Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Nope. Tiger, Leopard, and Snow Leopard are all marked as unsupported under the support status. They are dead to Apple. XP has outlived them all.

Lion and Mountain Lion still get minor security updates, but will no doubt be ditched as soon as a Mavericks successor is released. Apple drop full support off an OS almost as soon as they release it's successor.
That's probably why these older OSes are still available for tech support at any Apple store :rolleyes:

Serious sysadmins still rely on SL Server since Lion dumbed everything down and Mavericks still haven't recovered from that fall.
 
That's probably why these older OSes are still available for tech support at any Apple store :rolleyes:

I was on about whether Apple provide continued security updates and application support for their older OSs (which they don't, my G4 only scrapes by thanks to the awesome community of developers that continue to provide for PPC Macs). I was not on how they react if you enter an Apple Store with an older machine.
 
I was on about whether Apple provide continued security updates and application support for their older OSs (which they don't, my G4 only scrapes by thanks to the awesome community of developers that continue to provide for PPC Macs). I was not on how they react if you enter an Apple Store with an older machine.
Well it's probably not updated anymore, but still available on their server in-store, I guess for reinstallation if you change the hard drive.
 
I just thought of something... is MS planning to keep the XP product-key activation servers alive after XP's EOL for a time?
Or will MS simply allow all XP activation requests to be approved, bypassing the hardware hash check?
 
I just thought of something... is MS planning to keep the XP product-key activation servers alive after XP's EOL for a time?
Or will MS simply allow all XP activation requests to be approved, bypassing the hardware hash check?

Since the update servers for Windows 98 are still functioning fine, I'm willing to guess that Microsoft will keep the servers.
 
Starting on March 8th, the nag message shown below will start showing up on Windows XP user's desktops...

Windows%20XP%20Nag%20Screen.jpg
 
Probably 33.3% of the users will think it's a virus and 33.3% will click it off before they notice the checkbox.

Why specifically 33.3% ? Do you have any proof that 33.3% of people automatically assume a dialogue box to be a virus and that 33.3% of people don't read dialogue boxes? I'm confused as how you came to this bizarre conclusion.
 
Why specifically 33.3% ? Do you have any proof that 33.3% of people automatically assume a dialogue box to be a virus and that 33.3% of people don't read dialogue boxes? I'm confused as how you came to this bizarre conclusion.

Why so serious? It was said in jest, my friend. I'm amazed on how you would come to any other conclusion re: my statement.
 
Why so serious? It was said in jest, my friend. I'm amazed on how you would come to any other conclusion re: my statement.

My apologies. It is hard for me to tell if people are being serious or not on this site. :eek:
 
Since the update servers for Windows 98 are still functioning fine, I'm willing to guess that Microsoft will keep the servers.

Windows 98's product key system didn't require that a hardware hash be sent to MS to be associated to a particular set of hardware; a single Win98 key could be used on indefinite numbers of machines. XP's system does establish a link between a given product key and the hardware it's installed on, to help prevent usage of a single non-volume-license product key on multiple computers.

A user can install Windows 98 an indefinite number of times without Internet activation. XP, however, requires it for use beyond a set number of days (60? 120? The number escapes me at the moment).

If MS ever decides to shut down XP activation services due to eventual lack of use, how will (the small number of remaining) users reinstall? Would MS release a patch that would bypass activation?

I'm not expecting a concrete answer to this; it's rather rhetorical at this point, I suppose. Carry on... :)
 
Windows 98's product key system didn't require that a hardware hash be sent to MS to be associated to a particular set of hardware; a single Win98 key could be used on indefinite numbers of machines. XP's system does establish a link between a given product key and the hardware it's installed on, to help prevent usage of a single non-volume-license product key on multiple computers.

A user can install Windows 98 an indefinite number of times without Internet activation. XP, however, requires it for use beyond a set number of days (60? 120? The number escapes me at the moment).

If MS ever decides to shut down XP activation services due to eventual lack of use, how will (the small number of remaining) users reinstall? Would MS release a patch that would bypass activation?

I'm not expecting a concrete answer to this; it's rather rhetorical at this point, I suppose. Carry on... :)

My point was that since online services for Windows 98 are still live, I see no reason as to why Microsoft would close online services for Windows XP.
 
My point was that since online services for Windows 98 are still live, I see no reason as to why Microsoft would close online services for Windows XP.

I agree, at least for the near future. As I said, my ponderance was more rhetorical in nature. A server that stores and compares hardware hashes for an OS that is about to go obsolete probably doesn't need to be all that powerful anyway, so MS could probably repurpose an older rack server for this without users noticing.

/ponderance... is that even a word? LOL
 
Why specifically 33.3% ? Do you have any proof that 33.3% of people automatically assume a dialogue box to be a virus and that 33.3% of people don't read dialogue boxes? I'm confused as how you came to this bizarre conclusion.
The number is debatable, but given computer literacy among Windows users, it's a known fact that they're trained to click whatever button is on a dialog box without properly reading and understanding what's displayed.
 
Don't think my old machine can support anything past XP >.< still use it for some games though so kind of sucks that it won't be supported anymore
 
Ponderance is a real word in the Merriam-Webster premium unabridged dictionary according to this page, so I guess that makes ponderance a $5 word.

Wow... you learn something new every day. :D It seems Xubuntu's default dictionary identifies it too.

I think I used it based on the word "preponderance", as in the legal phrase "preponderance of evidence", and I got lucky this time.

Add a Q, P and Z, and I'll have a Scrabble word worth 480 points.

eDRzcXF3MTI=_o_eddie-izzard---dress-to-kill-part-14.jpg
 
That's probably why these older OSes are still available for tech support at any Apple store :rolleyes:

Perhaps silly "how do I do this" questions that can just be Googled, but no hardware support for any machines running those OSes.

I just re-installed Windows XP SP3 via Boot Camp this weekend on my old HD. It's shameful that an older OS like Win XP has more first and third party support than Leopard (next to none) or possibly even Snow Leopard. I had to download Snow Leopard just to get basic things like Chrome and plugin updates. It's also sad I get superior performance in Windows as well.

With Apple's annual update calendar, OSes will be dropped quicker as well. That's a major sticking point whether or not I want to re-up with my next hardware purchase. I have no qualms about using Windows 8.1 instead of OS X. Or I'm tempted to check out the ASUS Chromebox as a stopgap until perhaps a Steam Machine later this year.
 
Perhaps silly "how do I do this" questions that can just be Googled, but no hardware support for any machines running those OSes.
Indeed, I wasn't referring to hardware support, but software support, as they can still perform some operations under these older OSes. What they do provide as far as hardware goes is limited to batteries and power adapters.
 
I'm not sure which forum to post this in so I'll try here.
As long as I have a current paid antivirus and fire wall on my old computer do I really need to worry about microsofts support service packs which end in April of this year. It's a backup machine and I only want to access the Internet with it on rare occasions. I do realize in the future new programs will not run on it, but that's the case with it now.
I already have a hp with windows 8 (which I despise) laptop and a apple iPad to access information.

Consider a Windows 7 upgrade? In the World of Windows, it has worked well for me.
 
Consider a Windows 7 upgrade? In the World of Windows, it has worked well for me.
Why invest so much money for what is essentially a "backup computer"? Stick some Linux flavor on it and keep using your Mac.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.