Dropping Windows 7 support in Take Command / TCC v26

[rconn]

I'm planning to remove Windows 7 support from the next version of Take Command / TCC / CMDebug / TCC-RT. Microsoft is dropping support in January, and in the past we have always followed Microsoft's timetable (as trying to support a Windows version that Microsoft won't support is an exercise in futility). And once Microsoft stops security updates for Windows 7, I don't want those users accessing the website & forums!

Many of the new features planned for v26 will only work in a Windows 10 environment anyway, so building executables that will work in both versions will add a lot of code, slow things down, and IMHO not provide any benefits to anyone.

Of course, if a very large corporate customer is willing to pay Microsoft (& JP Software!) for continued Windows 7 updates, I'll be happy to listen ...

 

[Glenn Bowes]

I agree with dropping Win 7 support. Will it still be available win Windows 8.1?

 

[rconn]

I agree with dropping Win 7 support. Will it still be available win Windows 8.1?

I'm undecided. Windows 8.1 end of Mainstream Support was January 9, 2018. The end of Extended Support is January 10, 2023.

The problem with 8.1 is the same as Win 7 - the new features I'm adding for v26 will only work with Win 10. So at best (if I add a lot of kludge code) v26 on Win 8 will look like v25. It will never get the new features.

 

[myarmor]

Will there still be bugfixes for 25 for a while after that date?

Buying a new computer just for W10/TCC26 is rather.. but then again, this one is already
getting somewhat old, so I would have to do so eventually.

This one will probably be offline except for Steam at that time.

 

[rconn]

Will there still be bugfixes for 25 for a while after that date?

Yes. though the thought of unpatched Win 7 systems accessing the internet is somewhat disturbing!

 

[vefatica]

Yes. though the thought of unpatched Win 7 systems accessing the internet is somewhat disturbing!

The Win7/32 system on my older computer is around 9 years old and it has never been patched. I don't lose any sleep over it.

 

[rconn]

The Win7/32 system on my older computer is around 9 years old and it has never been patched. I don't lose any sleep over it.

It's not you I worry about; it's everybody else that you could wreck!

 

[myarmor]

Yes. though the thought of unpatched Win 7 systems accessing the internet is somewhat disturbing!

I agree. Hence why I said "offline except steam".
That should be manageable to do by using and defining whitelisted domains/ports (in the router)
instead of the opposite for this computer.

There shouldn't be any expected security issues before 2020.01.14 + 1month though.
(14 Jan is the second tuesday of January, iow patchday)
My system is fully patched.

 

[Alpengreis]

The Win7/32 system on my older computer is around 9 years old and it has never been patched. I don't lose any sleep over it.

That's just unresponsibly if you use this for internet too. You accept that the machine is abused and can harm others.