在开始之前，请了解本文还涉及操作系统 (OS)，特别是Windows，但这些原则可以适用于任何软件、应用程序或操作系统。
当您听到或收到有关您的软件即将结束生命周期(Life) ( EOL ) 的通知时，这有点令人不安。这听起来如此最终，就好像您的软件将在特定时间的特定日期停止工作。放轻松(Rest)，因为情况并非如此。这个词非常戏剧化。我们将在本文后面讨论它的真正含义。
首先，让我们看一下称为产品生命周期的东西。
什么是产品生命周期？
您可以购买的任何产品都有一个生命周期，因此也有一个有限的生命周期。它包括四个阶段：发展、成长、成熟和衰退。
- 发展(Development)——这正是它听起来的样子。这是软件开发和最初营销、采用或销售的时期。在这个阶段，软件可能仍然存在一些小问题或缺乏功能。
- 增长(Growth)——随着软件意识的增长和软件变得更加稳定，它进入了增长阶段。软件的销售或分发开始加速。因为软件是可以在使用时更改的东西，所以可能会有更多更新和一些功能介绍。
- 成熟度(Maturity)——该软件已达到其销售或分销高峰。对该软件的持续支持，但一般来说，没有任何重大更新或功能增强。
- 下降(Decline)——由于多种可能的原因，软件的销售和分销开始下降。可能是因为不再真正需要它，出现了更好的竞争产品，它没有跟上用户的需求，或者其他原因。关键是，它卖得不好。
如果您要按销售数量或分发的单位数量来绘制此过程，它可能看起来像这样：
可以看出，下降不利于生意好。在某些时候，发布软件的人没有充分的理由继续生产或支持它。
一个好的出版商会发布一个非常公开的EoL
公告，详细说明销售(Sale)结束( EoS ) 日期和EoL日期。
什么是销售结束日期？
简短的回答是出版商停止销售或分发软件的日期。这通常也是推出任何类型的最后一次更新的日期。它将不再在官方销售渠道上架销售或下载。您也无法再获得费用报价。
但这并不总是意味着该软件会从携带它的零售商的货架上撤下。虽然，盒装软件几乎不再存在。不过，请注意，当您购买已推出几年的软件版本时，您可能会得到已经是EoS或接近EoL的软件。
什么是生命终结？
当软件或应用程序进入产品生命周期的衰退阶段时，生命即将结束。它发生在那个阶段的某个地方。有时接近衰退的开始，有时他们坚持到最后。
这是一个取决于他们的价值观的决定。通常在销售点结束之前，您无法再购买或获取该软件。
EoL
是指该应用程序、操作系统或软件的以下任何甚至全部：
- 在EoL(EoL)日期之后的固定时间段内，可能会支持主要功能版本。
- 技术支持、解决方法和错误修复将停止。
- EoS和EoL期间的支持可能仅适用于具有付费支持合同的人员。
- 在线支持文档、wiki 或论坛可能会在(Online)EoL日期或其他指定日期
存档或脱机
。
- 不接受功能请求。
- 软件安装验证可能不起作用。
- 该软件的官方培训可能不再可用。
软件(Problems Could Software End)生命周期结束会给我(Life Cause Me)
带来什么问题？
您可能会查看上面的列表并认为，“这没什么大不了的。该软件仍然可以正常工作，并且将拥有它所需要的所有更新。另外，我已经知道如何使用它，并且还有很多其他论坛和博客提供有关它的信息。我为什么要费心去买最新的版本？”
这是一种有效的看待它的方式。但是，这是一种不完整的方式来看待它。
让我们来看看EoL
软件可能给您带来的一些问题。
安全问题
这可能是最重要的原因。仅仅(Just)
因为您的软件或操作系统已经存在 15 年，并不意味着所有漏洞都已被修补。最有可能的是，所有的漏洞甚至都没有被发现。
Evolve IP的首席技术官Scott(Scott Kinka) Kinka 对此进行了直率的解释，当时他在 tomsguide.com 上的文章“企业使用 Windows XP 仍然安全吗？ ”中被引用。(Is It Still Safe for Businesses to Use Windows XP?)”
