Intel is probably kicking themselves for segmenting (patent protected) AVX instructions out of the lowend market for so long and so strongly encouraging developers to keep compiling the (patent expired) SSE code paths into programs.Newer games that use AVX instructions may not run.
Contrary to Linux, Windows has a rather stable driver API + values backwards compatibility, so even un-updated drivers would last much longer than for Android. Most new versions of Linux require new drivers. Almost no new version of Windows does.
The sad situation on Android is a perfect storm of Linux requiring driver updates, and Qualcom not providing them. Just one needs to be solved - if only Linux devs cared a bit more about users...
I truly believe Linus Thorvalds care more about me than Satya Nadell.if only Linux devs cared a bit more about users...
Contrary to Linux, Windows has a rather stable driver API + values backwards compatibility, so even un-updated drivers would last much longer than for Android. Most new versions of Linux require new drivers. Almost no new version of Windows does.
The sad situation on Android is a perfect storm of Linux requiring driver updates, and Qualcom not providing them. Just one needs to be solved - if only Linux devs cared a bit more about users...
6 years, until June 18th, 2030.So one of the issues with Qualcomm SoCs has been lack of long support; at least in part, this is why Google has moved to their own chipsets, as a part of a bid to be able to match other vendors offering 5 to 7 years of OS (Android) upgrades and patches.
I haven't seen this issue discussed within the context of Windows-on-Arm.
If I buy one of these systems, how many years of life can I expect to get out of them? Am I looking at a new laptop in just 3 to 4 years if I want to continue running Windows in a secure fashion?
Many of the big fortune 500 companies are running old proprietary desktop applications that have 32 bit dll's that take years to refactor until they can be compiled in 64 bit.
There was a break in driver compatibility with Windows 8 which dropped support for Windows 2000 XDDM drivers. WDDM was introduced with Vista, but Vista and 7 supported both.Tell that to the people with GMA500 graphic cards stuck on Windows 7.
Intel is probably kicking themselves for a lot these days.Intel is probably kicking themselves for segmenting (patent protected) AVX instructions out of the lowend market for so long and so strongly encouraging developers to keep compiling the (patent expired) SSE code paths into programs.
6 years, until June 18th, 2030.
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Surface devices driver and firmware lifecycle - Surface
This article provides detailed lifecycle information to help plan and manage hardware and software deployments for Windows-based Surface devices.learn.microsoft.com
BTW, that was a major concern for me as well, and one of the first thing I checked before buying a surface laptop 7 for my wife this morning.
I really have no idea of what will happen afterward. Would Windows still be able to update itself without the producer support (as for any x86 CPU) or not?
Sure, why not? You really think wanting to use an off the shelf solution for SCM is somehow equivalent to what Nadella is pushing for? Especially when he created Git BECAUSE THEY CHANGED THE LICENSE TO FUCK EVERYONE OVER?Which is who exactly? The person who was happy using a proprietary SCM (Bitkeeper) before designing and implementing Git?
Considering that MS already pulled similar shenanigans with Windows 10 and then with W11, they will be more than happy to double down with now having Qualcomm as a possible scapegoat.So one of the issues with Qualcomm SoCs has been lack of long support; at least in part, this is why Google has moved to their own chipsets, as a part of a bid to be able to match other vendors offering 5 to 7 years of OS (Android) upgrades and patches.
I haven't seen this issue discussed within the context of Windows-on-Arm.
If I buy one of these systems, how many years of life can I expect to get out of them? Am I looking at a new laptop in just 3 to 4 years if I want to continue running Windows in a secure fashion?
Wasn't Windows CE technically the first version of Windows that Microsoft tried to shoehorn onto ARM?Microsoft has been trying to make Windows-on-Arm-processors a thing for so long that, at some point, I think I just started assuming it was never actually going to happen.
The first effort was Windows RT, which managed to run well enough on the piddly Arm hardware available at the time but came with a perplexing new interface and couldn't run any apps designed for regular Intel- and AMD-based Windows PCs.
Gets ready to bring up up Surface Pro X and X2...These devices are Microsoft's first mainstream, flagship Surface devices to use Arm chips...
...and shuts up....whereas previous efforts have been side projects or non-default variants.
I'd say you'd very, very likely still have OS updates after that point until Microsoft determines the latest Windows just needs more than the SoC can provide. Window's driver model is a lot more flexible than Android's; I am still getting Windows 10 updates on a Sandy Bridge desktop that hasn't seen official Intel support in years and years. OS updates aren't beholden to component vendor or driver support almost at all these days (I think Vista was the last time a major Windows version required driver updates in a broad way).6 years, until June 18th, 2030.
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Surface devices driver and firmware lifecycle - Surface
This article provides detailed lifecycle information to help plan and manage hardware and software deployments for Windows-based Surface devices.learn.microsoft.com
BTW, that was a major concern for me as well, and one of the first thing I checked before buying a surface laptop 7 for my wife this morning.
I really have no idea of what will happen afterward. Would Windows still be able to update itself without the producer support (as for any x86 CPU) or not?
What point do you think you are making here?Which is who exactly? The person who was happy using a proprietary SCM (Bitkeeper) before designing and implementing Git?
But in all cases, you can tell the difference between a translated app and a native one; using a translated app was always just annoying enough to send me searching to see whether the developer had said anything about the state of Arm support or had released a beta that would speed things up.
Windows CE had its first release in 1996 and its most recent (and final) release 8 months ago.Wasn't Windows CE technically the first version of Windows that Microsoft tried to shoehorn onto ARM?
And didn't it fail for more or less the same reasons as RT: just different enough and incompatible enough to be not worth the trouble?
Apple intended to do a full transition. Is there any indication Microsoft wants to follow suit?When Apple kicked off its Intel-to-Arm transition with the M1, we declared it a success based both on its performance and how smoothly the transition felt, even in its early days.