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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, Funny) by Thexalon on Monday June 22 2015, @02:02PM
As Tasha Yar could explain, when dealing with a fully functional computer, you can still get screwed!
"Think of how stupid the average person is. Then realize half of 'em are stupider than that." - George Carlin
(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 🏳️🌈 - Give us ribbiti or make us croak! 🐸
(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_
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 22 2015, @02:34PM
were named Elop, Penn, and Rudder.
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Monday June 22 2015, @02:50PM
Or Elop,Penn an Teller...
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. I have always been here. ---Gaaark 2.0 --
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 22 2015, @02:57PM
The Finns didn't think it was funny when their American CEO "eloped" with their top company.
(Score: 2) by VLM on Monday June 22 2015, @02:58PM
My guess is they were named whoever is in charge of the microsoft app store, on the logic that they got $0 from me and will likely in the future continue to get $0 from me for the OS, but if I buy anything at all on the app store they'll get 30% of my payment.
This is based on the theory that using the microsoft app store requires a genuine activated copy of the OS.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 22 2015, @06:44PM
or Larry, Moe and Curly
(Score: 4, Informative) by iamjacksusername on Monday June 22 2015, @03:01PM
I would like to thank the Microsofts, Autodesks, Oracles and countless other companies like them for keeping me in business. Understanding the licensing and picking the optimal program to use has become one of the key services I offer my clients. Nobody but the people who do this on a day-to-day basis would actually understand all the intricacies of each program - I end up having to explain the differences to Inside Sales people who are supposed to be the experts because, half the time, they send me the wrong SKUs. It gets old but that's why they pay me.
I do give Microsoft credit - they are doing the things on the services side that need to be done but their accountants seem absolutely intent on squeezing the proverbial last drop of blood out the stone. Sounds like someone in MS accounting saw the announcements, called legal and said "we need wiggle room in case we are having a bad quarter".
(Score: 4, Insightful) by EvilSS on Monday June 22 2015, @03:43PM
I've always said that universities could offer four year degree programs centered on understanding Microsoft licensing. At the company I work for we have a full time person who's only job is figuring out the correct licensing for our customers to purchase.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by schad on Monday June 22 2015, @04:43PM
Does Microsoft charge you a different rate depending on the make and model of your server and/or CPU? If not, they're straightforward and easy-to-understand by comparison to, for example, IBM. It kills me that IBM pushes (or pushed; it's been a while) PVUs as simple. "Shit, our sales numbers are looking bad. Guys, tweak the PVU sheet, we need a 2% increase to hit our quotas."
(Score: 3, Informative) by iamjacksusername on Monday June 22 2015, @06:02PM
It's not quite as bad as IBM but they seem to employ similar methodologies. Microsoft makes it deceptively simple - Oh, just count the clients or devices. Oh, you want SQL? Which edition? Oh, you cant use CALs if you are upgrading that edition under SA; you need to convert them to core licenses. How many cores are you running? Oh, its virtualized. Well, that's a different story. Do you have an EA? Was it grandfathered in from a Select? Which Select did you have? What do I do with Open Business that some guy bought 10 years ago?
Like I said, this stuff pays the bills.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Phoenix666 on Monday June 22 2015, @04:47PM
I wanted to mod you up as "That's Messed Up."
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 3, Touché) by TK on Monday June 22 2015, @04:55PM
I have previously proposed a "+1 Sad but True" moderation which I think applies equally well.
The fleas have smaller fleas, upon their backs to bite them, and those fleas have lesser fleas, and so ad infinitum
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 22 2015, @10:57PM
It cost Sterling Ball, CEO of Ernie Ball, Inc., $100,000 to figure that out (a BSA raid with armed federal marshals).
He quickly learned that with Linux that isn't necessary.
He told his IT guys he wanted the place switched over within 6 months.
EULAs suck. [google.com]
-- gewg_
(Score: 2) by Marand on Tuesday June 23 2015, @07:19AM
It cost Sterling Ball, CEO of Ernie Ball, Inc., $100,000 to figure that out (a BSA raid with armed federal marshals).
He quickly learned that with Linux that isn't necessary.
He told his IT guys he wanted the place switched over within 6 months.
I've wondered before what happened with that switch. Seemed like someone would follow up on the story and get a long-term retrospective on the change, but every time I think to search it the latest info is still early 2000s. I'd love to hear savings, costs, and challenges faced in the past 15 years. Even if it turns out it was a failed experiment and they went back to being extorted by the BSA, more info could help others succeed.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 23 2015, @11:51AM
http://www.osv.org.au/index.cgi?tid=91 [osv.org.au]
http://www.metafilter.com/30137/The-CEO-of-Ernie-Ball-talks-about-how-his-company-left-Microsoft-for-Linux-after-a-licensing-fiasco [metafilter.com]
http://myitforum.com/myitforumwp/2012/11/12/ernie-ball-inc-still-rockin-11-years-without-microsoft/ [myitforum.com]
http://mrpogson.com/2013/02/14/50-years-old-and-12-years-free-of-m-ernie-ball/ [mrpogson.com]
(Score: 2) by Marand on Tuesday June 23 2015, @01:14PM
Nice, thanks. Last time I looked was around the 10th year, maybe 6-9mo before the 2012 one, so I guess I just missed the updates. The 2003 stuff I'd seen but was too soon after the change for what I meant.
