Erling
RESPONSE. All Microsoft products have a so-called life cycle. It determines how long you can safely use the product.
Both Windows 7 and Outlook 2010 have long since ceased to be sold, but that does not mean that everyone must automatically stop using the program. The interesting thing is instead when the support disappears, and this happens in two stages:
First, something called mainstream support disappears. This means that Microsoft no longer develops new features or fixes bugs in the system. However, the security updates are released, which is of course more important. Microsoft’s mainstream support disappeared in 2015 for both Windows 7 and Outlook 2010.
Also read: Everything you need to know about Windows 10
The next step is that Extended support disappears. Then Microsoft will no longer release any security updates, and this will happen in January 2020 for Windows 7 and in July of the same year for Outlook 2010.
In other words, until 2020 you can use Windows 7 and Outlook 2010 without any serious security issues. You then risk exposing both yourself and others to greater risks.
The greatest security is always achieved by running the latest versions of all programs, but ultimately this is a trade-off that each of us must make for ourselves. It is much like with bicycle helmets, security doors and the timer for the coffee maker. We constantly decide how much risk we want to expose ourselves to.
You can read more about Microsoft life cycles on this site.
Martin Appel, PC for All