Kinka说，因为微软(Microsoft)将不再为旧的Windows XP发送更新，“假设你(Just)工作时有人在你的电脑上。每个密码、商业机密和一点点个人信息都存在风险。”
根据NetMarketShare.com(NetMarketShare.com)的数据，考虑到Windows XP现在已经 18 岁了，并且仍然在全球大约 4% 的计算机上运行。这听起来并不多，但让我们假设全球有十亿台台式电脑。10 亿的 4% 是 4000 万台计算机。一些在人们的家中，一些在企业中。这是个大问题。
如果这还不够糟糕，那么EoL软件中未被注意到的漏洞也可能出现在较新的版本中。
Roger A. Grimes 的文章“零日问题不是问题——补丁才是问题(Zero-days aren’t the problem — patches are)”讨论了黑客如何查看补丁以找到它打算修补的漏洞。为什么？因为这些补丁中有很多没有得到应用，而且它们肯定不会应用于EoL软件，因为没有可用的补丁。所以补丁就像天空中的耀斑，显示问题在哪里，以及如何利用它。
当然，这对于旧操作系统来说是可怕的，但是软件是否存在很大的问题？是的，如果该软件以任何方式与Internet交互，那么它就是一个大洞。大多数办公套件程序可以连接到Internet或从 Internet 接收可能(Internet)打开漏洞的文件。不要(Don)忘记网络浏览器也是软件！
监管或法律问题
无论您是在家中开展业务，还是只是使用软件来处理诸如报税之类的事情，您都可能会遇到监管或法律问题。
假设您正在使用EoL的会计软件。它不再接收与税法和商业法保持同步所需的更新。所以它准备的文件和信息可能不符合现行规定。这可能会导致错失退税机会、拒绝纳税申报表，甚至是审计和罚款。你不需要那个。
另一个例子可能是你在家里做一些医学转录。如果某些旧软件让您的计算机对黑客开放，那么您可能会泄露非常个人的医疗信息并且您不知道。然而，你仍然要为此负责。
不兼容
虽然通常是一个小问题，但当有人向您发送与您的软件不兼容的文件时，您会非常沮丧。
想象一下(Imagine)，在Excel 365中获得一份关于奖金的电子表格，但您所拥有的只是 Excel 2010。365 版本中的功能可能无法在 2010 年使用，因此您不知道您的奖金将是多少。
更糟糕的是，您的简历是在旧版Word中完成的，并且由于雇主使用的是(Word)Office 365，所有格式都崩溃了。那会有多可怕？
可靠性降低
随着时间的推移，所有事物都会退化。软件(Software)也不例外。它是如何发生的，这将是另一篇文章的主题，但它仍然发生了。随着时间的推移，您会发现应用程序崩溃的频率越来越高，您的工作也会丢失。
奇怪(Weird)的错误逐渐增加，使您更难做你想做的事。你真的需要挫败感和失去的时间吗？当然不是。
过时的技能
再次以Microsoft Office为例，如果您仍在使用
Office 2003并且世界上大部分地区已经转向Office 365 ，您将如何保持您的技能相关。Office 365更新了大约 16 年，并且具有您在 2003 年做梦也想不到的功能和集成。
无论您从事何种工作，您对最新版本的软件和操作系统的能力越强，您在就业市场上的竞争力就越大。这意味着更好的工作和更好的薪酬。如果你的工作是技术性的，更是如此。
成本
使用EoL(EoL)软件将如何花费您的钱？我们已经看到，这可能会让你失去工作机会，浪费你的时间，甚至让你陷入合法的困境。
所有这些东西都会从字面上或机会成本中回到你口袋里的钱。但是可能还有其他与计算机维护相关的费用。
如果您使用的是EoL软件，它可能会导致您的新操作系统出现问题。确定它是旧软件超出了普通人的技能范围，因此您最终可能会将其带到最近的电脑商店。
如果幸运的话，那家商店会有经验丰富的技术人员知道如何快速诊断问题并建议您升级软件。
然而，大多数人在大卖场的计算机服务部门开始他们的 IT 职业生涯是有原因的。它几乎是入门级的，因此很有可能该技术将花费比必要更长的时间来弄清楚正在发生的事情，并且会带来更大的账单。
另外，他们仍然会建议您升级软件。为自己节省一些时间和金钱，并在您知道EoL日期后立即更新它。
我如何知道我的软件(My Software)是否达到使用寿命(Life)？
如果您已注册软件或注册更新，您可能会在EoL(EoL)日期之前收到几封电子邮件。
如果您知道您的软件较旧并开始听说有新版本发布，您将需要访问开发人员的网站并搜索您的版本的EoL日期。或者你可以在搜索引擎上找到它。
为方便起见，
以下是一些主要软件生产商的EoL页面：(EoL)
微软 – 搜索产品生命周期
https://support.microsoft.com/en-ca/lifecycle/search
Adobe 生命周期结束矩阵
https://helpx.adobe.com/support/programs/eol-matrix.html
(Google Apps End)
Google Apps停产公告(Life)
https://gsuiteupdates.googleblog.com/搜索“生命终结”
谷歌 Chrome 操作系统设备
https://support.google.com/chrome/a/answer/6220366?hl=en
Google Pixel 和 Nexus 设备
https://support.google.com/nexus/answer/4457705#nexus_devices
Apple 老式和过时产品
https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT201624
（Apple不像其他公司那样在EoL日期上非常乐观。）
是的，您应该关心
软件(Software End)的生命周期结束(Life)
总而言之，是的，你应该关心。你应该关心，因为你关心你的时间、金钱、隐私、内心的平静和你自己。
为了每 3-5 年一晚的费用，您可以避免EoL软件、应用程序和操作系统可能给您的生活带来的所有陷阱。这不值得吗？
What Does End of Life Mean for Software and Should You Care?
