Windows 8.1 (sans Update 1) will no longer be supported after June 30 2014

[RampantAndroid]

It's inconsistent only if you consider 8.1 to be a different OS than 8.1 U1, which is a stretch.


Well, here's to hoping that Microsoft does a better job of maintaining stability. Which is probably made a lot easier when they don't have to account for a gazillion different permutations of patch configurations. Mandating everyone be on the same page instead of letting people pick and choose what mix of component versions probably makes their job of testing and bug-finding easier.

Oh, and did you hear about the time when Microsoft partially (and silently) backported a Windows 8 feature to Windows 7 inside an unrelated critical security update because the feature was in a file that was required for the security update? The feature was only half-working, until months later, when another unrelated security update ended up backporting the other part of the feature.

Absolutely this - U1 isn't a new OS. What I'm trying to make clear here is that U1 is essentially a service pack. When Win7 SP1 came out, Win7 RTM went out of support, more or less. The only update offered to you was SP1. Installing SP1 opened you up to more updates as SP1 was a pre-requisite update. So in a sense, Win7RTM went "out of support" - which is what has happened here. Win8.1RTM isn't going to be supported, in that you will be forced to install U1 and then you can get further updates.

U1 isn't a new OS. It's 8.1 still. Your license is still supported that same as it was before...which isn't a bad deal at all, given that people with Win8 were given a free upgrade to 8.1.