Windows 10 - free upgrade to those with PC using Windows 7 or 8

[murg]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

I'll be creating a virtual machine with Windows 10 as soon as I can (with the new visual studio too). Nothing wrong with new things, unless it disrupts my normal work flow. Which is why I still am developing on Windows 7: the start page of Windows 8 is too disruptive for me. I still can't work comfortably with it. Even though I two tablets running Windows 8.1 (and on one of those I have Visual Studio installed which get used regularly)

I have 8.1 setup so it's indistinguishable from Windows 7. The Start menu/page is different, but I was deep in the start menu on a W7 system today, and I think I may actually prefer W8.1's if you aren't sure what you're looking for.

[wodin]

'Free' Windows 10 Now Looks A Terrible Deal

[dickloraine]

Okay, I have no clue about that, but do they talk about actual support for the individual customer or just about how they calculate how long they think user will use a device, so they can show when they will see what profit? Additionally, does support mean new features or security updates? Quite a difference.

[eschwartz]

Well, that is the thing -- we don't know yet, do we?

[cvkemp]

I do not know about a lot of people but I keep my computers until they can no longer be used. My desktop is 9 years old and my laptop is 5 years old. And my wife has a laptop that is 10 years old. They still work and they can still run windows. The key is to get the most up to date hardware available when you buy.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by cvkemp

I do not know about a lot of people but I keep my computers until they can no longer be used. My desktop is 9 years old and my laptop is 5 years old. And my wife has a laptop that is 10 years old. They still work and they can still run windows. The key is to get the most up to date hardware available when you buy.

I'm the same way. And I don't even get the most up-to-date when I buy. I'd like to, but I typically get the best I can afford, which is typically one or two rungs off the top tier. Still, only just recently replaced my Pentium 4 desktop.

[jhowell]

Limited versions of Microsoft Office apps will be available for free with Windows 10.

http://winsupersite.com/office/offic...ide-windows-10

...Microsoft also released Universal Office Apps for Windows 10 to bring touch friendly versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint to the up and coming operating system.

We have learned this week from Microsoft that those apps will be released on 29 July, the same day Windows 10 becomes available, and will be in the Windows 10 Store for immediate download and use.

According to a Microsoft spokesperson the free apps will allow users to perform core editing, viewing and printing of their Office files. No Office 365 subscription will be necessary for those functions but if you need a higher level of capability then an Office 365 subscription or the stand alone install of Office 2016 will be necessary.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by wodin

'Free' Windows 10 Now Looks A Terrible Deal

I read that article. I'm not a big Windows fan, but I honestly think there's a whole lot of speculation going on and not a whole lot of facts. Of course, that's kind of Microsoft's fault because they (for some reason) refuse to clarify the terms of the Windows 10 license (which makes it seem a bit suspicious). I know one thing, my wife definitely won't be upgrading her desktop or lapton until we have a clearer idea what's going to happen in the future.

[PatNY]

Originally Posted by wodin

'Free' Windows 10 Now Looks A Terrible Deal

"... 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 additional charge ... as long as the machine is operable, it will continue to support it with updates. So, if the machine still works 5 or 10 years from now, revisions and updates to Windows 10 will be made available to it."

The above is from this Microsoft web page written all the way back in January of this year. I am not aware of one instance where Microsoft has stated anything to the contrary since that time.

Why is Gordon Kelly saying otherwise? I cannot believe he is so dense or illiterate, so I can only conclude he is trying to stir up controversy where none exists by purposely misleading. Why? He seems to have an agenda but I don't know what it is. Maybe he is simply starved for attention and wants page clicks? It's a cheap trick, though, and really shoddy journalism.

There is no limit to how long Windows 10 updates will be available to those who install it with a valid license. Once you have it on a specific machine, that machine will be eligible for free updates indefinitely.

--Pat

[Alpha o]

Here's a take from a financial mag:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonke...rtner=yahootix

This brings up another question for me. MS has borked computers with service patches before. I know some people who manually update only after patch has been proven not to be unreliable. If you can't turn down patches, how fast will MS fix to allow you to even use the computer the way you want?

If I remember, one patch took out an anti-virus, and MS also injected new versions of Silverlight into extensions for Firefox without the FX user's permission.

[dickloraine]

After reading the article and again and thinking about that it is from a presentation for investors, I am now quite sure it is just about how microsoft accounts for windows 10.

[Penforhire]

The biggest issue with continuing to use an older OS for many years (like ten years noted above) is that it stops getting security updates. It is almost a certainty that every such old OS installation is vulnerable to various malware attacks if it is connected to the internet. Or even if isolated (air gap) but still sometimes attached to hardware like USB memory sticks that can transfer malware.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by PatNY

The above is from this Microsoft web page written all the way back in January of this year. I am not aware of one instance where Microsoft has stated anything to the contrary since that time.

Sorry Pat, but you just posted a a bunch of your own speculative, possibly ageda-driven, spin.

You conveniently overlooked several important points:
1. That page you link is a wiki page by a contributer from the MS Community forum, not an MS policy statement.
2. About your 5 to 10 year thing, you left out the introductory phrase: "This is still being debated, but the logical conclusion is...:
3. Even in what you posted, there is nothing that says those updates would be FREE for that long, only for the "supported lifetime," which was "still being debated" and is what the author of the article reported as being discussed on those internal MS slides.

[Greg Anos]

Originally Posted by Penforhire

The biggest issue with continuing to use an older OS for many years (like ten years noted above) is that it stops getting security updates. It is almost a certainty that every such old OS installation is vulnerable to various malware attacks if it is connected to the internet. Or even if isolated (air gap) but still sometimes attached to hardware like USB memory sticks that can transfer malware.

<Shrug> There is no security, new or old. I air gap across both machines and OSes. Plus I have virtualized the old OSes. If they go down, I just import a new virtual machine from a back up. (Hasn't happened yet...)

[SleepyBob]

Originally Posted by dickloraine

After reading the article and again and thinking about that it is from a presentation for investors, I am now quite sure it is just about how microsoft accounts for windows 10.

Indeed. A very similar situation is when you buy a lifetime subscription with a TiVo DVR. For accounting purposes, they earn the revenue from the sale spread across the four years of "expected lifetime" of the box, but they will keep providing the service as long as the box keeps running.