http://news.zdnet.com/2100-3513_22-6092653.html

 

It seems that Windows 98 and ME support is ending. XP is about $200 (or $100 to upgrade) (http://www.microsoft.com/products/info/product.aspx?view=22&pcid=a9d2c448-eb05-4a2b-a062-9c711c533e0c&type=ovr). I think linux will get a boost. It won't be too hard for some to switch to ubuntu, right?

Just because support is ending doesn't mean suddenly everyone will leave win98.

 

I'm on a win95 computer! Sure it's the only computer on 95 where I am (work experience - Medical Physics dept. at a hospital) but it is still working fine!

 

Also remember that win98 is soo old that there are very few, if any, people who are still looking for loopholes in the OS, so it's not like many, if any, updates are required.

I put debian on my old Windows 95 computer. You wouldn't believe how much of a speed boost you get on older hardware.

 

We still use a 98 computer though. I think it's funny when we bought it (98 was $1000) they advertised that it was expandable -- that it could keep up with new technology. 6 and a half years latter everything about it is obsolete (it wont even run win2000). It works for a good two years and we have to format. It's like a never ending cycle. That's going to be a problem when we have to reinstall again cause it wont update.

Also remember that win98 is soo old that there are very few, if any, people who are still looking for loopholes in the OS, so it's not like many, if any, updates are required.

 

Many exploits are cross-(windows)platform, so many will still be found, and will remain unpatched in 9x OSs.

 

E.g., the recent windows meta file vulnerability, which effected a piece of software which has been knocking aboot on windows systems since v3.x, effected ALL windows OSs. Theres allready a vulnerability (effects XP, 2003, ME, 2000, and 98) that's being left eternally unpatched in 98.

 

I think it's bye-bye win98 time.

Support for ME might as well have been pulled right when it was launched. No amount of tech support could make that clunker run properly.

Support for ME might as well have been pulled right when it was launched. No amount of tech support could make that clunker run properly.

 

meh... Ive used ME succesfully for 7 years and counting, so my personal experiance hasn't shown ME to be worse then any other OS.

 

I wouldn't worry about support ending. They'll still be forums dedicated to the subject. And where there are forums, there are always nerds to fix your newb problems.

Yeah, but people in these forums dont have access to the source code. Only Microsoft does and thus only Microsoft can fix things.

there's been talk of forming an unnoficial support group for win98 that'll make patches, and patches have been released by non-micorosoft people before (two WMF patches were released by non-microsoft people before the original patch came out), and you can usually at least develop a work-around for a flaw.

As 1veedo said, I believe microsoft would have to release the source code for a community to support win98. They've been doing some crazy stuff lately, why not just release the source code?