Talk:Windows 7

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Windows 7 is a former featured article candidate. Please view the links under Article milestones below to see why the nomination was archived. For older candidates, please check the archive.

Article milestones
Date	Process	Result
November 28, 2010	Featured article candidate	Not promoted
September 27, 2012	Good article nominee	Not listed
December 3, 2014	Peer review	Reviewed
April 14, 2016	Good article nominee	Not listed
A news item involving this article was featured on Wikipedia's Main Page in the "In the news" column on October 23, 2009.
Current status: Former featured article candidate

Microsoft: Windows Top‑importance

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Microsoft Windows: Computing Top‑importance

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Computing: Software High‑importance

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Frequently asked questions

Q: Wait, isn't Windows 7 version 7.0?

A: No, it is not. It was made version 6.1 to increase compatibility with Windows Vista.

Q: Wait, shouldn't it be called Windows 6? It's not version 7.0!

A: No. The product is called Windows 7, but it's version 6.1.

This article has been viewed enough times in a single year to make it into the Top 50 Report annual list. This happened in 2009, when it received 8,624,950 views.

This article has been mentioned by a media organization:

"The 50 most-viewed Wikipedia articles in 2009 and 2008". The Daily Telegraph. August 17, 2009.

Should we be including security updates as latest releases of an OS?

Instinctively, I think the latest release version and date should only include major releases, like a service pack. A monthly quality or security update doesn't seem significant enough to justify changing the release date. This is something I noticed on the Microsoft XP article as well. It looks like the user User:Winderz IoT is the one making these changes. What is the policy on release dates? Does it include monthly security updates, or only major releases like service packs? Including rollups makes the OS look a month old, rather than 13 years old, which is a bit deceptive. Jonjames1986 (talk) 14:29, 4 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I'm looking at Windows 10 (9 years old), Windows 11, Google Chrome (15 years old), Firefox (19 years old), Adobe Photoshop (34 years old), Adobe Flash Player (28 years old) etc. These all include the latest point release. So why not older versions of Windows?

Furthermore, sometimes major changes are included in these monthly updates. E.g., in September 2022 Microsoft quietly added Secure Boot support, along with half-baked UEFI support. Source: https://www.ghacks.net/2023/01/10/microsoft-sneaks-secure-boot-support-into-windows-7-shortly-before-support-ends/

Finally, the RTM and GA dates are clearly listed, so there shouldn't be any confusion as to how old the OS is. Winderz IoT (talk) 21:15, 4 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]

The only thing that should be here are major releases. End of story. Quetstar (talk) 15:04, 12 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Care to explain yourself? Why are minor/monthly releases included in the Windows 10 & Windows 11? Furthermore, the OS is not completely discontinued, POSReady (an edition of Windows 7) ESU support continues until October this year. As of July 2024, Microsoft even labels these as "Windows 7 SP1 Security Monthly Quality Rollup", if you check the reference you removed. Winderz IoT (talk) 15:30, 12 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Windows 7 is no longer supported by Microsoft. The POSReady updates are not intended for it, but can be installed through unofficial means. Also, Windows 10 & 11 use the Windows as a service model, where new features arrive more frequently and when they are ready, which is why minor releases are included in their articles, Quetstar (talk) 15:47, 12 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]

That's not exactly correct, it is officially supported by Microsoft in the form of the POSReady (embedded) edition with ESU. Yes, these updates don't officially work on other editions. However, (repeating myself here to prove a point) Microsoft labels these updates as "Windows 7 SP1 Security Monthly Quality Rollup", as they're intended for Windows 7, albeit an embedded edition. Nonetheless, they're officially intended for Windows 7.

The Windows 10 & 11 articles also include the monthly updates, not just the annual feature update. Windows 10 & 11 (and ESPECIALLY 10 now) generally speaking, don't include any major changes month to month, although they sometimes may, just like Windows 7. So I don't see how the Windows as a service model makes any difference here.

I'm going to go ahead and reinstate the monthly version for at least the time being, until maybe others want to chime in. Winderz IoT (talk) 19:28, 12 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]

POSReady is not an edition of 7, but is based on it. Therefore, it has its own support period. The infobox must reflect the subject. Windows 7 is no longer officially supported by Microsoft; any updates released after January 2020 were intended for its ESU program, which ended for Windows 7 in 2023. Also, I've checked the Microsoft Update Catalog, and Windows 7 isn't mentioned anywhere for 2024. Finally, all updates since 2011 were for SP1, and there is therefore no need to include the minor updates since they mainly just fixed bugs. Quetstar (talk) 20:29, 12 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]