Just wondering how Linux Distros / kernels compare with length of support for Windows
So at some stage I would like to provide some visual comparison with support life for various Linux distros.
Windows 2.0 - 14 Years support
Microsoft Windows version 2.0 (2.01 and 2.03 internally) came out on December 9, 1987
On December 31, 2001, Microsoft declared Windows 2.x obsolete and stopped providing support and updates for the system.
Windows 3.0 - 11 Years support
Windows 3.0, released in May 1990, improved capabilities given to native applications.
Windows 3.0 became a major source of income for Microsoft, and led the company to revise some of its earlier plans. Support was discontinued on December 31, 2001.
Windows 3.1 - 9 Years support, or maybe 16
Microsoft developed Windows 3.1 (first released in April 1992), which included several improvements to Windows 3.0.
On December 31, 2001, Microsoft declared Windows 3.1 obsolete and stopped providing support and updates for the system. However, OEM licensing for Windows for Workgroups 3.11 on embedded systems continued to be available until November 1, 2008.
Windows 95 - 6 Years support
Microsoft marketing adopted Windows 95 as the product name for Chicago when it was released on August 24, 1995.
Microsoft ended extended support for Windows 95 on December 31, 2001.
Windows 98 - 4 Years support, or maybe 8
On June 25, 1998, Microsoft released Windows 98 (code-named Memphis)
Mainstream support for Windows 98 and 98 SE ended on June 30, 2002, and ended extended support on July 11, 2006.
Windows 2000 - 10 Years support
Microsoft released Windows 2000 on February 17, 2000, as the successor to Windows NT 4.0.
Microsoft ended support for both Windows 2000 and Windows XP Service Pack 2 on July 13, 2010.
Windows ME - 6 Years support
On September 14, 2000, Microsoft released a successor to Windows 98 called Windows Me, short for “Millennium Edition”.
Support and updates for Windows ME (and Windows 98) ended in 2006.
Windows XP - 8 Years support, or maybe 13
On October 25, 2001, Microsoft released Windows XP (codenamed “Whistler”). The merging of the Windows NT/2000 and Windows 95/98/Me lines was finally achieved with Windows XP. In January 30, 2007, it was succeeded by Windows Vista.
Mainstream support for Windows XP ended on April 14, 2009, and extended support ended on April 8, 2014.
Windows Vista - 6 Years support, or maybe 11
Windows Vista was released on November 30, 2006, to business customers—consumer versions followed on January 30, 2007.
Official mainstream support for Vista ended on April 10, 2012, and extended support ended on April 11, 2017.
Windows 7 - 11 Years support
Windows 7 was released to manufacturing on July 22, 2009, and reached general retail availability on October 22, 2009.
Support for Windows 7 has ended
After 10 years, security updates and technical support for Windows 7 ended on January 14, 2020.
Windows 8 and 8.1 - 11 Years support
Product development on Windows 8 was completed on August 1, 2012, and it was released to manufacturing the same day. Windows Server 2012 went on sale to the public on September 4, 2012. Windows 8 went on sale to the public on October 26, 2012.
After January 10, 2023, Microsoft will no longer provide security updates or technical support for Windows 8.1
Windows 10 - 10 Years support
Windows 10 was unveiled on September 30, 2014, as the successor for Windows 8, and was released on July 29, 2015.
According to Microsoft’s lifecycle website, the company will officially support Windows 10 until October 14, 2025.
Windows 11 - Time to stop dual booting