Pulling the plug on expired Operating Systems

yngve

Browsers are ending their support for Windows 7 and 8.1 in 2023. Vivaldi dev and security expert Yngve Pettersen explains the challenges faced by browsers as to why they end support of various operating system versions.

Click here to see the full blog post

MoonDawg

Thanks for your comments on this very old browser problem.

Catweazle

@yngve , sometimes the EOL of an OS is not related to security problems or a necessary adaptation to more advanced hardware, but is obviously due to economic reasons of the company to make money.

This can be deduced from the problem that some Windows 10 users have to upgrade to Windows 11, as is also the case with my laptop, where MS confirms that my 2-year-old laptop is not compatible with Windows 11, despite complying broadly all Hardware requirements, but not supported, because my graphics card is not on MS internal list, however this list contains much older and humbler AMD graphics cards than mine. Which is really absurd.

I am in any case clear that if Windows 10 comes to an end in 2025-2026, I will have no problem switching to Linux, although for various reasons I prefer Windows.

DoctorG

@Catweazle said in Pulling the plug on expired Operating Systems:

I am in any case clear that if Windows 10 comes to an end in 2025-2026, I will have no problem switching to Linux, although for various reasons I prefer Windows.

I agree, i do not want to buy new hardware because of MS does not want tu support Intel CPU. Linux is a good choice then.

Pesala

I just accept that it makes economic sense to upgrade my PC every ten years or so. Performance increases by an order of magnitude in that period.

2001 Windows ME
2013 Windows 7 64-bit
2021 Windows 10 (my current hardware)

I plan to keep using Windows 10. I only upgraded to Windows 10 on my Windows 7 PC because time was running out to do it for free.

Zalex108

Thx!
Time to learn Code! 😆

Zalex108

@catweazle:

There are ways to skip the HW compatibility check
I guess you already know.

Chas4

:knight: Also with updating to a modern OS gets you better security and can have better performance with newer SDKs

TravellinBob

@Catweazle I have a similar problem. My 9 year old Lenovo Thinkpad W530 was bought with W7, and I took the free W10 upgrade shortly before that option became unavailable. I've had no problems at all with either the machine or the OS, it's still doing everything I want it to hassle free.

Along came W11 and I did the health check prior to upgrading, and hey, presto - no can do. There seem to be three or four hardware issues that prevent me from upgrading the OS, and it seems none of them can be fixed. So if I want W11, I have to buy a new laptop - and right now I'm simply not prepared to spend a few grand replacing something that works just fine.

I do understand the logic behind End of Service, but it doesn't make it any less frustrating! Reading this, it looks like I'll be ok for another couple of years, so I guess I'd better start saving!

A10c

windows 7 is legend.....

User5765

F_ck planned obsolescence. I thought Vivaldi was supposed to be pro-consumer?

stardepp

@TravellinBob With these instructions I managed to upgrade my incompatible PC to Windows 11:

https://www.deskmodder.de/wiki/index.php?title=Windows_11_auch_ohne_TPM_und_Secure_Boot_installieren

LonM

@user5765: This isn't really planned obsolescence from vivaldi. I'm sure if Vivaldi could keep updating for older OSes, they would do as best they could. The biggest driving factor in dropping support is largely when the chromium code upstream decides they no longer have the resources to maintain it. As noted in the article, if you use linux then there's no obsolescence limit to how long you can keep using your technology.

Semenov-Sherin

Anyway, that's time to switch to Linux.

Aaron

So I'm reminded of the old question: why can't Vivaldi continue to use Presto, aside from intellectual property restrictions?

In fact, Opera (based on Presto) was the most important factor (the only one, no others) in supporting my successful migration from Windows to Linux in 2006

Catweazle

@Zalex108 , I know that I can cheat this limitation and install W11, if I want, but I don't feel like it, because I don't see the advantage that W11 has over W10, on the contrary, it only has more bloat- and spyware than it already cost me in W10 work to eliminate, also with the risk that some other software is no longer compatible.
Currently I have a W10 which works like a charm, has the same security like W11 may have,with the same updates...no need to change it.

ra-mon

I remember the 1st bug i reported to Vivaldi Team was VB-1700 -Vivaldi.exe crash on XP SP3 (nov2014)
Vivaldi wasn't tested on this unsupported (by Microsoft) system.
They fixed the issue and allow XP to run vivaldi.exe few more months (until Chromium itself end support in April 2016 )

Today, i still run Win7 on my main computer (not sure i'll switch Win10 or Win11, but probably Linux)

Catweazle

@ra-mon , that a software is no longer available for my old OS is logical, the technique advances and the requirements change. This is not only the case with software, but also with hardware and other products. Anyone with a VHS recorder, Walkman, Floppy drive, etc..?
Absurd only if this happens after 2-3 years, forced by a company with the reason of wanting to sell its product at all costs, without offering real advances.
That a PC after 15 years has already reached the end of compatibility is assumable, not even a washing machine usually lasts that long in many cases, but it can be expected that a user cannot buy a new PC every 2 years or invest money in expanding it , to be able to use a simple update of an OS.

ingolftopf

For a start/change to Linux I would recommend 'Q4Os'.
https://q4os.org

Based on 'Debian-Stable', more recent programs (packages) can be installed easily via 'Debian-Backports' and you still have a 'rock-solid' system.

Q4OS can be installed very easily, like a Windows program, without stick, DVD installation, on a Windows computer, beside or completely.
Like the old, no longer maintained 'Wubi' Ubuntu installation.
I am very enthusiastic about this, and have often recommended it with success.
There is also a Jabber/XMPP room for: xmpp:[email protected]?join

TravellinBob

@stardepp Thanks, I'll take a look at it...if it's even half-way technical I know I'll have problems 'cause tech stuff might as well be written in Egyptian hieroglyphics for all it means to me! :-))
But I do appreciate you taking the time to advise.