Microsoft has revealed when it will put Windows 10 out to pasture. It will stop support for the current operating system on October 14th, 2025. That means Microsoft expects the transition to the next version of Windows, which it will show off on June 24th, to take around four years.

The company quietly announced the news in a support page update. Previously, the page noted when Microsoft would end support for certain versions of Windows 10. It now states Microsoft started supporting Windows 10 Home and Pro on July 29th, 2015 and reveals the operating system's "retirement date." The end-of-support timeline puts the Windows 10 lifecycle at a hair over 10 years, similar to previous iterations of the OS.

As for what we're expecting from Windows 11 (or whatever it's called), there will probably be a redesign, including a revamped Windows Store. Microsoft recently canceled Windows 10X, which was initially going to be for dual-screen devices. It said it would bring some features planned for that OS into the standard version of Windows. Perhaps that'll make it easier for manufacturers and developers to support dual-screen devices without having to work with a separate version of Windows.

In February 2021, the central United States experienced extended periods of record low temperatures creating conditions which resulted in power outages across multiple states. In the interest of being able to identify generator events that were a direct result of the low temperatures, NERC and the GADS User Group (GADSUG) are requesting that entities use the following reporting guidelines.

Cause Coding During the Cold Weather Event

For events that occurred from February 8, 2021 through February 20, 2021 and that were a result of the cold weather event.

1. Create and code the event as is normally done.
• Identify any equipment that failed using the Primary Cause Code.
• If additional cause codes are necessary, include them as the secondary, tertiary, etc… causes.
2. Add an additional cause code, 9036 – Storms (Ice, snow, etc), after adding all Cause Codes that would normally be included.
3. Ensure that the Description of the event is filled out.
• Describe what happened to cause the outage.
• If possible, include information on whether or not the equipment was considered winterized at the time of the event.

Events which are not attributable to the cold weather event during this period should be reported as usual  

For more information: GADS 2021 Cold Weather Event Reporting   

For details and implementation steps, click on https://gadsopensource.com/NERCNews.aspx

Siemens Energy announced it will cut 7,800 jobs from its gas and power division by 2025 as the company attempts to be more competitive in a global energy market that is moving away from fossil fuels and toward renewable energy.

The company on Feb. 2 in its latest earnings release said it plans to jettison about one-sixth of the workforce that supplies turbines to the power generation sector. It said most of the cuts would come in the next couple of years, including about 3,000 jobs in Germany and about 1,700 in the U.S. The cuts represent about 8.5% of the company’s total global workforce.

Siemens said the majority of those being let go currently hold management or sales positions. The company Tuesday, in announcing its first-quarter 2021 fiscal year earnings, for the period ending Dec. 31, 2020, said it “will incur estimated restructuring costs in a mid- to high-triple-digit million euro range for the fiscal years 2020 to 2023.”

Christian Bruch, president and CEO of Siemens Energy AG, said, ‘The energy market is significantly changing which offers us opportunities but at the same time [it] presents us with great challenges. We will undertake these measures in the most socially responsible way possible.” Despite having to make job cuts, Bruch said, “The first quarter proves that we are on the right path to reach our annual targets. The Siemens Energy team achieved a solid start into the new fiscal year even under difficult circumstances.

“With this program we want to regain our competitiveness and financial strength to shape the energy world of tomorrow,” Bruch said. “I really believe we’re putting together a company that can shape the future of the energy market.”

The German company last year announced it would no longer take part in new tenders for coal-fired power plants, joining Toshiba, General Electric (GE), and Black & Veatch among energy companies ending investments in the coal sector.

Siemens Will Cut 7,800 Jobs From Gas and Power (powermag.com)