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Zeus, Snap-on has said they will remain with the windows 7 platform on Zeus after the end of life 1/2020. No upgrades to Win 10. Any insight on tool impact, If any?


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EOL of Windows 7 means that you won't be getting any further updates from the Microsoft.   This should only impact you on security, meaning that you device is subject to being hacked as new loopholes are found on Windows 7.   I don't know this platform, but likely it is just a hardened tablet computer with a custom keypad (buttons) maybe.   If your system gets hacked, Snapon should be able to wipe it clean and reinstall.  You'll be down, but not dead.   In a closed environment (i.e. this is not a generic PC with other applications running), then SnapOn can likely work around any (non-security) issues that occur over time.   There is an advantage to SnapOn having a frozen version of the OS.    Every Windows update introduces new bugs that sometimes affects SnapOn.   With no more OS updates coming, it actually removes a pain point for them.

IMO, I would not worry about this.   SnapOn is an application developer.  They depend on the OS, but they are not needing W10 features if they are staying put.  If Windows 7 ever becomes a hindrance to SnapOn, they can always bite the bullet and move on.   It's easily solved with time and money (and knowing SnapOn, they extract said money from you).   (Source:  My previous career was Software Development including Embedded Systems (custom hardware).  Of course, this is all conjecture, but it should be on point).

Let me drive the point home.   My lovely Opus / ESP inspection machines are running Windows XP.   We have interesting problems such as the floppy disk getting full, requiring a maintenance call to resolve.   It only uses printers that have a physical Centronics Parallel Port connection on them.   I'd be happy with an upgrade that let me run a USB printer at least, but that's not coming.   These guys do 100's of transactions monthly and are getting the job done.  They are attached to the network, so they suffer the same security measures that you would with an old version of Windows 7.image.png.da9dc05d35f541e4a313eeab3564a9e4.png

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  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

         5 comments
      I recently spoke with a friend of mine who owns a large general repair shop in the Midwest. His father founded the business in 1975. He was telling me that although he’s busy, he’s also very frustrated. When I probed him more about his frustrations, he said that it’s hard to find qualified technicians. My friend employs four technicians and is looking to hire two more. I then asked him, “How long does a technician last working for you.” He looked puzzled and replied, “I never really thought about that, but I can tell that except for one tech, most technicians don’t last working for me longer than a few years.”
      Judging from personal experience as a shop owner and from what I know about the auto repair industry, I can tell you that other than a few exceptions, the turnover rate for technicians in our industry is too high. This makes me think, do we have a technician shortage or a retention problem? Have we done the best we can over the decades to provide great pay plans, benefits packages, great work environments, and the right culture to ensure that the techs we have stay with us?
      Finding and hiring qualified automotive technicians is not a new phenomenon. This problem has been around for as long as I can remember. While we do need to attract people to our industry and provide the necessary training and mentorship, we also need to focus on retention. Having a revolving door and needing to hire techs every few years or so costs your company money. Big money! And that revolving door may be a sign of an even bigger issue: poor leadership, and poor employee management skills.
      Here’s one more thing to consider, for the most part, technicians don’t leave one job to start a new career, they leave one shop as a technician to become a technician at another shop. The reasons why they leave can be debated, but there is one fact that we cannot deny, people don’t quit the company they work for, they usually leave because of the boss or manager they work for.
      Put yourselves in the shoes of your employees. Do you have a workplace that communicates, “We appreciate you and want you to stay!”
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