The vintage OS remains popular, months after Microsoft ended support
Why it matters: It’s been almost five months since Windows 7 reached the end of its extended support period, meaning that the only users to receive extended security updates (ESUs) are businesses and education customers willing to pay for them. Despite this, the venerable OS is still the second most popular operating system behind Windows 10, taking a near 25 percent share of the market.
Hard as it is to believe, Windows 7 released way back in 2009. It exited mainstream support and entered its extended support phase in January 2015, allowing users to still receive free critical security patches, bug fixes, and technical support for the next five years.
On January 14 this year, the extended support period ended. ESUs are still available to all Windows 7 Professional and Windows 7 Enterprise customers, but Microsoft charges $25 (Enterprise) or $50 (Pro) per machine, and those prices
go up every year.
