End-of-life (EOL), when referring to a piece of software, is referring to the end of its lifecycle.  The developer will no longer release updates and patches for that software.

Does it mean your software will stop working? No, but it does mean it’s time to upgrade to the newer version of that software.

Software is continuously evolving to meet the needs of the current user environment with its goal to be the best tool for you, the user.   So there is always a newer version on the horizon to satisfy the demands of current technology needs.

When software becomes designated EOL, it is mostly because of time.  Typically, this software has been out for years, and there are newer and more importantly better versions of that software available.  Supporting older versions becomes wasted energy for developers, and at some point, you need to pull the plug.

The biggest reason to upgrade software is security.  Consider how vulnerable your computer becomes without those security patches.  Without those patches, your computer will become incredibly susceptible to viruses and hackers.  It’s only a matter of time before you are a victim.

Technology is a combination of tools designed to serve you.  Unsupported operating systems and computers eventually become less of a tool and more of a source of aggravation and vulnerability.

So yes, your computer will continue to run on Windows 7 (marked for EOL – January 14, 2020), but is it worth it?   Microsoft provides patches for vulnerabilities. Not upgrading leaves a system’s vulnerabilities open to being exploited.  You decide.