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Main Area and Open Discussion => Living Room => Topic started by: Cuffy on September 28, 2014, 02:16 PM

Title: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: Cuffy on September 28, 2014, 02:16 PM

Well I'll be damned......... Win9 will be free  :Thmbsup:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2688652/microsoft-indonesia-president-windows-9-will-be-free-to-windows-8-owners.html#tk.nl_today

 ;D

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: KynloStephen66515 on September 28, 2014, 06:31 PM

I will believe it when I see it. ;)

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: Tuxman on September 29, 2014, 07:02 AM

I think that's consequence.

I've read that upcoming Windows versions will be "rolling releases" anyway, with Windows "9" being the last or next-to-last "full release"; the code for in-place upgrades is already in "milestone previews".

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: tomos on September 29, 2014, 01:28 PM

I suspect it's not going to be any major change/s, and hopefully they will finally get the desktop aspect 'in order'.
That should have been done long ago under the Win8 unbrella anyways.

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: Deozaan on September 29, 2014, 01:30 PM

Not quite. (emphasis added below)

Andreas Diantoro, the president of Microsoft Indonesia, confirms that Windows 9 will be a free upgrade for all Windows 8 users.

It's a free "upgrade" for people who own Windows 8. That excludes a lot of people, myself included. So no, Windows 9 will not be free.

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: 40hz on September 29, 2014, 06:18 PM

've read that upcoming Windows versions will be "rolling releases" anyway,

-Tuxman (September 29, 2014, 07:02 AM)

That's because Microsoft will soon be shifting completely over to a subscription model for their OS. Just like they are doing with MS Office, which is gradually transitioning over to Office 365.

Since you'll be paying monthly or annually, a rolling release is the only thing that would make sense once their 'boxed' products get pulled off the market.

Figure within the next three years give or take.

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: rgdot on September 29, 2014, 06:20 PM

Monthly for an OS?  More chance of me winning a dance contest than that succeeding

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: 40hz on September 29, 2014, 06:38 PM

^I don't think they really care.  :P

Seriously, their big money is from corporate, institutional, and government. As long as Word and Excel are the dominant desktop apps - and .NET rules the waves for custom apps - Windows future is secure. Home users will pay the toll, or do without updates, after something like one year following purchase. Especially if OEM Windows gets replaced by a 1 or 2-year subscription copy.

Besides, everybody thought Adobe was committing suicide with their Creative Suite. Last I heard, it's working beautifully for them. And pretty well for their customers too. Intuit disables online functions on Quickbooks and Quicken after a certain amount of time. It'll only be a matter of time before they pull shrinkwrap and standalone versions from the market and follow Microsoft and Adobe.

The subscription model is very doable for any software title that completely dominates its market. Excel, Word, Photoshop, Quicken, etc. are good examples of apps that could (or already do) easily survive completely as subscription-only products.

Ditto for Windows as an OS. Subscription licensing was the only way to buy mainframe and minicomputer software a few decades ago. UNIX, VMS, VAX, and all the old operating systems used to be "sold" that way. And that way only.

It's all coming back in one big circle IMO.

"So it goes." 8)

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: Cuffy on September 29, 2014, 06:40 PM

there is an unconfirmed report containing some unconfirmed information regarding the unconfirmed release of an O/S that may or may not be called Windows 9 by the purported releaser.
Since previous information regarding the purported release seemed to confuse some readers about the price of the product being released we will not confirm nor deny any previously reported reports. Since this purported release is purportedly an upgrade to Win8/Win8.1 it would seem to have little interest to users not running one of those O/Ss..... we could be wrong?
We assume no liability for any information published by the publishing author and questions regarding the published data should be directed to them.
This URL may or may not work and if it fails Google may be able to find the same or similar information for your perusal.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2688818/windows-9-technical-preview-page-briefly-appears-online-named-windows-th.html#tk.nl_today
Have a nice day  :D

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: wraith808 on September 30, 2014, 07:24 AM

Monthly for an OS?  More chance of me winning a dance contest than that succeeding

-rgdot (September 29, 2014, 06:20 PM)

I thought the same thing about office... but have you looked at the offering?  I'm actually thinking of subscribing for office 365.  For $7 a month you get it on one machine, one tablet, as many mobile devices as you want, online, you can save offline documents, and you get 1TB of data.  For $10 a month- you multiply all of those by 5(!).  In comparison, most services are that much or more just for less storage...!

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: Stoic Joker on September 30, 2014, 07:46 AM

As goes the Ala Carte scourge ... It's only a dollar..!

