IDL 8.6 End of Life
Support dates and upgrade guidance — rebuilt from live data.
End of Life
IDL 8.6 reached end of life on 1 Jul 2019. It no longer receives security fixes.
2,596 days without security patches
Recommended action: upgrade to IDL 9.2. Check your versionidl -e 'print, !version.release'
Support timeline
Official dates from the IDL release process.
| Milestone | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Initial release | 6 Dec 2016 | — |
| End of life | 1 Jul 2019 | 7.1 years ago |
| Latest release | 8.6.0 · 1 Jul 2019 | final |
Where to go from 8.6
Recommended target: IDL 9.2.
The newest actively supported branch is IDL 9.2 (latest release 9.2.0).
Frequently asked questions
Is IDL 8.6 still safe to use?
IDL 8.6 reached end of life on 1 Jul 2019, 2,596 days ago, and is no longer covered by standard support. Running it means no guaranteed security fixes.
Can I still download IDL 8.6?
Yes — the final release (8.6.0) generally remains available from vendor archives and OS package mirrors, but installing it means running software with known, unpatched vulnerabilities.
What should I upgrade IDL 8.6 to?
Upgrade to IDL 9.2, the newest actively supported branch.