Before we begin, understand that this article
also addresses operatіng systems (OS), sрecifically Windows, but the principles
could apply to any software, app, or OS.
When you hear or get notification that your software is nearing End of Life (EOL), it’s a bit disconcerting. It sounds so final, as though your software is just going to stop working on a certain date at a certain time. Rest easy, as this is not the case. The term is just very dramatic. We’ll go into what it really means later in the article.
First, let’s look at something called a
product life cycle.
What is The Product Life Cycle?
Any product that you can buy has a life cycle,
and therefore a finite life. It consists of four stages: development, growth,
maturity, and decline.
- Development – This is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the period in which the software is developed and initially marketed and adopted or sold. In this stage, the software might still have some small issues or be lacking in features.
- Growth – As awareness of the software grows and the software becomes more stable, it enters a growth phase. Sales or distribution of the software begins to accelerate. Because software is something that can be changed while in use, there may be some more updates and a few features introduced.
- Maturity – The software has reached its peak sales or distribution. There is ongoing support for the software, but generally speaking, there aren’t any major updates or feature enhancements.
- Decline – For a number of possible reasons, the sales and distribution of the software begins to go down. It could be because it’s no longer really needed, a better competing product came along, it’s not keeping up with the needs of the user, or other reasons. The point is, it’s not selling that well.
If you were to graph this process by number of
sales or units distributed, it may look something like this:
You can see that the decline is not conducive
to good business. At some point, the people publishing the software just don’t
have a good reason to keep producing it or supporting it.
A good publisher will make a very public EoL
announcement detailing the End of Sale (EoS) date and the EoL date.
What is End of Sale Date?
The short answer is the date that the
publisher stops selling or distributing the software. It’s often also the date
that the last update of any kind would be pushed out. It will no longer be
listed for sale or download on the official channels of sale. You’ll no longer
be able to get quotes on the cost either.
This doesn’t always mean that the software gets pulled off the shelves of retailers carrying it though. Although, boxed software is almost not a thing anymore. Still, be aware that when you’re buying a version of software that’s been out for a few years, you might be getting something that is already EoS or nearly EoL.
What is End of Life?
When software or an app gets to the decline phase of the product life cycle, the end of life is near. It happens somewhere in that phase. Sometimes closer to the start of the decline and sometimes they hang on to the very end.
That’s a decision that is up to them based on their values. Usually it is preceded by an end of sale point, where you just can’t buy or get the software anymore.
EoL
means any, or even all, of the following for that app, OS, or software:
- Major feature releases may be supported for a
fixed period of time after the EoL date..
- Technical support, workarounds, and bug fixes will stop.
- Support
during the period between EoS and EoL may only be available to those with a
paid support contract.
- Online
support documentation, wikis, or forums may be archived or taken offline on the
EoL date or another specified date.
- Requests
for features will not be accepted.
- Validation
of software installs may not work.
- Official
training for the software may no longer be available.
What Problems Could Software End
of Life Cause Me?
You may look at the list above and think,
“That’s not a big deal. The software still works and it’ll have all the updates
it’ll ever need. Plus, I already know how to use it and there’s lots of other
forums and blogs with information about it. Why would I bother getting the
newest version?”
That’s a valid way to look at it. However,
it’s an incomplete way to look at it.
Let’s take a look at some of the problems EoL
software could give you.
Security Issues
This is likely the most important reason. Just
because your software or OS has been out for 15 years doesn’t mean all the
holes have been patched. Most likely, all the holes haven’t even been found.
A blunt explanation of this comes from Scott Kinka, chief technology officer at Evolve IP at the time that he was quoted on tomsguide.com in the article, “Is It Still Safe for Businesses to Use Windows XP?”
Kinka said, because Microsoft would no longer
be sending updates for the old Windows XP, “Just assume someone is on your PC
while you’re working. Every password, trade secret and bit of personal
information is at risk.”
Consider that Windows XP is now 18 years old and is still on about 4% of computers worldwide, according to NetMarketShare.com. That doesn’t sound like much, but let’s assume there’s a billion desktop computers worldwide. Four percent of a billion is 40 million computers. Some in people’s homes, and some in businesses. That’s a big problem.
