MSDN Downloads

[nweaver]

Anyone else with an MSDN sub notice that win2K in all forms (pro, server, adv. server) has been removed? This is pretty bad thing, as testing against 2k will go on for several more years. We still do testing against 9x for plenty of stuff even.

 

[nweaver]

Hello,

Thank you for contacting Microsoft Customer Service.

I understand that you are looking for Windows 2000.

This is to inform you that Windows 2000 has been removed from MSDN Subscriber Downloads. As an outcome of the agreement between Sun Microsystems and Microsoft, products containing the Microsoft Virtual Machine (MSJVM), including Windows 2000, will cease to be available from MSDN Subscriber Downloads as of late-December 2005. I apologize for this inconvenience.

Further information is available at http://www.microsoft.com/mscorp/java/

wow, that sucks for anyone looking to the MSDN to do testing. We are now scrambling to find our old MSDN localized media for testing. I wonder if we are breaching our current MSDN license to use those....

 

[Smilin]

Supporting 2k is one thing.

Actually developing new content for it??

 

[spyordie007]

Thank you Sun.

 

[nweaver]

Originally posted by: Smilin
Supporting 2k is one thing.

Actually developing new content for it??

developing new software usually involves testing on all major platforms. We still do 98, ME, and NT print testing for HP. it's a reduced set of tests now, but it's still there, as the number of users still on those platforms is enough that they feel it's important to test it. Will a 9x only bug get priority over a 2k/XP bug? probably not, but it's still a valid platform, and many are still using those two. 2K will be a valid OS to test new apps against for another few years yet.

 

[MrChad]

*sigh*

Windows 2000 should absolutely be available for developers to download (as should the Microsoft JVM, for that matter). It's one thing to restrict distribution to the general public; it's an entirely different thing to restrict a limited, specialized user community.

 

[magomago]

Originally posted by: spyordie007
Thank you Sun.

Huh? Am I missing something here?

 

[Smilin]

Originally posted by: nweaver

Originally posted by: Smilin
Supporting 2k is one thing.

Actually developing new content for it??

developing new software usually involves testing on all major platforms. We still do 98, ME, and NT print testing for HP. it's a reduced set of tests now, but it's still there, as the number of users still on those platforms is enough that they feel it's important to test it. Will a 9x only bug get priority over a 2k/XP bug? probably not, but it's still a valid platform, and many are still using those two. 2K will be a valid OS to test new apps against for another few years yet.

This is quite true. You ping MSDN about this?

 

[spyordie007]

Originally posted by: magomago

Originally posted by: spyordie007
Thank you Sun.

Huh? Am I missing something here?

As an outcome of the agreement between Sun Microsystems and Microsoft, products containing the Microsoft Virtual Machine (MSJVM), including Windows 2000, will cease to be available from MSDN Subscriber Downloads as of late-December 2005.

 

[Madwand1]

Sorry for being cynical, but I believe that Microsoft is likely to be complicit in this, and probably very happy to have another means to kill off W2K and require further OS upgrades and purchases.

 

[spyordie007]

Originally posted by: Madwand1
Sorry for being cynical, but I believe that Microsoft is likely to be complicit in this, and probably very happy to have another means to kill off W2K and require further OS upgrades and purchases.

This isnt regular OS availability, this is MSDN downloads. Microsoft doesnt really stand to gain anything by pulling it from the MSDN site. They generally try and keep things up as long as they can (Windows 3.x was still available for download last I checked). On the other hand they stand to have unhappy high-paying customers if they do pull something; MSDN premium subscriptions are not cheap.

 

[Madwand1]

If you don't see the arrows coming from MS shooting W2K, you're missing something. MSDN customers are not going away anytime soon for this issue; particularly when they probably have stacks and stacks of old media with W2K.

 

[spyordie007]

MSDN customers are not going away anytime soon for this issue; particularly when they probably have stacks and stacks of old media with W2K.

True, I've probably got a dozen or so CDs and than several DVDs when I switched my sub over to DVD.

Yes I think it's annoying that they pulled it from their site; but I think I'll live.

 

[nweaver]

Originally posted by: spyordie007

MSDN customers are not going away anytime soon for this issue; particularly when they probably have stacks and stacks of old media with W2K.

True, I've probably got a dozen or so CDs and than several DVDs when I switched my sub over to DVD.

Yes I think it's annoying that they pulled it from their site; but I think I'll live.

It's annoying when we have multiple sites, on master sub (universal) with media, and 5 OS licenses for the different test leads/sites. They are 500 miles away, and it's a pain to have to dig through our old media/media library, break the set up, and mail them up there. Win 3.X is no longer there, neither is 98, ME, or NT4. It really makes things difficult when trying to perform testing. It makes me wonder if we shouldn't just dump our MSDN, most of the boxes we own have either a 2K pro OEM or XP Pro oem license that we could use for our testing anyway....

 

[PingSpike]

Originally posted by: nweaver

Originally posted by: spyordie007

MSDN customers are not going away anytime soon for this issue; particularly when they probably have stacks and stacks of old media with W2K.

True, I've probably got a dozen or so CDs and than several DVDs when I switched my sub over to DVD.

Yes I think it's annoying that they pulled it from their site; but I think I'll live.

It's annoying when we have multiple sites, on master sub (universal) with media, and 5 OS licenses for the different test leads/sites. They are 500 miles away, and it's a pain to have to dig through our old media/media library, break the set up, and mail them up there. Win 3.X is no longer there, neither is 98, ME, or NT4. It really makes things difficult when trying to perform testing. It makes me wonder if we shouldn't just dump our MSDN, most of the boxes we own have either a 2K pro OEM or XP Pro oem license that we could use for our testing anyway....

It certainly sounds like they aren't providing the service you are paying for in this instance.