If you're still using or supporting Win98, that's good news. But don't
celebrate too much: What it mostly means is that Microsoft will continue
to offer limited paid support (at $35 per call) for Win98 users; and may-
-- may--- offer additional security patches and updates for the aging
OS.

Microsoft had previously announced that the Win98 Knowledgebase and
other self-help items would remain alive until 2006. That remains in
effect.

It's great that Microsoft has taken the pressure off Win98 users, but it
doesn't change the fact that Win98 is getting quite long in the tooth,
in tech terms. Even if Microsoft releases additional security patches,
there are fundamental limits: Win98 predates a whole range of
current and new technologies--- USB2, support for huge hard drives,
newer CPU types and optimizations, SATA, etc. etc.--- and there's only
so much back-filling you can do.

Larry Hawk