
  As someone who is trying to move to Mac and earlier failed to move to Linux. I must say that Windows has some good applications and I still reply on windows for that apps. I hope they just the stop all their nonsense interface and go back to windows 2000.

rossy 11y ago

> There’s only one problem with Capossela’s statements: they are complete rubbish. Woah, okay. Is it possible that Microsoft is telling the truth? Windows 7 will be supported till 2020, so it will still get security patches, but MS can't just patch in OS-level threat mitigation features like HEASLR. People seem to think that the choice between 7 and 10 is a choice of user interface, but MS still make changes under the hood between versions. As a software developer, this sort of thing is frustrating, since if you want to use the shiny new API features of newer Windows versions, you have to write fallback code for the older versions. Things aren't so bad if the oldest version you have to support is Windows 7, but back when XP was relevant, that normally meant supporting DirectSound as well as WASAPI and Direct3D 9 as well as (or instead of) Direct3D 11. Personally, I think if you don't like the direction that Windows is going in, you should consider the switch to Linux or OS X. Specifically, if you prefer a traditional desktop interface over a touch interface and you don't want your desktop computer to start looking more like your phone or tablet, Linux and OS X might be the last places you can turn. When Windows 7 gets as old as XP is today and 50% of people are still using it, I think developers will start to get as frustrated with 7 users as they are with XP users.

Piskvorrr 11y ago
Personally, I don't think there's anything wrong with "your OS is old, buy this new version - it is better." What irks me with Windows Nein is the forcible push: "you will migrate NOW, and you will like it, serf! We own you and your computer anyway."
serge2k 11y ago
> Specifically, if you prefer a traditional desktop interface over a touch interface and you don't want your desktop computer to start looking more like your phone or tablet Have you tried windows 10? They pretty much fixed that stupidity.

Someone1234 11y ago

> Windows 7 is no less secure than Windows 10 That's definitely untrue. Both receive security updates, sure, but that's where the similarities end. In terms of exploitation mitigation Windows 8, 8.1, and 10 pushed things forward, e.g. SmartScreen, Secure Boot (Device Guard), Control Flow Guard, Integrity Levels (inc. Restricted Caller), improved KASLR, improved ASLR, Isolated User Mode (Pass The Hash Protection), SMEP support, SEHOP, tons of new compiler-provided security functionality, and a more secure IE (better isolation/boundaries).

djaychela 11y ago

I think the problem for MS is that Windows 7 is much like Word 2003. It has all the features that most users will ever want, and works well enough to mean there's no real reason to want to upgrade, hence them needing to offer the free upgrade to 10, and hence that process now slowing down as the "ooh, look, shiny!" brigade are done, leaving those who are happy with W7 who will take a lot more persuading. I've updated my laptop to W10, and when I get a chance it will be reverted to the image I took before the upgrade, as it offers me nothing new (as a user, I'm sure the points outlined elsewhere on this page as under-the-bonnet improvements are true for developers), and in fact works less well than when it was running W7 - there are a bunch of things that just don't work properly, and a load of things appear to be unfinished/missing (settings, etc). If I could move completely away to Ubuntu then I would, but I have one piece of software on my laptop that I need to run which needs Windows (Cubase), and on my desktop I have a variety where there isn't a linux-compatible alternative that works well enough, so that's that. But I will be running W7 until it's too dangerous to do so, as I detested Windows 8, and for me W10 still has the horrible look and feel of it.

gscott 11y ago

Windows 7 is the last normal operating system from Microsoft so I install it for myself I can't imagine being stuck on Windows 10 which phones home to Microsoft on every action you take.

MollyR 11y ago
I agree, that really irritated me as well. I've even started to checkout Linux Mint to prepare myself on leaving windows behind completely.