OS Vendor Lifecycle

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• public beta phase might be used to gather user feedback
  • E.g., Windows Insider Program
• supported phase
  • product is actively marketed
  • releases regular patches
  • feature upgrades released
• extended support phase
  • no longer commercially available
  • vendor continues to issue critical patches
  • may or may not be able to install OS upgrades
• end of life (EOL) system is one that is no longer supported by its developer or vendor
  • no longer receive security updates
  • represent a critical vulnerability