4 ms·

Because the world moves on. Let me quickly check if Microsoft still releases security fixes for DOS 1.0 ...

walterbell 12y ago
Microsoft supported XP with security fixes for 10 years. Apple can't support iOS7 for one year? Good luck to IBM selling iPads into the enterprise market. Enterprise customers need time to validate corporate applications with a new OS version. Let's see if Apple's enterprise customers are happy to risk corporate IP to an arbitrary code execution vulnerability, or impact corporate productivity by "upgrading" to the bugs in iOS8, http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/ios-8-bugs-roundup-top-reasons-why-you-need-downgrade-1466458 http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/ios-8-bugs-roundup-top-reasons-why-...
- jlarocco 12y ago
  That's kind of silly. XP was at least as buggy as iOS, probably more so, and that didn't stop very many enterprise customers from buying it. And then they upgraded to Vista and Windows 7, which were just as buggy. "Upgrade to the next version to get bug fixes" will work for Apple just as well as it worked for Microsoft.
- wereHamster 12y ago
  Where do you draw the line? 1 year? 10 years? 100 years? Some argue that MS was too soon to stop XP support, as it is still being widely used. Even MSDOS is still being used by some companies. > Enterprise customers need time to validate corporate applications with a new OS version. Isn't it strange that most of the apps I have installed had a new version at the iOS8 launch date or a day later, but 'enterprise' developers need years to 'validate' a new OS version?
  - Dylan16807 12y ago
    I'd say take the 90th percentile lifetime of the hardware, double it, that's how long an operating system should be supported. The doubling to account for people that aren't buying on day one. So around the 10 year number. Depends on the kind of computer.
    - wereHamster 12y ago
      Embedded, low-power, passively cooled i386 (or compatible) have a pretty long lifetime, 30 years at least. So MSDOS, which is an operating system which can run on those should be supported for 60 years?
      - Dylan16807 12y ago
        If it's embedded you look at the lifetime of the entire unit. If the machine lasts 30 years then yes, you should be supporting the whole thing. Maybe not 2x, maybe closer to (lifetime + years between OS releases + 2 year margin). And when I say 'support' in the context of embedded code I don't mean much. It doesn't need new features. It should generally not be on a public network and doesn't need much in the way of bugfixes. Just keep it running. After a few years it's likely you won't need to patch it again ever. But if it needs a patch, make one. When I picture someone installing a new operating system on the lathe they've had for 20 years my eyes are wide in horror.
- eddieroger 12y ago
  IBM doesn't need luck in the Enterprise market, the Enterprise is asking for it (maybe not IT leaders, but they're losing the battle to other divisions). Besides, the idea that upgrading to iOS 8 as part of the bug fix cycle is a remnant of the days when OS upgrades were big, expensive and hard. If the lifecycle of the iPad in an Enterprise is three years (a guess), there's a documented trend that Apple will release OS updates for three year old hardware. Instead of patching 7 forever, push the latest OS update. End users are happier, which makes leadership happier.
ZoF 12y ago
Are you seriously comparing IOS 7 to MSDOS?

Microsoft supported XP with security fixes for 10 years. Apple can't support iOS7 for one year? Good luck to IBM selling iPads into the enterprise market. Enterprise customers need time to validate corporate applications with a new OS version. Let's see if Apple's enterprise customers are happy to risk corporate IP to an arbitrary code execution vulnerability, or impact corporate productivity by "upgrading" to the bugs in iOS8, http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/ios-8-bugs-roundup-top-reasons-why-you-need-downgrade-1466458 http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/ios-8-bugs-roundup-top-reasons-why-...

jlarocco 12y ago
That's kind of silly. XP was at least as buggy as iOS, probably more so, and that didn't stop very many enterprise customers from buying it. And then they upgraded to Vista and Windows 7, which were just as buggy. "Upgrade to the next version to get bug fixes" will work for Apple just as well as it worked for Microsoft.
wereHamster 12y ago
Where do you draw the line? 1 year? 10 years? 100 years? Some argue that MS was too soon to stop XP support, as it is still being widely used. Even MSDOS is still being used by some companies. > Enterprise customers need time to validate corporate applications with a new OS version. Isn't it strange that most of the apps I have installed had a new version at the iOS8 launch date or a day later, but 'enterprise' developers need years to 'validate' a new OS version?
- Dylan16807 12y ago
  I'd say take the 90th percentile lifetime of the hardware, double it, that's how long an operating system should be supported. The doubling to account for people that aren't buying on day one. So around the 10 year number. Depends on the kind of computer.
  - wereHamster 12y ago
    Embedded, low-power, passively cooled i386 (or compatible) have a pretty long lifetime, 30 years at least. So MSDOS, which is an operating system which can run on those should be supported for 60 years?
    - Dylan16807 12y ago
      If it's embedded you look at the lifetime of the entire unit. If the machine lasts 30 years then yes, you should be supporting the whole thing. Maybe not 2x, maybe closer to (lifetime + years between OS releases + 2 year margin). And when I say 'support' in the context of embedded code I don't mean much. It doesn't need new features. It should generally not be on a public network and doesn't need much in the way of bugfixes. Just keep it running. After a few years it's likely you won't need to patch it again ever. But if it needs a patch, make one. When I picture someone installing a new operating system on the lathe they've had for 20 years my eyes are wide in horror.
eddieroger 12y ago
IBM doesn't need luck in the Enterprise market, the Enterprise is asking for it (maybe not IT leaders, but they're losing the battle to other divisions). Besides, the idea that upgrading to iOS 8 as part of the bug fix cycle is a remnant of the days when OS upgrades were big, expensive and hard. If the lifecycle of the iPad in an Enterprise is three years (a guess), there's a documented trend that Apple will release OS updates for three year old hardware. Instead of patching 7 forever, push the latest OS update. End users are happier, which makes leadership happier.

ZoF 12y ago

Are you seriously comparing IOS 7 to MSDOS?