This is a dollar, that is a dollar...the other thing(s) are only a dollar. And then all of a suddenly your stuck with close to a car payment - For :)ing Life - hoping that you don't get into a bind because then all your stuff is (gone) being held hostage by a faceless corporation that wants it monthly feeding - plus late fee$...

Windows OS goes monthly ...(today's letters become F and O)... Stoic Joker Goes Linux.

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: wraith808 on September 30, 2014, 07:55 AM

As goes the Ala Carte scourge ... It's only a dollar..!

This is a dollar, that is a dollar...the other thing(s) are only a dollar. And then all of a suddenly your stuck with close to a car payment - For :)ing Life - hoping that you don't get into a bind because then all your stuff is (gone) being held hostage by a faceless corporation that wants it monthly feeding - plus late fee$...

Windows OS goes monthly ...(today's letters become F and O)... Stoic Joker Goes Linux.

-Stoic Joker (September 30, 2014, 07:46 AM)

That's the worse case scenario.  The thing that is making me think about office is the fact that you get a locally installed version, you can save your files locally, and they're the standard office format.  You have to read the fine print of course, but even looking at the fine print, I don't see any gotchas.

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: 40hz on September 30, 2014, 08:11 AM

Windows OS goes monthly ...(today's letters become F and O)... Stoic Joker Goes Linux.

-Stoic Joker (September 30, 2014, 07:46 AM)

I bit the bullet and really started using NIX a while back. More as a hedge in case Microsoft went psychotic. So far they haven't. The Office 365 deal (in its present form) is pretty decent and makes sense for many people.

But despite all that, I still ended up preferring Linux over Windows on the desktop. Windows just feels clunky and looks cartoon-ish to me. Virtually everything I do for myself these days is done under Linux.

Windows Server is still a fine OS however. I have very few issues with using or recommending Microsoft's server products.

Just my :two:. YMMV

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: dr_andus on September 30, 2014, 08:20 AM

This is a dollar, that is a dollar...the other thing(s) are only a dollar.

-Stoic Joker (September 30, 2014, 07:46 AM)

The big problem with this model is that it may reduce diversity and competition (if everyone starts using it). While an individual consumer may afford to buy a vast range of software for one-off payments over the years (which he/she gets to keep indefinitely), his/her monthly/annual budget for subscriptions will be limited. So each consumer will settle on a very small number of essential subscriptions, which is likely to lead to the development of monopolies and the wiping out of small developers (methinks...)

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: rgdot on September 30, 2014, 08:31 AM

I don't see how one can compare something that you turn your computer on with Office. I am pretty sure PC manufacturers will hate the idea of both starting Windows with a sub or their PCs coming with 1 or 2 year sub built in. I will be pretty surprised if MS can convince Dell and others this is good.

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: Stoic Joker on September 30, 2014, 11:37 AM

As goes the Ala Carte scourge ... It's only a dollar..!

This is a dollar, that is a dollar...the other thing(s) are only a dollar. And then all of a suddenly your stuck with close to a car payment - For :)ing Life - hoping that you don't get into a bind because then all your stuff is (gone) being held hostage by a faceless corporation that wants it monthly feeding - plus late fee$...

Windows OS goes monthly ...(today's letters become F and O)... Stoic Joker Goes Linux.

-Stoic Joker (September 30, 2014, 07:46 AM)

That's the worse case scenario. 

-wraith808 (September 30, 2014, 07:55 AM)

Dam Straight, and there is nothing in the industries recent behavior that would give one the impression that they have any intention of holding back an inch once the tip goes in.

The thing that is making me think about office is the fact that you get a locally installed version, you can save your files locally, and they're the standard office format.  You have to read the fine print of course, but even looking at the fine print, I don't see any gotchas.

-wraith808 (September 30, 2014, 07:55 AM)

Sure it sounds like a great deal, but when the subscription runs out because hard times have hit, and the software shuts down. What do you open the files with? And what happens to all your stuff that is stored in the cloud?

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: Stoic Joker on September 30, 2014, 11:40 AM

This is a dollar, that is a dollar...the other thing(s) are only a dollar.

-Stoic Joker (September 30, 2014, 07:46 AM)

The big problem with this model is that it may reduce diversity and competition (if everyone starts using it). While an individual consumer may afford to buy a vast range of software for one-off payments over the years (which he/she gets to keep indefinitely), his/her monthly/annual budget for subscriptions will be limited. So each consumer will settle on a very small number of essential subscriptions, which is likely to lead to the development of monopolies and the wiping out of small developers (methinks...)

-dr_andus (September 30, 2014, 08:20 AM)

That I hadn't thought about...but you definitely got a point there.