If that wasn’t bad enough, the holes that go
unnoticed in EoL software can also be in the newer version.
Roger A. Grimes’ article, “Zero-days aren’t the problem — patches are” talks about how hackers look at patches to find the vulnerability that it’s meant to patch. Why? Because a lot of these patches don’t get applied, and they definitely don’t get applied to EoL software because no patches are available. So the patch becomes like a flare in the sky showing where the problem is, and how to exploit it.
Sure, that’s horrible for an old operating
system, but does software present as big a problem? Yes, if that software
interacts with the Internet in any way, it’s as big a hole. Most office suite
programs can connect to the Internet or receive files from the Internet that
could open holes. Don’t forget web browsers are software too!
Regulatory or Legal Issues
Whether you’re running a business out of your
home or just use software to do things like file taxes, you may run into
regulatory or legal issues.
Let’s say that you’re using accounting
software that has gone EoL. It’s no longer receiving the updates needed to stay
current with tax and business laws. So the files and information it prepares
may not meet current regulations. This could result in missed tax refund
opportunities, rejected tax returns, or even audits and fines. You don’t need
that.
Another example might be that you’re doing
some medical transcription at home. If some piece of old software has left your
computer open to hackers, you might be leaking very personal medical
information and not know it. Yet, you’re still accountable for that.
Incompatibility
Although usually a minor issue, it is highly
frustrating when someone sends you a file that isn’t compatible with your
software.
Imagine getting a spreadsheet about bonuses
done in Excel 365 but all you’ve got is Excel 2010. The functions in the 365
version might not work on 2010 so you wouldn’t know what your bonus was going
to be.
Worse yet would be sending your resume done in
an old version of Word and having all the formatting fall apart because the
employer is using Office 365. How horrible would that be?
Decreased Reliability
All things degrade over time. Software is no exception. How it happens is a topic that would fill another article, but nonetheless it happens. Over time, you find that the application crashes more often and you lose your work.
Weird bugs creep up making it harder to do what you’re trying to do. Do you really need the frustration and time lost? Of course not.
Outdated Skills
Using Microsoft Office as an example again,
how are you going to keep your skills relevant if you’re still working on
Office 2003 and most of the world has moved on to Office 365. Office 365 is
about 16 years newer and has features and integration that you couldn’t have
dreamt of back in 2003.
The more competent you are with the newest
versions of software and operating systems, no matter what your line of work,
the more competitive you’ll be in the job market. That means better jobs and
better pay. If your line of work is technical, even more so.
Cost
How will staying with EoL software cost you money? We’ve already seen that it could cost you job opportunities, waste your time, and even put you in legal hot water.
All of those things come back to money out of your pocket either literally or in opportunity cost. But there can be other costs associated with maintenance of your computer.
If you’re using EoL software, it could cause your newer operating system issues. Figuring out that it is the old software is beyond the skill set of the average person, so you might end up taking it to the nearest computer shop.
If you’re lucky, that shop will have experienced technicians who will know how to diagnose the problem quickly and recommend you upgrade the software.
However, there is a reason most people start their IT careers in the computer service departments of big box stores. It’s about as entry-level as it gets, so there’s a good chance the tech will take longer than necessary to figure out what’s happening and that comes with a bigger bill.
Plus, they’re still going to recommend you upgrade the software. Save yourself some time and money and just update it as soon as you know about the EoL date.
How Do I Know if My Software is
Reaching End of Life?
If you’ve registered your software or signed
up for updates, you may receive a few emails leading up to the EoL date.
If you know your software is older and start hearing about a new version coming out, you’ll want to go to the developer’s website and search out the EoL date for your version. Or you can get on a search engine and find it that way.
For your convenience, here are some of the EoL
pages for a few major software producers:
Microsoft – Search Product Life
Cycle
https://support.microsoft.com/en-ca/lifecycle/search
Adobe End of Life Matrix
https://helpx.adobe.com/support/programs/eol-matrix.html
Google Apps End of Life
Announcements
https://gsuiteupdates.googleblog.com/ search for “end of life”
Google Chrome OS Devices
https://support.google.com/chrome/a/answer/6220366?hl=en
Google Pixel and Nexus Devices
https://support.google.com/nexus/answer/4457705#nexus_devices
Apple Vintage and Obsolete
Products
https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT201624
(Apple isn’t very forthcoming on EoL dates
like other companies.)
Yes, You Should Care About
Software End of Life
To conclude, yes, you should care. You should care because you care about your time, money, privacy, peace of mind, and yourself in general.
For the sake of the cost of a night out of every 3-5 years, you can avoid all the pitfalls that EoL software, apps, and operating systems can bring into your life. Isn’t that worth it?
