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from the Operating-System-a-la-"Mode" dept.
Windows 10 S is going to become a "mode" rather than a separate "version" of Windows. And it should be able to be disabled for free:
With the next big update to Windows 10, version 1803, Microsoft is making some big changes to how it sells the software to OEMs. The biggest casualty? Windows 10 S—the restricted version of Windows that can only run apps from the Store—is going away.
Currently, Windows 10 S is a unique edition of Windows 10. It's based on Windows 10 Pro; Windows 10 Pro has various facilities that enable system administrators to restrict which software can be run, and Windows 10 S is essentially a preconfigured version of those facilities. In addition to locking out arbitrary downloaded programs, it also prevents the use of certain built-in Windows features such as the command-line, PowerShell, and Windows Subsystem for Linux.
For those who can't abide by the constraints that S imposes, you can upgrade 10 S to the full 10 Pro. This upgrade is a one-shot deal: there's no way of re-enabling the S limitations after upgrading to Pro. It's also a paid upgrade: while Microsoft offered it as a free upgrade for a limited time for its Surface Laptop, the regular price is $49.
[...] Brad Sams of Thurrott.com writes that, for Windows 10 version 1803 (codenamed "Redstone 4"), this is changing. According to leaked documents provided to Microsoft's partners, with version 1803, Windows 10 S will be a mode of Windows 10 Home, Windows 10 Education, and Windows 10 Pro, rather than a distinct version. Switching Windows 10 Home S and Windows 10 Education S to regular Windows 10 Home and Windows 10 Education will be free; switching from Pro S to Pro will continue to cost $49.
Can Windows 10 Pro S be downgraded/upgraded to Windows 10 Home?
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Friday February 09 2018, @05:30PM
or god help me for saying this, switch to web/cloud platforms
This is exactly what's happening, and is pretty much the only way Linux on the desktop will become a normal thing. It's already the reason Linux desktops make good sense now for many simple home users, including two friends I set up with Linux laptops: when almost everything you do is through a web browser, and the only other things you do are playing music or videos, or maybe a little very simple document editing, Linux works just fine, without all the hassles that come with Windows 10. It's in businesses where they have various specialty applications plus AD, Outlook, etc. where there's a big technical problem with switching.