End-of-life
Also known as: EOL
End-of-life means that, according to the manufacturer, a product has reached the end of its life cycle. The product is no longer being sold or promoted. It is important for owners of the product to know that this also ends active support for the product. This may be a reason to replace the product. The manufacturer assumes that most products sold have depreciated and/or the customer has had sufficient opportunity to replace them with newer alternatives.
Typically, before reaching end-of-life status, new versions of the product have already been launched. Ending product support allows manufacturers and distribution channels to focus on newer products. The practical significance of end-of-life status depends on the type of product.
That a product will reach end-of-life status in some time is proclaimed by the maker with an End of Life Announcement (EOLA). This announcement allows users to take action, such as replacing the product, purchasing additional parts, or purchasing extended support (if the manufacturer chooses to offer it).
End-of-life in ict
The term end-of-life is widely used around computers and electronics, especially software. For computer programs and operating systems, such as Windows, updates are released regularly. These updates may include new functionality and may fix known bugs and security risks.
The software maker will continue to release updates for as long as possible, but in doing so will, over time, limit itself primarily to "patching" critical problems. Once the program is labeled "end-of-life," users need not expect any more updates. Also, new programs will no longer support the software labeled as end-of-life.
Repairs and maintenance
For physical products, it usually means that repairs can still be done to a limited extent, as long as parts are still available. However, the(warranty) conditions that apply to service and repairs may change. Often, parts production continues for some time after production of the product itself has ceased. Eventually, however, the costs of this limited production will no longer outweigh the revenues and the customer will be dependent on existing stocks.
When ending production and sales does not affect support for a product, the term end-of-sale is also used.
