Posted on 06/01/2015 12:09:57 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Microsoft has a grand plan to get its next operating system, Windows 10, running on 1 billion devices in three years -- by giving it away for free. Well, sort of.
The software, which Microsoft announced Monday will begin rolling out July 29, is a free upgrade for all Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 PC and tablet users. For computers, those two versions power 74.1 percent of all PCs, according to NetMarketShare.
For everyone else, it's the same pricing as Windows 8, the company confirmed to CNET on Monday. A copy of Windows 10 Home will run $119, while Windows 10 Pro will cost $199. For those who wish to upgrade from the Home edition to the Pro edition, a Windows 10 Pro Pack will cost $99.
Microsoft may have given the impression it was making a critical pricing change to its flagship operating system when it announced in January that, like competitor Apple, it would offer an upgrade free of charge. However, the company has been transparent from the beginning that the upgrade is only eligible for one year, until July 29, 2016, and has said at various points in the past few months that pricing for single licenses would stay on par with previous releases. Now, there is the possibility that future versions of Windows may follow this same path, meaning Microsoft may never go fully free with its OS.
Microsoft says copies of the software will be available online and in stores. Retailer Newegg, which appeared to have leaked pricing and release date information this past weekend, still has pages for Windows 10 Home and Pro live on its website, although its pricing says $110 for Home and $150 for Pro and is not updated to reflect Microsoft's confirmed pricing.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnet.com ...
Good questions. Is Windows 10 really free or only free for the first year? And the print driver question is also crucial. Windows 7 nearly forced me to buy all new printers when they worked fine with Win XP.
Lying? No, I’m not saying that. It’s just that the preponderance of anecdotal experience among many users is that Linux is much more stable than Windows ever was. Perhaps you were doing something unusual, or your Linux wasn’t installed correctly. All I can tell you is that your experience that Linux is less stable than Windows is at odds with that of pretty much everyone else.
Please let us know how it goes?
When I went from Win98 to XP, I lost a printer and scanner. Most software I used did work with XP.
When I went from XP to Win7, I lost a printer and scanner. I also lost several productivity software programs that were no longer updated and no real equivalents were available. I did manage to jerry-rig a few other software programs and get them to partially work under Win7.
I still prefer older software because I loathe the ridiculous ribbon menus. They take up too much real estate and make finding the infrequently used functions difficult.
Microsoft moved away from ‘productivity’ to ‘cutzie’ touchscreens — which are not designed for ‘productivity’.
Well, I’d say you sample is biased.
I’ve been an experienced PC user since there were PC’s. I’ve tried several different distributions over a long period of time. And the biggest factor of all is that I’ve always wanted to use something other than Windows.
I’ll also add once again, that the small market share of Linux after all these years coupled with the fact that it’s free supports my experience.
Small market share? Only in the Microsoft-controlled desktop market.
...
Well, that’s the market I’m talking about. And like I said, it’s just not my experience that counts. The day for Linux on the desktop has come and gone. Whatever happened to the cheap Linux PC’s at Walmart? And I don’t see too many manufacturers claiming Linux compatibility like they once did.
“Regardless, my Win 7 OS will continue to operate.”
Yes, I did the same thing with XP until my wife just HAD to have Windows 7. ;-)
You’re missing the entire point. The day of the desktop PC is probably over; smartphones are increasingly taking their place almost everywhere. And THOSE run Linux (Android).
I’m not missing your point. I told you I was talking about the PC market. If you look at the title of the thread it’s about the price of Windows 10 on the desktop.
PC’s aren’t the growth market they once were, but they aren’t going away either.
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