discussion Ren'py discarding support for older OS in exchange for what exactly?

[AlBetGam]

I wouldn't put it past Microshaft.
Still even they wouldn't dare without an advance notice. For now ren'py 7.x is compatible with windows 11, no?
If it would become incompatible with windows 12 or whatever they name it, yeah, it would be understandable. Otherwise, not quite.

My point is that's not a risk unless the Renpy devs hold their product back trying to cling to the small corner of their userbase that refuses to move on from 7.

 

[J.R.]

...I'll try to recompile some game using renpy 7.8.

You don't have to "recompile" it. Install the latest RenPy matching for your old PC (could be 8.3.7 if your Windows is at least 64bit) , put your extracted game into the defined games folder (can be changed in the RenPy settings) and run the game within RenPy. But there's a "but": a few games already are using the new Python/RenPy features, then it will most likely not work with that workaround either.

 

[podllboq]

...in exchange for debloating the SDK and the games from the unnecessary legacy code and components. Tech moves on. Those too lazy or for any reason unwilling to match the pace eventually become a negligible part of the install base and hence not worth the continued support. It's a pragmatic decision around allocating the limited money/labor resources.
One can be angry at some filthy rich corp giant like Microsoft for reducing the supported lifetime of an OS and maybe even rightfully so, but it's a different story when it comes to a free open source project like Ren'Py.

 

[Rapenyan]

You don't have to "recompile" it. Install the latest RenPy matching for your old PC (could be 8.3.7 if your Windows is at least 64bit) , put your extracted game into the defined games folder (can be changed in the RenPy settings) and run the game within RenPy. But there's a "but": a few games already are using the new Python/RenPy features, then it will most likely not work with that workaround either.

Yep, you were right, it doesn't require recompiling or anything.

 

[fafafuu]

if you can, you really should get a second drive and slap linux on it. You can access your windows files from it and slowly migrate. Win 7 has been dead for a decade.