Support for the beloved Windows 7 operating system ends Jan. 14, 2020. Microsoft is reminding users they will no longer receive security support and thus be more vulnerable to cyberattacks. The 10-year-old technology still has legions of devotees — Netmarketshare estimates 27 percent of desktops and laptops still ran Windows 7 in October 2019.
The antidote to Windows Vista
Why the love for a decade-old platform when a well-received upgrade (Windows 10) exists? Windows 7 was the antidote to the Windows Vista debacle. Vista was slow, buggy, and largely ignored by network admins running XP. Windows 7 brought back a more-familiar user experience plus stability — and when Windows 10 was released in July 2015, Windows 7 offered ongoing compatibility with legacy apps running point-of-sale terminals and countless medical devices.
However, it’s doubtful the Windows 7 marketing campaign contributed to the love for this operating system. As you’ll see in this awkward YouTube video, Microsoft made “Windows 7 party packs” available to the 2009 version of influencers. With Windows 7-themed balloons, streamers, napkins, tote bags, and even a puzzle, hosts were urged to introduce their friends to the operating system’s features. You’re “throwing a party with Windows 7 as an honored guest,” one of the influencers explained. “Can you believe Microsoft put the launch of Windows 7 in our hands? Are they nuts or what?”
Probably best not to answer that question. Ten years later, it’s safe to say this was a rare instance where the hype didn’t live up to the product. Farewell, Windows 7.
Photo: Min C. Chiu / Shutterstock.
