From time to time, Microsoft announces that it is deprecating a Windows feature, functionality or service. The company notifies of such changes on its official Microsoft Learn feature deprecation web page. Essentially, this serves as a caution for users about the impending end of support for a product.
Chris Morrissey, Senior Director Communications, Windows + Devices, Microsoft, has penned a lengthy blog post on the official Microsoft Tech Community website explaining in detail why deprecation announcements are actually helpful for enterprises and users alike. He writes:
Did you know that deprecation is not the end point of the lifecycle? Lifecycle describes the length of time something lasts. Deprecation simply means that a Windows feature, functionality, or service is no longer in active development, and it will be retired and removed from a future release.
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Although deprecation is often thought of as “the end,” it's not. A deprecation announcement is an advance notice or a “save the date” courtesy to signal that the product will be retired or removed in the future.
Deprecated products are supported until their retirement or removal date; however, they are no longer in active development and won't evolve. Sometimes years can go by between the deprecation announcement and the actual end of the lifecycle, which gives you time to prepare for change.
Thus Microsoft's point is sensible given that it offers users and organizations, and even Windows engineers for that matter, time to chart a course. Regardless, it can still ring alarm bells for some, especially for smaller companies that perhaps do not have a robust enough infrastructure to move on from one technology and embrace the next thing.
Undoubtedly, the biggest upcoming change users need to prepare for is the end of support for Windows 10 planned for later in the year. To encourage an update to Windows 11, Microsoft even advertised a "limited-time free upgrade" but backtracked soon.
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