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: wraith808 on September 30, 2014, 11:58 AM

Sure it sounds like a great deal, but when the subscription runs out because hard times have hit, and the software shuts down. What do you open the files with? And what happens to all your stuff that is stored in the cloud?

-Stoic Joker (September 30, 2014, 11:37 AM)

Well, I'd think that you'd manage that ahead of time, and get your stuff out of the cloud.  And it's standard office format, so OpenOffice still opens it.  And you can still open the documents from the cloud office for free- no payment required.

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: Stoic Joker on September 30, 2014, 12:07 PM

Sure it sounds like a great deal, but when the subscription runs out because hard times have hit, and the software shuts down. What do you open the files with? And what happens to all your stuff that is stored in the cloud?

-Stoic Joker (September 30, 2014, 11:37 AM)

Well, I'd think that you'd manage that ahead of time, and get your stuff out of the cloud.

-wraith808 (September 30, 2014, 11:58 AM)

Given fair warning, perhaps ... But life seldom happens on schedule.

And it's standard office format, so OpenOffice still opens it. 

-wraith808 (September 30, 2014, 11:58 AM)

For now, but there always seem to be varying levels of compatibility with that sort of thing.

And you can still open the documents from the cloud office for free- no payment required.

-wraith808 (September 30, 2014, 11:58 AM)

For now.. But if one doesn't have ready access to an internet connection it can needlessly complicate things at a very bad time.


I just don't think it's wise to trust a corporation to do what's best for anyone but themselves. My stuff, is my stuff...and it stays with me.

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: rgdot on September 30, 2014, 12:46 PM

 :huh:

Instead of announcing the next version of its iconic operating system in front of a massive crowd of thousands, Microsoft chose an intimate venue with 50 or so reporters to launch the new Windows, which it's calling Windows 10. The company looks at the new number (yes, it skipped a number) as an indication of the direction it's taking with the OS;

http://www.engadget.com/2014/09/30/microsoft-windows-10/

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: dr_andus on September 30, 2014, 12:49 PM

Another problem with the cloud model is that it focuses the service on the typical or standard user. If you happen to be one of the few dozen (or even thousand) users of a niche feature of the software, and one of the automatic updates accidentally breaks this niche feature, then you may have to wait for weeks to get that fixed, because the needs of the millions of standard users will always be more important.

Example: I've been using a Chromebook since January, and using the Chrome Remote Desktop app was the main way in which I was accessing my PC remotely, set up with 3 monitors. Now, to be able to effectively use the 3 monitors remotely, the "bump scrolling" feature is essential, i.e. where you move your finger on the touchpad and can glide from monitor to monitor easily. It's a fab feature... when it works. But since January Google managed to break CRD's bump scrolling at least 3 times, and almost every time it took several weeks for them to fix it, despite the few dozen frustrated users complaining on their forum. For me this is a mission-critical feature, for them, this is very, very low on their list of priorities...

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: wraith808 on September 30, 2014, 01:08 PM

Given fair warning, perhaps ... But life seldom happens on schedule.

-Stoic Joker (September 30, 2014, 12:07 PM)

Considering you pay for the month at a minimum, the chance of you hitting that date at the exact time that you can't pay $10 would seem to be a manageable risk.

Of course, there are considerations when going down this road.  As always let the buyer beware and do his own due diligence.  But after doing my own due diligence on the subject, I know where the possible failures are located, and have taken such mitigation into account- as all should do before doing so.

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: mwb1100 on September 30, 2014, 02:05 PM

The new Windows, which it's calling Windows 10. The company looks at the new number (yes, it skipped a number) ...

-http://www.engadget.com/2014/09/30/microsoft-windows-10/

Well, no wonder that Win9 will be free.

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: xtabber on September 30, 2014, 03:09 PM

Since the next version of Windows will be called Windows 10 (http://www.techspot.com/news/58250-windows-10-is-the-name-of-microsofts-next-generation-operating-system.html), Windows 9 might as well be free.

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: Cuffy on September 30, 2014, 03:20 PM

Quote from: http://www.engadget.com/2.../30/microsoft-windows-10/

The new Windows, which it's calling Windows 10. The company looks at the new number (yes, it skipped a number) ...

Well, no wonder that Win9 will be free.

Until officially notified otherwise, I'm going to assume that Win9 is free, because it is an upgrade to Win8.
If MS uses #9 for an upgrade  numbering the next completely new O/S #10 seems perfectly logical. It's safe to assume that mathematically 9 follows 8 and 10 follows 9 so I'm considering the matter settled until MS changes the current order of numbers in our mathematical system.  :P

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: tomos on September 30, 2014, 03:44 PM

If MS uses #9 for an upgrade  numbering the next completely new O/S #10 seems perfectly logical.

