http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/lifecycle
MS says OEMs can sell new Machines with Windows 7 until next Halloween, but I plan on hoarding an unactivated OEM License of Win 7 until AMD Zen comes out and then I want to install it in Qemu so I can swap motherboards and keep Windows 7 on as many motherboard upgrades as I can without reactivating it because you can't just reactivate OEM Windows.
So my question would be, can I activate OEM Windows 7 after Halloween 2016?
All it really means is that they'll drop support for both of them, just pick up the cracked ISOs at the pirate bay and continue using them for years like everyone did for xp
Edit: I was wrong, jesus, support ending next year? Ouch.
I still expect activation to continue working for many years though.
This is just end of sales. End of support for Windows 7 will be in 2020, so activation should still work.
No offence but, but I like strive for a professional environment. You just look real unprofessional if you pirate software. (even if you paid for it) I know of an enterprise developer/support guy that remote desktopped into a windows XP machine and it was nagging him about a windows trial and he said they just reinstall windows when the trial ends and said how unprofessional it was. His perspective was he builds custom software for the enterprise and he thought a client of his shared his custom application with another company without them paying him, he would feel like he just had a new client that didn't pay him for a job.
Also with the Windows XP analogy, Windows 2000 is almost as useful as Windows XP, but Windows 2000 didn't require activation. So, I could rock Windows 2000 in a VM for legacy and not pirate it and just download the unofficial service pack and install some Windows XP hotfixes.
Edit: Link: http://blog.livedoor.jp/blackwingcat/archives/1114373.html
Ok, that's good. Thanks! I think I'll hoard as many Windows 7 licenses as I can for now and activate, and backup all of them a month or two before the January 14th 2020 cut off point.
I don't believe windows 7 has any issues with the proper activator, as with that xp story if they were going to game the system like that they might as well have just used activation software to fix that issue.
if they're going to end sales and end support, then what's the difference between key hoarding and just using a pirated version when they achieve the same outcome.
It means The Year of the Linux Desktop TM is upon us.
It's a myth :(
Well I don't know what you want to do about it but if Microsoft is gonna be a jerk like this then I am gonna start using Linux instead. Or you can just use the pirated copies.
Linux isn't there. Gimp still sucks due to having a bad UI and lacking features like non-destructive editing and native CMYK support and Audio is Linux hell. There is no plugin infrastructure and what little is there is not documented. If an open source project ever reimplements Apple's Core APIs so they can run Final Cut and Logic on Linux, I have a tip for whoever wants to do that... don't use the reimposition as a compatibility layer, use it as the system's native APIs and just make an ABI compatibility layer.
Yeeeeeeeeeeeeup.
Audio is not bad though. Its only shit on KDE for what ever reason. On gnome or any gnome based DE, audio is actually pretty damn solid.
But yeah, gimp is easily the most over hyped piece of shit ever. Just looking at the interface makes me want to vomit.
I'm talking about audio engineering, not listening to Flac Files
I know what this means for me. I better get my damn motherboard and CPU upgrades in before next summer and get the hell out of windows for good.
ABANDON SHIP!!!
That's not a very professional opinion.
oh but it is.
When you have a program that looks like it belongs on windows 95....there is a problem.
Ok then blender, most if not all 3D modeling tools in linux, darktables, most sound managers, most file managers.....
Yes of course you could never just change... the uhh.... WM theme.
That's never been a thing.
Screw functionality everything has to be as awesome as the compiz workspace cube.
I am so god damn sick of this argument from the linux side. Ohhh functionality this and functionality that.
Well guess what. The functionality is also pretty piss poor too.
gimp really does not handle raw photos as well as people like to think AND it looks like shit.
I really do not have a problem with people liking this program. I have a problem with uneducated fan boys preach about how good a program is when it looks and works like its from the stone age.
Especially when adobe CS6 and lightroom both work pretty well in wine.
If you want to bitch about photo editing, Darktables is years ahead and has support for cameras days after release.
On top of that, GIMP integrates with WM themes. If you want to bitch about theming and functionality, you won't win because A) tools are built for certain things and often there is a better linux tool to do X subject versus the generic tool that does X subject just ok and B) who gives a shit about the color gray?
Seriously, who in this forum gives a flying rat's fuzzy ass about gray. OH NO, I'M TRIGGERED BECAUSE GRAY...... It's a stupid argument and is non-comparible.
Also, I never defended gimp. Your opinions on linux tools seem very loose and also have little to back in proof. It's just "I opened it once, it looked stupid" and that's about it.
Darktable is like Lightroom, it's for manipulating with the raw data, not heavy image manipulation. There is no up to snuff photoshop replacement. There's Krita, but that's more of a Corel Paint alternative and it's designed for a completely different task.