Will W10 be free?

[SpuffMonkey]

Had a read of this - and it is a bit of a worry to me that it might pan out like this - what do you think?

 

'Free' Windows 10 Has High Cost To Windows 7 And Windows 8 Users

[synaesthesia]

Another typical Forbes article; nothing but scaremongering. As much as anyone might loath Microsoft, it would be folly to believe that they would ever force payment from people to continue to use their computer. Nasty, corporate types they may be, but they're not Apple.

Nagware - laughable. It reads as if every 10 minutes windows 7 users are getting a popup telling them to upgrade.

[matt40k]

Microsoft doesn't make money on Windows, it makes money on the stuff that you put onto Windows. Now think about the problems with Windows, look how much money they have to spend to get people to upgrade. Think about IE6, the process of upgrading from IE6 - 11 might work in an enterprise, but it doesn't work for home users, you just want it to do it, like Chrome. Now think how many people have XP, despite the 4 OS version have been released (Vista, 7, 8, 8.1) with another on the way. Now thing about how much time they have to waste retro fitting the older versions or creating workarounds. They have publically said the new Microsoft business model is focused on Azure, selling subscriptions like Office 365.

 

Another typical Forbes article

 

How to devalue your brand. Fill your site with ads.

[Arthur]

what do you think?

It's another clickbait article from Forbes so you know it's not going to be true.

 

Here's a better one...

 

Microsoft releases new license terms for Windows 10: Biggest surprise? No gotchas « ZDNet

 

You can put your tinfoil hats away now.

 

Two weeks ahead of the global launch of Windows 10, Microsoft has finalized the terms of its license agreements for the new operating system. I've had several days to study the documents in detail, and I can report that there are no surprises, no gotchas, and no hidden subscription traps waiting to be sprung in two or three or four years.

 

Sorry to disappoint you, conspiracy theorists.

 

Microsoft has consistently said that its new "Windows as a service" model doesn't change the basic licensing terms for Windows. Based on these documents, that's still true.

 

When "Redstone" is released in 2016 it will be just another regular update for Windows 10 users since it's not in Microsoft's best interest to suddenly start charging people for operating system upgrades.

 

Redstone will be delivered automatically to Windows 10 users as part of their regular, every-month-or-so updates. Redstone will just be a larger update than the others and will provide new functionality and support for new classes of devices that aren't already part of Windows 10, so the supposed thinking goes.

 

While Microsoft hasn't publicly stated what happens in two years time with Windows 10, it seems fairly obvious that "Redstone" will simply become the new baseline for their Windows 10 support lifecycle.

 

Microsoft commits to 10-year support lifecycle for Windows 10 « ZDNet

 

It's been a bad week for conspiracy theorists. As the Windows 10 launch nears, Microsoft is clearing up loose ends. Today's announcement of a 10-year support commitment for Windows 10 should remove one persistent bit of FUD from the discussion.

 

[...]

 

One question Microsoft didn't answer today is what happens in two or three years. In the past, that would have been time for a new version of Windows to take its place on the support lifecycle chart and bump the old one down a notch. With Windows as a continually evolving platform, that option isn't available.

 

One clue about what happens next is in that updated support lifecycle page. All other client operating systems are listed by their major version number: Windows 7, Windows 8, and so on. The new entry reads, "Windows 10, released in July 2015."

 

My guess, based on that language, is that in the next two years or so we'll see an extension of the 10-year lifecycle based on a new baseline release date. But that's just speculation, and we'll have to wait for the actual answer.

 

Gordon Kelly doesn't quite understand what "Windows as a Service" actually means.

 

What Windows as a Service and a “free upgrade” mean at home and at work « Ars Technica

 

Microsoft does not want the Windows market to be split between a bunch of different versions. For a brief period, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 were all both extant and actively supported Windows versions. This is bad for more or less the entire Windows world. It's bad for developers of Windows software because they're forced to choose between the best functionality (found in Windows 8.1) or the widest compatibility (target Windows XP). It's bad for Microsoft, because it has to support all these versions. It's bad, in many ways, for end-users, too; using old versions means that they don't get the latest features, and in the case of Windows XP, they don't even receive security updates.

 

For a long time, however, Microsoft's policies encouraged this very proliferation. Most non-corporate Windows users never really buy a Windows license. They buy a PC, and the PC's manufacturer has paid for the license. If those users want to use a newer version of Windows than the one that came with their PC, they have to shell out for an upgrade, or buy an entirely new PC. While a minority do indeed buy the upgrades, the majority do not. They only get a new version of Windows when they buy a new PC, and with PC lifetimes comfortably reaching five or six years, that means that old versions of Windows stick around for a long time.

 

Windows 10 is changing that. As announced last week, current users of Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 will be able to upgrade to Windows 10 for no cost. Microsoft says that this will be a limited time offer that will run one year from the release of Windows 10; we honestly wouldn't be tremendously surprised to see that limited time offer extended.

 

Subsequently, and in some ways even more importantly, those new Windows 10 machines will continue to receive updates "for the lifetime of the device—at no cost." Those paid major version upgrades that Windows has historically had will be going away; once you're on the Windows 10 train, you're on the Windows train, and you'll continue to receive a steady stream of updates and upgrades until your system stops working and you buy or build a new one.

 

The next generation of Windows: Windows 10 « Microsoft

 

Delivering Windows as a Service and a Free Upgrade to Windows 10

Today was a monumental day for us on the Windows team because we shared our desire to redefine the relationship we have with you – our customers. We announced that a free upgrade for Windows 10 will be made available to customers running Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows Phone 8.1 who upgrade in the first year after launch.*

 

This is more than a one-time upgrade: once a Windows device is upgraded to Windows 10, we will continue to keep it current for the supported lifetime of the device – at no cost. With Windows 10, the experience will evolve and get even better over time. We'll deliver new features when they're ready, not waiting for the next major release. We think of Windows as a Service – in fact, one could reasonably think of Windows in the next couple of years as one of the largest Internet services on the planet.

 

* Hardware and software requirements apply. No additional charge. Feature availability may vary by device. Some editions excluded. More details at http://www.windows.com.

[Arthur]

Another typical Forbes article

Any idiot can apply to become a "Forbes Contributor". What Forbes have essentially done is outsource the majority of the articles on their website to random bloggers. I bet none of them would appear in the magazine.

 

http://i.imgur.com/7kxSq1V.png

 

The reason contributors often write sensationalist articles is because they are paid bonuses for hitting certain unique visitor targets (among other things). This just encourages the creation of poor-quality articles that are filled with FUD, factually incorrect or worthless fluff pieces.

[synaesthesia]

Ah, that explains a lot. I treat anything linked to Forbes in the same way as we do for the Daily Mail; pinch of salt. At least there's a vague explanation for it!

[comrade]

I have two machines at home, one of 7, and one on 8 that family use. I will be upgrading them both. The icon has already appeared asking me to "reserve" a copy.

 

I can't say that I use my computer for much these days, most of the stuff I do on my phone. The only time my Mac is switched on is when I need to send off my CV or when I need to do something that only a PC/Mac can do. Same with my family.

 

I think the days of laptops and desktops are numbered. There will always be workstations for working, but on a personal level, I think in a decades time desktops and laptops will be a thing of the past in homes for the average Joe if not already.

[SpuffMonkey]

Glad to hear that most of you think this will work out - of course if you're wrong = I will be back!