Could There Be A Free, Ad-Supported Windows In Microsoft's Future?

[DaveP]

Link: Could there be a free, ad-supported Windows in Microsoft's future? | All about Microsoft | ZDNet.com

But what about Windows? Would Microsoft ever go so far as to offer a low-end SKU of Windows client that would be free, but ad-supported?

Just because it is free why should it be burdened with annoying ads? There are other free operating systems which do not bug the user with ads to pay their way especially if a commercial version of the Microsoft product were available for the user to upgrade to:

...Maybe it will be more like Office Starter, in that it will be a stripped-down subset of Windows, preloaded on new PCs, that includes the ability to move up to a paid, more fully-featured version (using the current Anytime Upgrade model).

[glennda]

there is linux which in whatever form it comes is alot better then windows!! although without windows little querks lots of us wouldn't have a job!

[andy_nic]

Personally I wouldn't use a operating system with ad's in because I get annoyed with ad's in when surfing the net, I don't want then in my operating system too.

[knelmes]

Just because it is free why should it be burdened with annoying ads?

Because Microsoft is a business?

[jamesb]

Just because it is free why should it be burdened with annoying ads?

Good question, why don't you put it to Google?

[DaveP]

Just because it is free why should it be burdened with annoying ads?

I think that I did not make my point here clearly enough. All I was trying to say was that the article suggests that there could be two versions available:

• The free version with limited functionality
• The paid-for-version resembling what we are already familiar with.

The free version is itself the ad for the paid-for-version. Also increasing the price of the paid-for-version slightly would alleviate the need to include ads in the free version. Wouldn't it?

[Michael]

Google's Chrome will certainly make an impact on Microsoft