"T" wrote


Every new Windows breaks all kinds of my customer's
stuff. It is a real merry go round.


Like what? 64-bit does break 16-bit, but 32-bit
is entirely supported. The only drawback is that
the two can't run in the same process, so you
can't use things like 32-bit shell extensions in
64-bit. Aside from that, most things should be fine.

Microsoft have always been very careful about
backward compatibility because businesses write
custom software and need it to keep working. If
they can't move their software to the next version
they might not buy the next version.

Linux, by contrast, is a hobby. And Apple deliberately
breaks things to force people to buy new. It's 3
different markets: business, geek, retail consumer.