 |
 |
|---|
Posted on 11/03/2017 8:14:08 PM PDT by dayglored
More than a year after ending its free Windows 10 upgrade program, Microsoft is getting ready to shut down the last official free upgrade extension. The news wasn't exactly shouted from the rooftops.
If you've been waiting to claim your free Windows 10 upgrade using the "assistive technologies" exception, you need to act soon. In a quiet change to an obscure web page, Microsoft announced this week that those exceptions will end on December 31, 2017.
On July 29, 2016, Microsoft officially ended the Get Windows 10 program, which offered free Windows 10 upgrades to anyone currently running a supported earlier version of Windows.
But the company left a giant loophole in a separate announcement at the same time.
Under the terms of that announcement, individuals who use "assistive technologies" received an automatic extension of the free upgrade offer. And as a Microsoft spokesperson explained at the time:
We are not restricting the free upgrade offer to specific assistive technologies. If you use assistive technology on Windows, you are eligible for the free upgrade offer. That said, it is not intended to be a workaround for people who don't use assistive technology and who missed the deadline for the free offer.
Sometime in the past week, Microsoft quietly edited that page. Under the FAQ heading, the original version said, "We will make a public announcement prior to ending the offer."
That text has been replaced and now reads: "The accessibility upgrade offer expires on December 31, 2017."
As @kdzumba points out via Twitter, that date was first announced by the Microsoft Accessibility account, @MSFTEnable, in a tweet on October 17:
(Excerpt) Read more at zdnet.com ...
|
|
|---|
I’m still running Windows ME. How will this announcement affect future ME upgrades?
Awesome. You may be the very last one.
> How will this announcement affect future ME upgrades?
You can probably get a good deal on 98SE. That's an upgrade from ME. Just sayin'
Every time they push a 10 update, something breaks on my system and it is unusable for hours to find the workaround or until I give up and uninstall the update. Meanwhile all of my win7 systems hum along happily with zero issues.
Having tried W10 in a VB on older hardware, I’ll just say F W10 for the long run.
Unix and derivatives seems to be a better deal, as long in the tooth as it is. I was always in favor of BeOS.
BeOS was a great OS, way ahead of its time. I never ran it on a personal system myself, but I had occasion to play with it a bit.
Linux may have long Unix teeth, but it's still growing and evolving.
Windows, I'm sorry to say, appears to be thrashing, trying to figure out what it needs to become. I hope Microsoft finds their way soon.
I still have a BeOS Desktop around here somewhere.
Having been involved in real time embedded control systems in the 80’s BeOS was a siren call. Too bad it had to hit the wall.
I’m using Linux Mint Cinnamon. I am as happy as a clam. I will pass.
W10 upgrade is laughable for me, I just downgraded from W7 to XP and love it!
IMO it is impossible to keep an internet connected computer bug free and free from hacking, so just what’s the difference, might as well use something you like.
My main data computer though is W7 64 bit and is never ever on the net. I transfer data between them with a small memory stick.
I think there is/was a BeOS clone that I put in a VB some computers ago.
I’ll have to drag it off some HD in the pile...
“I’m still running Windows ME.”
Nice. How do you like it? I love throwback technology. I’m considering upgrading from DOS 3.3 but I am so addicted to Microsoft’s brilliant “Abort, Retry, Ignore” technology. Maybe, I’ll take small steps and just go for the Win 3.1 first. :)
“Linux Mint Cinnamon”
That’s totally me these daze. VirtualBox XP for some legacy s/w to be compatible with older devices (Garmin 76Cs, and others).
I also have a Win3.11 VM to play with. Word processing on that is still quick.
“Haiku is a free and open-source operating system compatible with the now discontinued BeOS”
Actually I just use my Windows ME for word processing. Note-taking, mostly. It’s not even connected to the Internet.
I hate to brag, but my Internet computer is one of those newfangled Windows XP machines.
Good Hunting... from Varmint Al
Nothing like doing it your way.
I was always a believer in the concept of a PERSONAL Computer.
It’s your hardware, it should be your s/w.
Commie Richard Matthew Stallman was in regards to software actually a libertarian. And I thank him for his support of personal liberty.
It took a while to get it all sorted out. Fedora is what I first tried and it is good, but lacks necessary video drivers. Now on mint, even my old machines are usable. Not missing any software now. I’m in business. Sav, etc.
And the alert viewer will note these are both running on a Mac...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.