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On Friday [June 19, 2015], Microsoft described a way for anyone to get Windows 10 for free: activated, genuine, and updated forever. We wrote at the time that we expected the company to do a volte-face and back away from this promise. Lo and behold, it has come to pass.
Since Friday, the blog post describing the changes to the Windows Insider preview program has been silently updated. Previously it said that signed up members of the Insider Program running a preview version would "receive the Windows 10 final release build and remain activated." Now it says only that they will "receive the Windows 10 final release build." The activation wording has been removed. The company has also added a "clarifying" sentence: "It's important to note that only people running Genuine Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 can upgrade to Windows 10 as part of the free upgrade offer." This is in contrast to what the company said on Friday, when Microsoft's Gabe Aul confirmed that upgraded preview copies would be Genuine.
So what does this all mean? The main thing it means is that we're not expecting clear communication from Microsoft about licensing any time soon. We don't imagine that there will be any technical difference: we expect that as previously described, Windows 10 installed via the preview will activate and show as genuine. It should be fully functional (no "non-genuine" watermark on the desktop or anything like that), and essentially indistinguishable from any other Windows 10 installation.
Original Submission
(Score: 5, Insightful) by pendorbound on Monday June 22 2015, @02:21PM
Why are people even still interested in running a "free" operating system that needs to be "activated" and thus can be deactivated at MS' whim. $0.00 is overpriced for an OS that can suddenly stop working if I change "too much" hardware or if the maker decides for whatever reason that I'm not "genuine" any more.
I honestly can't understand how activation differs materially from ransomware that can turn your PC into a brick if you don't do what the ransomers demand of you.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by SDRefugee on Monday June 22 2015, @05:01PM
I'm a retired windows/linux admin, I run Linux exclusively on my home machines, but since I'm also the "defacto" tech support/resident geek for my church and neighborhood, I'm trying out Windows 10 since I'm gonna have to support it with the neighbors once it is released.. Actually, its pretty good, in my estimation, and since I have a couple of valid OEM licenses for Windows 7 Pro, which came on my Dell laptop and desktop, and a valid product key for Win 8.1, that was given to me for some work I did for a neighbor and instead of $$$ he gave me the spare product key. I expect to be able to get an equivalent number of Windows 10 licenses, not that I think I'll ever use them, but you never know.. Of course, you're gonna get contradicting statements like this from MS "spokesdroids"... Its a given that in a giant corporation like MS, the left hand has no clue what the right hand is doing..
America should be proud of Edward Snowden, the hero, whether they know it or not..
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 22 2015, @07:27PM
This obviously is the "New Microsoft" that can do no wrong...
The power of default is strong but is it really this strong? Will people really swallow it?
(Score: 2) by Tork on Monday June 22 2015, @08:16PM
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 22 2015, @11:13PM
More and more, when folks in a distro's forum ask what app will replace the app the user had been using under a previous OS, those folks are directed to e.g. AlternativeTo.net[1] [alternativeto.net]
It's rare when there aren't multiple Linux-compatible alternates to Windoze-only apps.
...and, of course, WINE gets better by the week.
(The older your stuff is, the more it is likely to be supported.)
[1] 8-( It's amazing how many web developers have never heard "degrades gracefully" or even "validate your code". [w3.org]
-- gewg_