(Score: 2) by iamjacksusername on Monday June 22 2015, @06:07PM
At one company, I had ~50 hours billed to unwind some Autodesk contract problems on a contract with a whopping 4 licenses on it. Crazy.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 22 2015, @05:55PM
> Sounds like someone in MS accounting saw the announcements, called legal and said "we need wiggle room in case we are having a bad quarter"
More precisely, I said to myself "It's 4pm and I still have to perform the evil deed of the day", THEN saw the announcement, and THEN called legal.
They don't pay us to do nothing all day, you know.
(Score: 2) by TK on Monday June 22 2015, @03:38PM
Does this mean the update button on my toolbar in Win 7 will go away. It's a miniscule thing, but it bugs the crap out of me for some reason.
The fleas have smaller fleas, upon their backs to bite them, and those fleas have lesser fleas, and so ad infinitum
(Score: 0, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 22 2015, @03:57PM
You can get rid of it by dropping to the command line and entering deltree *.* then sudo install linux
(Score: 5, Funny) by TK on Monday June 22 2015, @04:49PM
I tried that, but now my printer won't work and I taste copper. Is this because of systemd?
The fleas have smaller fleas, upon their backs to bite them, and those fleas have lesser fleas, and so ad infinitum
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 22 2015, @11:18PM
now my printer won't work
Some folks have learned that giving good money to vendors with poor support should be avoided. [openprinting.org]
systemd
Some folks have also learned that that isn't required either. [without-systemd.org]
HTH HAND
-- gewg_
(Score: 2) by wonkey_monkey on Monday June 22 2015, @04:32PM
Drag it onto the up arrow next to the notification area.
systemd is Roko's Basilisk
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 22 2015, @07:16PM
Despite the other suggestions, according to a friend of mine if you REALLY want to get rid of that upgrade button but keep the OS itself "If you're running Windows 7/8 and see a little icon in your system tray that looks like the Windows 10 logo, that's thanks to Microsoft update KB3035583, which installs nagware for upgrading to Windows 10. If you don't want that shit, uninstall KB3035583, and then hide the update in Windows Update (where it is scuzzily marked as an "Important Update")."
(Score: 3, Insightful) by tangomargarine on Monday June 22 2015, @04:15PM
(Oh geez, when was the last time I found myself defending Microsoft?)
Guaranteeing a free upgrade path from the previews is directly jettisoning sales* (assuming the previews are free). At least with 7 and 8/.1 owners you know they've paid something at some point, even if it's only the Windows Tax. Free upgrade from the preview, they could have never paid a dime for Windows if they built their own rig.
*Although that's using the *AA argument that everybody would have bought the upgrade if it wasn't free, which probably isn't true. Free upgrades forever sounds too good to be true.
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 1) by nitehawk214 on Monday June 22 2015, @04:30PM
Your sig is quite appropriate in this case.
"Don't you ever miss the days when you used to be nostalgic?" -Loiosh
(Score: 2) by captain normal on Monday June 22 2015, @04:44PM
Well it is a real headscratcher for sure. I think we only have to look at the fact that the chrome browser has grown so fast and now the chromium OS coming out...all for free. Look for hooks in Win10 that mine data and push links to "trusted partners".
As for updating to 10, I'm happy with 7 because once I dumped all the OEM cramware it's a clean fast OS.
The Musk/Trump interview appears to have been hacked, but not a DDOS hack...more like A Distributed Denial of Reality.
(Score: 1) by Francis on Tuesday June 23 2015, @06:51AM
Sort of, it's not that simple though. They do lose out on some sales, but a lot of those sales are to people that aren't actually going to buy. It's the same reason that MS rarely files suit against people that pirate their software unless they happen to do so at work. MS benefits from people using their software in terms of user base and individuals usually don't have enough money to pay for a lawsuit anyways.
Same goes for Photoshop, the main reason people use Photoshop is that it's what the professionals use. For most other people it includes a lot of things you don't need in a sucktastic interface.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by wonkey_monkey on Monday June 22 2015, @04:34PM
we expected the company to do a volte-face and back away from this promise. Lo and behold, it has come to pass.
...
we expect that as previously described, Windows 10 installed via the preview will activate and show as genuine.
So... what? You say they've backed away from the promise, but you don't think they're going to back away from the promise?
systemd is Roko's Basilisk
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 23 2015, @04:06AM
They have backed away from explicitly saying it will work, but nudge nudge wink wink, it will work.
(Score: 3, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 22 2015, @06:53PM
In related news, users of FreeBSD 10.x will be given a, free of charge, upgrade when FreeBSD 11.0 is released (as will current users of any other OS). It will "remain activated" (whatever that means?) for as long as you like. It will be as genuine as you want to make it, and updated as frequently as you like, until your machine is older than dirt. If you don't like FreeBSD, just substitute Slackware, Arch, Ubuntu, OpenBSD or whatever because they're all offering the same deal.
(Score: 2) by mtrycz on Monday June 22 2015, @07:29PM
I'm in! how much is it?
In capitalist America, ads view YOU!
(Score: 2) by VortexCortex on Monday June 22 2015, @09:10PM
how much is it?
It's about 2.4 GiB for the DVD, or 653 MiB for the 1st CD to get you started.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 22 2015, @11:33PM
There is an OS which has an available mechanism to *assure* that state.
Linux Genuine Advantage(tm) [googleusercontent.com] (orig) [linuxgenuineadvantage.org]
Enjoy.
-- gewg_
(Score: 1) by Gorb on Tuesday June 23 2015, @12:28AM
So yesterday, I could join the program on my Vista machine and be guaranteed a final release activated copy of Win 10.
Today, I could join the program on my Vista machine and be guaranteed a final release but with no activation copy of Win 10.
I eagerly await clarification.
Is it wrong to have sexual fantasies about cartoon characters?