Subject: Re: [PATCH v2 09/17] Do support Windows again after requiring Rust

From: Junio C Hamano <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 15 Aug 2025 14:48:43 -0700

Matthias Aßhauer <[email-masked]> writes:

>>         ifeq (MINGW64,$(MSYSTEM))
>> 		prefix = /mingw64
>> 		HOST_CPU = x86_64
>> 		BASIC_LDFLAGS += -Wl,--pic-executable,-e,mainCRTStartup
>> +		CARGO_BUILD_TARGET = x86_64-pc-windows-gnu
>
> I've said it when Johannes originally sent this patch[1], but it bears
> repeating: The *-pc-windows-gnu targets will pass CI, but would mean
> raising the required Windows version from 8.1 to 10. We'd want to use
> the *-win7-windows-gnu targets[2] to keep Windows 8.1 supported.

It seems that Dscho did not respond on the list to your initial
objection in the discussion you cited.

I do not think we spell out which releases of various platforms are
still supported by us (we do list requirements for platforms in the
Platform Support Policy document, though), but in general we should
not be attempting to give extended support to systems that the
vendor no longer supports.  As Windows 8.1 is no longer supported by
Microsoft since Jan 2023, and Windows 10 will go out of support in a
few month after Oct 2025, if I am reading the table correctly, so as
long as we document our intention of dropping a commercial system
that is no longer supported by its vender clearly, I do not mind the
above that discards 8.1 [*].

But I may be biased, as I do not live in the Microsoft ecosystem.

* https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/windows-81
* https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/windows-10-home-and-pro
* https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/windows-10-enterprise-and-education