I have learned the hard way over the years what a Microsoft update can do to a working system at the most inopportune time. This update won't be installed on my machine until summer, when I can afford to have a machine get hosed. And yes, back-ups are wonderful, but still take time to install and get everything back to normal. With finals coming up, just a risk I am not willing to take.

It's not just that Cakewalk will from now on ignore the existence of XP and it's user base, I noticed when downloading the drivers for my Scarlett 6i6 that there where no drivers for XP . So in a few years our beloved audio interfaces will be the issue more likely than our software. 
 
Windows XP - No
Windows Vista  -No
Windows 7 - 64bit  -Yes
Windows 7 -  Yes    ( 32bit??) 
Windows 8 - Yes
Mac 10.7   Yes
Mac 10.8    Yes
iOS            Yes

The Scarlett 6i6 is a class compliant device and so will work on a iPad via an Apple camera connection kit, although please note it is not officially supported.
 
My self I will use my XP 32 Bit laptop until it dies. And even though it is no longer supported, I use and will continue using this laptop for e mail and browsing all my day to day web sites. I even use it to manage my web site as I only have MS front page 2004. I am not expecting any problems with security. Those issues I think happen when surfing indiscriminately. 
There is no real good reason to have a DAW that is on the internet unless you are financially incapable of owning 2 computers. 

That is an issue for the Interface makers not MS...it is up to them to provide drivers for their product.

vintagevibe
This sounds like if you have a Windows 8 DVD and need to re-install you will not be able to update it.  Sounds like drive images will be the only way to re-install it then.  Not good.

I think you simply install what you have, then apply updates to get to 8.1.1.  None of those patches cost any $.
 
Nobody should be running 8.0 anyway.

djwayne
I don't care...I have Windows 7-64 bit on my computer and everything is working just fine...I don't need no stinkin' update. 

Yet...
 

Cactus Music
It's not just that Cakewalk will from now on ignore the existence of XP and it's user base, 

... Microsoft that does not support it either.... so that's it.
 

joden
That is an issue for the Interface makers not MS...it is up to them to provide drivers for their product.

 
Right.
 

MandolinPicker
I have learned the hard way over the years what a Microsoft update can do to a working system at the most inopportune time. This update won't be installed on my machine until summer, when I can afford to have a machine get hosed. And yes, back-ups are wonderful, but still take time to install and get everything back to normal. With finals coming up, just a risk I am not willing to take.

Buy a copy of Acronis TrueImage.

.

.

cparmerlee

vintagevibe
This sounds like if you have a Windows 8 DVD and need to re-install you will not be able to update it.  Sounds like drive images will be the only way to re-install it then.  Not good.

I think you simply install what you have, then apply updates to get to 8.1.1.  None of those patches cost any $.
 
Nobody should be running 8.0 anyway.

+1
The only thing that is set to change on May 12 for personal users of Windows 8 is that windows update/automatic updates will not offer any patches that depend on having the 8.1 update installed. In the very unlikely situation in which your system will run 8.0 but will not run with either 8.1 or the 8.1 update installed, or if you have chosen not to update to Windows 8.1,  this will make it impossible for you to get new security patches, bug fixes or additional features. You will be stuck with an unpatched Windows 8.0 or 8.1 until you can resolve whatever issue makes it impossible to apply these updates. If your system will run the 8.1 and 8.1.1 updates you can re-install from the original media or downloaded files and follow the update path on windows update to bring it up to 8.1.1, just as you could do with Windows XP as recently as a couple of weeks ago. Support has not ended for Windows 8.0, and those updates should still be available for years to come.
 
The reason that business users are concerned as in the article cited in the OP is that they are dealing with dozens to hundreds of computers often running proprietary software, and they like to have months of lead time to test a new update (or patch for that matter) before they allow it to be deployed to the many machines that might have problems. They felt that putting such a short lead time on this endangering the integrity of their systems. MS has given them until August as a result.

+1

This thread has become a classic example of post first and read later. I figured putting in the subject title 'not what you think' may help matters a little but sadly not!

Of course somebody will probably now accuse me of being a know it all or something after me posting this... Lord if only real life was so predictable! :)

If I were a know it all, I might say something like, "You could have made the title be MS killing off Windows 8.0 updates" here.