This isn’t quite a news item, but a reminder that the clock is ticking for people who might decide to invest in Windows 2000 for any reason. Microsoft will stop distributing it for sale after June 30th of this year. That gives you a few months to grab a copy. If it’s in your plans, don’t waste any time.

From the Microsoft Support Lifecycle Policy FAQ:

The Microsoft Support Lifecycle (MSL) policy standardizes Microsoft product support policies for Business and Development software, and for Consumer, Hardware, Multimedia, and Business Solutions products. The Support Lifecycle policy was originally announced on October 15, 2002. A Support Lifecycle policy update went into effect June 1, 2004. The Support Lifecycle policy update applies to most Business and Development software products that were in mainstream support on June 1, 2004, and to future product versions. The new Support Lifecycle policy provides:

Business and Development software
Microsoft will offer a minimum of 10 years of support for Business and Developer products. Microsoft will provide mainstream support* for either 5 years after the date of general availability, or for 2 years after the successor product (N+1) is released, whichever is longer. Microsoft will also provide extended support** for 5 years after mainstream support for a product ends, or for 2 years after the second successor product (N+2) is released, whichever is longer. Finally, most products will receive at least 10 years of online self-help support. To find the support timelines for your product, visit the Select A Product for Lifecycle Information page on the Microsoft Web site.

[Continue reading Microsoft Support Lifecycle Policy FAQ]