captaincranky, how old are you? If you disagree with someone, try to work it out with them in a civil manner, than kill them with personal attacks. Chances are you and I don't know everything, so its nice to discuss it amongst each other. My response to my original comment can be seen below.
Personally, I don't think you pontificating about how "anybody who is still using Windows 7 is behind the times and should get with it", is any less of "a personal attack".
My age has nothing to do with the issue. But, suffice it to say I'm too old to be your babysitter. Accordingly, I don't feel any obligation whatsoever to PM you and break it to you gently, about how wrong you are were in your original FUD post
Day in and day out, individuals complain about fluff articles, then explain how this is a tech site, and what we need is the latest tech news. Apparently it doesn't matter whether or not they understand the basics like, "Mommy, where does USB come from"?
As to your commentary on Windows 7's "extreme vulnerability", much of that heaping portion of FUD, has been served up by M$ itself. Why do they do that you ask? Why. so they can sell you another operating system.
Do you think that DX-12 couldn't have been provided with an update to Windows 7? Are you under the impression that Windows 7 shouldn't have been afforded the dignity and consideration of additional service packs, the same as Windows XP?
The fact is, Windows 8, steaming turd that it was, got dropped on Windows users by someone, (Bill Gates' buddy, Steve Ballmer), who is no longer with M$. Then M$ began to hatch a plan to ram Windows 10 down users throats by offering it as a "free upgrade". What they failed to mention, is that it's an always in beta pig, and a data mining extravaganza.
And if you want to buy into that crap about "we're taking complete control of your computer away from you for your own good", then I've got a few more fairy tales you might find entertaining.
As for "charging business outrageous prices for extended support, or else those poor blokes in Redmond will lose money", learn some basic math. "If an OS costs about $100.00 for an volume license, and M$ is going to charge you thusly:
"Staying on Windows 7 Pro is going to cost even more. ESUs will start at $50 before going up to $100 in year two and $200 during year three".
Those charges amount to about 3 times what you paid for the license to begin with. Since they should be able to do a quick bit of reverse engineering to use security patches from Windows 10 to plug holes in Windows 7, how in god's name could "poor M$" be, "losing money supporting it?
They want to wedge Windows 10 into the business environment, since it's a lot more lucrative to data mine large corporations than it is to find out what granny's doing with her computer, plain and simple.
CODA: You might be interested to know I'm running Windows 7 in an Intel X170 based system. I put it in without slipstreaming drivers into a USB stick. Just popped the disc into the optical drive, and was done with it. And yes, that board has USB 3.0.
M$ dropping breadcrumbs from time to time to generate buzz at tech sites, is analogous to having to tolerate some fool feeding a flock of annoying starlings right in front of your house.
For example, these "new and improved error messages" which will be forthcoming. All it amounts to is M$ being able to tell you to yank a program because it's "incompatible", and then shunt you off to their store to buy one which rather obviously, will be.
In other words, closing the system, ala Apple.
