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While I agree at some degree, when end users bought their instance of Windows, the promise was that it will work on that particular machine. A much more user fr

While I agree at some degree, when end users bought their instance of Windows, the promise was that it will work on that particular machine. A much more user friendly way would be to show a huge red windows at every login that you computer has outdated drivers that pose a security risk, use at your own risk and what are your options.

eddythompson80 1y ago
I'm confused as to where exactly people are getting "Windows is breaking old machines" from this. The blog post says "they are removing old drivers that *are not being offered* to anyone. They are starting with the subset that also *has newer replacements*, and they will publish the name of drivers removed, and wait for 6 months to hear from any hardware vendors about any concerns. The entire post is target at their driver vendors to maintain their listing in their driver repository better. I'm guessing Microsoft ignored that for decades, and hardware vendors have submitted tons of drivers over the last 25 years and they have a clean up initiative. How is that like crazy?
- zsoltkacsandi 1y ago
  I am not sure if we read the same article: > Once that happens, only the hardware partner who published it can bring it back. But there’s a catch. Microsoft may demand a business justification before allowing a republish. And if the partner doesn’t respond within six months, the driver is deleted permanently. > And while the company claims this is about improving security and reducing compatibility issues, the reality is that it’s cutting support for a lot of older devices in the name of modernization. > In other words, things that used to work might just stop working. > Microsoft’s cleanup may sound responsible on the surface, but for anyone still clinging to older hardware or niche accessories, it might feel more like abandonment. Once a driver disappears, finding it again could become a scavenger hunt.
  - eddythompson80 1y ago
    https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/hardwaredevcenter/removal-of-unwanted-drivers-from-windows-update/4425647 https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/hardwaredevcenter/r... One can spin anything. > But there’s a catch. Microsoft may demand a business justification before allowing a republish. And if the partner doesn’t respond within six months, the driver is deleted permanently. Ok.. and? You're complaining that 6 months isn't enough for a hardware vendor who published a driver that has a replacement and they believe there is a newer replacement for (but they could be wrong)? You're complaining that they might ask "why?" Say Debian maintainers want to get in touch with a package maintainer. They are thinking of removing it from their repository because no one is using it and there are tings about it they are not sure. They ping the package maintainer. Is it unreasonable to expect a reply in 6 months? should it be 12? 24? Is is also unreasonable for Debian maintainers to ask "Why?" if the package owner's answer (oh no, please keep it)? > And while the company claims this is about improving security and reducing compatibility issues, the reality is that it’s cutting support for a lot of older devices in the name of modernization. Ok, editorializing is fine, but literally nothing in the Microsoft post says they are removing drivers from devices and leaving them without drivers. They are removing older expired versions of drivers. Is it possible that a particular old version of a driver is very important for a particular scenario that newer version of the same driver don't cover? Of course. How in the hell would Microsoft know that? They presumably have telemetry on downloads, loaded drivers, etc. But they still can't cover everything. > In other words, things that used to work might just stop working. In other words, never make any changes. Things that used to work might just stop working. ok.. > Microsoft’s cleanup may sound responsible on the surface, but for anyone still clinging to older hardware or niche accessories, it might feel more like abandonment. Once a driver disappears, finding it again could become a scavenger hunt. oh a scavenger hunt, sounds fun.
- mulmen 1y ago
  What about hardware from vendors that are no longer in business or don’t care to take on support?
  - eddythompson80 1y ago
    One would think they must have a process to deal with partners going our of business https://partner.microsoft.com/en-us/partnership https://partner.microsoft.com/en-us/partnership I don't know what their process is.
    - deleted 1y ago
      [deleted]

eddythompson80 1y ago

I'm confused as to where exactly people are getting "Windows is breaking old machines" from this. The blog post says "they are removing old drivers that *are not being offered* to anyone. They are starting with the subset that also *has newer replacements*, and they will publish the name of drivers removed, and wait for 6 months to hear from any hardware vendors about any concerns. The entire post is target at their driver vendors to maintain their listing in their driver repository better. I'm guessing Microsoft ignored that for decades, and hardware vendors have submitted tons of drivers over the last 25 years and they have a clean up initiative. How is that like crazy?

zsoltkacsandi 1y ago
I am not sure if we read the same article: > Once that happens, only the hardware partner who published it can bring it back. But there’s a catch. Microsoft may demand a business justification before allowing a republish. And if the partner doesn’t respond within six months, the driver is deleted permanently. > And while the company claims this is about improving security and reducing compatibility issues, the reality is that it’s cutting support for a lot of older devices in the name of modernization. > In other words, things that used to work might just stop working. > Microsoft’s cleanup may sound responsible on the surface, but for anyone still clinging to older hardware or niche accessories, it might feel more like abandonment. Once a driver disappears, finding it again could become a scavenger hunt.
- eddythompson80 1y ago
  https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/hardwaredevcenter/removal-of-unwanted-drivers-from-windows-update/4425647 https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/hardwaredevcenter/r... One can spin anything. > But there’s a catch. Microsoft may demand a business justification before allowing a republish. And if the partner doesn’t respond within six months, the driver is deleted permanently. Ok.. and? You're complaining that 6 months isn't enough for a hardware vendor who published a driver that has a replacement and they believe there is a newer replacement for (but they could be wrong)? You're complaining that they might ask "why?" Say Debian maintainers want to get in touch with a package maintainer. They are thinking of removing it from their repository because no one is using it and there are tings about it they are not sure. They ping the package maintainer. Is it unreasonable to expect a reply in 6 months? should it be 12? 24? Is is also unreasonable for Debian maintainers to ask "Why?" if the package owner's answer (oh no, please keep it)? > And while the company claims this is about improving security and reducing compatibility issues, the reality is that it’s cutting support for a lot of older devices in the name of modernization. Ok, editorializing is fine, but literally nothing in the Microsoft post says they are removing drivers from devices and leaving them without drivers. They are removing older expired versions of drivers. Is it possible that a particular old version of a driver is very important for a particular scenario that newer version of the same driver don't cover? Of course. How in the hell would Microsoft know that? They presumably have telemetry on downloads, loaded drivers, etc. But they still can't cover everything. > In other words, things that used to work might just stop working. In other words, never make any changes. Things that used to work might just stop working. ok.. > Microsoft’s cleanup may sound responsible on the surface, but for anyone still clinging to older hardware or niche accessories, it might feel more like abandonment. Once a driver disappears, finding it again could become a scavenger hunt. oh a scavenger hunt, sounds fun.
mulmen 1y ago
What about hardware from vendors that are no longer in business or don’t care to take on support?
- eddythompson80 1y ago
  One would think they must have a process to deal with partners going our of business https://partner.microsoft.com/en-us/partnership https://partner.microsoft.com/en-us/partnership I don't know what their process is.
  - deleted 1y ago
    [deleted]