Microsoft 365 patches for Windows 7 to end in 2023
- Reference: 1657628107
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2022/07/12/microsoft_365_windows_7_eol/
- Source link:
Windows 7 went out of support in 2020, but Microsoft recognized that many enterprises were quite happy where they were. For a fee, it made Extended Security Updates (ESU) available, which would at least deal with security patches.
Released in 2009, Windows 7 outlived its successor Windows 8 but now the time has come to say goodbye. If Windows is your thing, Microsoft would be more than happy to direct you to 10 or 11. There are also plenty of alternatives out there these days, certainly when compared to 2009.
[1]
The other stick being wielded by the Windows vendor is the ubiquitous Microsoft 365 suite. With the Windows 7 ESU program gasping its last on January 10, 2023, along with support for Windows 8.1, Microsoft 365 apps running on the deprecated code (including Windows Server 2008 R2) will also stop receiving security updates.
[2]
"Additionally," [3]said Microsoft , "new installations of Microsoft 365 Apps will be blocked on Windows 8.1 devices."
[4]x86 Raspberry Pi Desktop is a great way to revive an old PC
[5]Microsoft delays controversial ban on paid-for open source, WebKit in app store
[6]Windows 11: The little engine that could, eventually
[7]Microsoft fixes under-attack Windows zero-day Follina
Microsoft has long used its app suite to prod customers toward supported platforms. In 2021, it [8]yanked support for Internet Explorer before having a final attempt at killing off the browser a few short weeks ago.
Withdrawing security updates is a big deal. Microsoft's code has suffered from some [9]nasty vulnerabilities over the years and the thought of the company cutting off security fixes might leave some administrators feeling faint. [10]An April report by asset management platform Lansweeper showed Windows 7 still squatting on 4.7 percent of the PCs surveyed, although the still-in-support Windows 10 accounted for over 80 per cent.
Microsoft's announcement is a reminder that the clock is ticking for customers living in the past. It might have [11]temporarily rolled back plans to block Office macros last week as well as [12]emitting patches for the out-of-support Windows XP to dodge another WannaCry incident, but considering recent vulnerabilities, it would be a brave administrator who would play chicken over the end of security updates. ®
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[1] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Ys2amT3ztl12NTtWxhv75AAAABY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Ys2amT3ztl12NTtWxhv75AAAABY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[3] https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/office-end-of-support-blog/act-now-and-keep-microsoft-365-apps-supported-after-january-10/ba-p/3568981
[4] https://www.theregister.com/2022/07/11/raspberry_pi_desktop_update/
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2022/07/08/microsoft_store_open_source_webkit/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2022/07/01/windows_11_adduplex/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2022/06/15/microsoft_patch_tuesday/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2021/08/18/internet_explorer_microsoft_365_support/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2022/03/09/microsoft_patch_tuesday/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2022/04/19/windows_11_marketshare/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2022/07/08/office_macro_block_rollback/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2019/05/15/may_patch_tuesday/
[13] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
The problem with LibreOffice, and before that OpenOffice, has always been the differences in file formats when exchanging documents with MS Office. Simple text documents, e.g. a letter, do not usually present problems as long as you have exactly the same fonts installed. Add a table, and the chances of a good exchange drop by several percent. So although I can work with LibreOffice alone without any problems, when it comes to sharing documents with others I have to start asking is it worth it?
I recently wrote a comment about my experiences with MS 365 personal edition on a Mac. It's £60 a year including 1TB of space. That is actually not a bad deal. MS 365 business edition, the version comparable to the personal edition, is £7.90 a month and that also includes 1TB of space. Again, that is not a bad deal. If I have to spend more than an hour in a year dealing with the differences between exchanged files, then it is cheaper for me (in round numbers) to just get a MS 365 licence.
Of course, I'm aware that I don't "own" MS Office, and once the subscription ends so does my ability to edit documents using it. But if the time I spend fixing up broken exchanged documents is actually just wasted time, sometimes paying is cheaper.
Ok. I hate to say it, given the problems with round-tripping between MS Office and LibreOffice, but it really might be time to dump MS Office once and for all. We’ve tried before, had problems switched back, but this time we might just stick with LO. We’d still have to work around the problems with complex documents, but that may just be the way things are.