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The continuing problem of older Microsoft products that refuse to disappear has popped up for Windows 98 in Korea (via Bink.nu) - MS Ignores Plea for Window 98 Security Patches:
Microsoft, the world’s biggest software maker, looks to stop issuing security patches for the Windows 98 operating system starting next July, despite Korea’s requests to postpone the plan.
Microsoft Korea, the global giant’s affiliate here, Tuesday said the U.S.-based firm decided to go ahead with the original plan on the outdated operating system.
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The decision outright raises the ire of Korean Windows 98 users and experts like the Korea Information Security Agency official Seung Jae-mo, who predicts an onslaught of hacking and virus attacks next year.“Windows 98 is still widely used in Korea in government offices, medium-sized firms, households and schools. Some of them will be replaced by more advanced systems but some will be still based on Windows 98 next year,” Seung said.
Seung estimated about 10 percent of Korean PC users depend on Windows 98 and merely half of them would substitute the decade-old system with higher versions like Windows 2000 and XP.
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In response, Microsoft Korea’s chief security advisor Cho Won-young said it is only Korea that is asking for the suspension of the patch-discontinuation plan in the world.“We also estimate roughly 10 percent of PC operating systems would be Windows 98 here. But most of them do not download our security patches files for Windows 98,” Cho noted.
The scheduled end of free security fixes for Windows 98 is June 30, 2006 and soon we’ll get to see how many Windows 98 users there are and whether they care. Microsoft had previously tried to end support in 2004, but backed off. I really doubt that Korea is the only place where there will be complaints once the information becomes widely known. For reference, the AssetMatrix study from June pegged the percentage of business users of Windows 95 and 98 at 5%.
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January 2nd, 2006 at 9:28 AM
[...] One other thought - despite some commentary I have seen that this vulnerability spells the end of Windows 98 systems connected to the Internet, Windows 98 will still receive official Microsoft security patches until June 30, 2006 and should be covered by the official fix when it arrives. Posted @ 9:27 am. Filed under Security, General Business, Public Relations [Permalink] [...]
June 12th, 2006 at 6:19 PM
[...] It wasn’t a surprise that all free Microsoft support for Windows 98 (and Windows Me) was supposed to terminate on June 30 with the end of free security fixes, but instead of an orderly farewell party with a brief reprieve to July 11, it turned into a rout. Robert McMillan at PCWorld: With support for its Windows 98 and Windows Millennium Edition operating systems about to expire, Microsoft has given up on the idea of patching a critical security vulnerability in the products, the company announced this week. [...]