Microsoft Announces Exam Retirements

shon541

No real surprises here.

Exams retiring on October 31, 2010:
70-089
70-123
74-131
74-132
74-133
74-134
74-135
74-137
74-138
74-139
70-262
70-281
70-285
70-350

Link: Microsoft Learning: Microsoft Certified Professional Exam Development

hex_omega

Does this mean the MCSE '03 core exams won't be retiring for a very long time yet? Maybe late 2011?

astorrs

hex_omega wrote: »

Does this mean the MCSE '03 core exams won't be retiring for a very long time yet? Maybe late 2011?

Windows Server 2003 is still in mainstream support until July. The products related to the exams listed here mostly went into extended support around a year ago (ISA Server 2004 Enterprise was only last month though). I'd guess the MCSA/MCSE tracks are permanently retired sometime next year.

dynamik

astorrs wrote: »

I'd guess the MCSA/MCSE tracks are permanently retired sometime next year.

Yea, if the 2000 exams were retired in 2008, it makes sense that the 2003 exams would be retired in 2011. However, the 2000 exams were also retired when the next server OS was released, so maybe 2003 will stick around until the next full version of Windows Server comes out.

Devilsbane

My expectation is that they retire 12/31. I suspect that this to be wrong, but want to lead myself to believe that I need to get them done this year.

Microsoft does reserve the right to retire an exam at any time. We could wake up tomorrow and find that the 270, 290, and 291 are all gone. They probaably won't, but it is best not to leave something up to chance.

snadam

Lets play a game and see who gets closest to the 2003 retirement date. Winner gets a Free TE T-Shirt!

Devilsbane

Losers don't get their certs

earweed

It's doubtful 2003 will be retired anytime soon since it's still so widely used.
@devilsbane- losers need to get their certs before the retirement date..lol

veritas_libertas

Devilsbane wrote: »

Losers don't get their certs

Just hurry up, the MCSE will have value for at least another five years I would imagine

TheShadow

I just read in one of the trades that Vista and Win 7 COMBINED only have a total penetration of 29 percent compared to XP with 61 percent. Uptake to new versions is extremely slow. Apple has the same problem with only 5 percent turnover to OS-X but they may not care with their push into tablets.

I wish that had included 2003 compared to 2008.

petedude

TheShadow wrote: »

Apple has the same problem with only 5 percent turnover to OS-X but they may not care with their push into tablets.

Huh? I know there are lots of old Mac fans out there, but I have a hard time believing only 5% have switched over. Yeah, you could keep using old versions of Office and PageMaker, but web surfing on Mac OS Classic? Forget it.

I could see only 5% running on the latest OS X, or running on Intel. Apple's most recent transitions did not go that smoothly, and the last couple versions have been too close together for any breathing room-- thus many have been sitting back and waiting. As long as the major browsers are still updated for OS X 10.4, people will still be using it (as I am).

Now, back to the main conversation-- I better work those Exchange 07 exams into the mix soon before they vanish, too!

TheShadow

Seemed strange to me too but that is what the article said.

tomahawkeer

petedude wrote: »

Huh? I know there are lots of old Mac fans out there, but I have a hard time believing only 5% have switched over. Yeah, you could keep using old versions of Office and PageMaker, but web surfing on Mac OS Classic? Forget it.

I could see only 5% running on the latest OS X, or running on Intel. Apple's most recent transitions did not go that smoothly, and the last couple versions have been too close together for any breathing room-- thus many have been sitting back and waiting. As long as the major browsers are still updated for OS X 10.4, people will still be using it (as I am).

Now, back to the main conversation-- I better work those Exchange 07 exams into the mix soon before they vanish, too!

Yeah there is absolutely no way that only 5% of mac users are OS X. Every piece of new software written for MACS is written for 10.5 and higher.

Maybe 5% on snow leopard, but I even find that hard to believe, since the stand alone OS discs are less than $50. I hate Apple, but at least they dont charge an arm and a leg for thier OS, even though its not much different than the last one they released a year ago.

Devilsbane

Devilsbane wrote: »

Losers don't get their certs

So some people were quoting me, and I had to do some research as to what I meant. lol

But yes, I agree. Plenty of time left, and MCSE will hold value for several years.

za3bour

I feel bad for 70-350 I did it years ago

TheShadow

tomahawkeer wrote: »

Yeah there is absolutely no way that only 5% of mac users are OS X. Every piece of new software written for MACS is written for 10.5 and higher.

Maybe 5% on snow leopard, but I even find that hard to believe, since the stand alone OS discs are less than $50. I hate Apple, but at least they dont charge an arm and a leg for thier OS, even though its not much different than the last one they released a year ago.

Getting my curiosity up I tried to find the original article; could not of course. Here is what I did find and I suspect the original author is guilty of mixing apples and oranges. It appears the figures are Vista and Win 7 have a 29 percent market share but XP has 61 percent of the installed base. That can't be the same thing as market share because the two add up to 90 so market share must be defined.

Apple OS X has a 5 percent market share at the end of the second quarter but that does not mean only 5 percent of Apple's installed base. So we again have a case of making statistics mean anything that you want them to mean. There you have it guys medium to total Bovine Excrement.

[edit] anyone know the current market share of Linux? can't believe all other OS types are only 5% market share