Today, Tuesday, April 10th, 2012 is the day that Microsoft is ending the mainstream support for Windows Vista after five years of its release, and for Microsoft Office 2007. However, because Windows XP still a big player in the operating system world, all support is set to be terminated in about two years, together with Microsoft Office 2003.
As reported by Ars Technica, the software giant has two stages for the support lifecycle of its products:
- Mainstream: The product gets all sorts of updates, security, stability, fixes, and seldom features.
- Extended: The product only gets security updates and business have to pay for bug fixes.
This means that Windows XP and Microsoft Office 2003 are in the Extended lifecycle until the end of 2014. Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 2007 on the other hand has just joined the Extended stage and their limited support are set to be terminated in early 2017.
For more information, you can visit Microsoft’s lifecycle web page.
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Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert and founder of Pureinfotech (est. 2010). With over 21 years as a technology writer and IT Specialist, Mauro specializes in Windows, software, and cross-platform systems such as Linux, Android, and macOS.
Certifications: Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA), Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP), VMware Certified Professional (VCP), and CompTIA A+ and Network+.
Mauro is a recognized Microsoft MVP and has also been a long-time contributor to Windows Central.
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