-Cuffy (September 30, 2014, 03:20 PM)

well, if you put it like that ('logical'), I'll have to mention this:

Vista is NT 6.0.

Windows 7 was indeed a polishing of Vista, that's why it was NT 6.1.

-db90h (March 22, 2012, 05:09 AM)

not sure where that leaves 8, or 9 or 10 ...

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: Stoic Joker on September 30, 2014, 04:01 PM

If MS uses #9 for an upgrade  numbering the next completely new O/S #10 seems perfectly logical.

-Cuffy (September 30, 2014, 03:20 PM)

well, if you put it like that ('logical'), I'll have to mention this:

Vista is NT 6.0.

Windows 7 was indeed a polishing of Vista, that's why it was NT 6.1.

-db90h (March 22, 2012, 05:09 AM)

not sure where that leaves 8, or 9 or 10 ...

-tomos (September 30, 2014, 03:44 PM)

So if we're gong there.... At what version do they have to stop calling the Technology New... Shouldn't it be SOS10 instead?

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: Jibz on September 30, 2014, 04:07 PM

Saw someone calling it Win OS X .. made me chuckle.

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: SeraphimLabs on September 30, 2014, 04:53 PM

I still want to know why people actually continue to pay for Office when OpenOffice does the same job and costs nothing.

And OpenOffice isn't the only GPL backed alternative.

To me, Microsoft at this point only retains its marketplace dominance just because its what everyone has been using and the name everyone knows to look at.

Everything done by Microsoft has open source equivalents available, some of which may actually be the better solution.

In time people will realize this, and the microsoft dominance will break. Or some other fresh startup will take hold, and do to Microsoft what Microsoft did to CP/M almost 30 years ago.

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: wraith808 on September 30, 2014, 07:55 PM

I still want to know why people actually continue to pay for Office when OpenOffice does the same job and costs nothing.

-SeraphimLabs (September 30, 2014, 04:53 PM)

Because OpenOffice is slow and non-responsive.  Just answering for myself.  When I built my new computer, I'd decided to try to stop using Office.  My experience with OpenOffice was underwhelming enough that I'm looking at getting into Office 365, especially with all that it offers.  It takes a lot longer to open the same documents (even native) on my new, faster computer than my old computer.  And trying to open the same rtf document on both?  It's no comparison.

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: Deozaan on September 30, 2014, 07:59 PM

Uh oh... I think the universe is going to collapse on itself.

Windows is well known for sucking every other version. XP was good. Vista wasn't. Win7 was good. Win8 wasn't.

We were all expecting Win9 to be good. But if Win9 is going to be called Win10, but Win10 is supposed to suck, but Win9 is going to be good...

CANNOT COMPUTE!

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: Tuxman on September 30, 2014, 08:02 PM

I wonder which version number Windows 10 will have. 6.4?
Just to add more confusion.

But it seems that Windows 10 will make Listary and Dexpot a bit less important. Neat.

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: Tuxman on September 30, 2014, 08:04 PM

I still want to know why people actually continue to pay for Office when OpenOffice does the same job and costs nothing.

And OpenOffice isn't the only GPL backed alternative.

-SeraphimLabs (September 30, 2014, 04:53 PM)

You shouldn't choose your software based on its license. It'd leave you with not much choice.

Microsoft Office is nice for teams, given that LibO/OOo are the only alternatives with real plans for a built-in collaborative "cloud storage" - stuck to mere plans for years now. For personal use, probably SoftMaker Office (and WordPerfect - the text processor - for letters; yes, I'm still undecided) is the better choice anyway when it comes to quality.

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: Cuffy on October 01, 2014, 12:44 AM

Purportedly, another report has been leaked  8)
I was confident that Win9 will be a free update for Win8/Win8.1/Win8RTF but purportedly it will also work by submitting $30 US and a valid copy of Win7  :huh: WTH

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/microsoft-windows-platfrom-upgrade-threshold,27779.html

I'm waiting now for purported report about Linux, and Dos6.21 would be nice  :-\
Android.... not so much  :(

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: Cuffy on October 01, 2014, 10:31 AM

This is all getting too confusing for me  :-\

I think I'll just wait for Win11  :huh:

http://www.zdnet.com/microsofts-windows-10-whats-new-and-how-to-get-the-preview-bits-7000034210/?s_cid=e539&ttag=e539&ftag=TRE17cfd61

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: Carol Haynes on October 01, 2014, 10:59 AM

OT - out of curiosity why is anyone still using OpenOffice at all? Barely developed these days and seems to be the only thing that uses Java anymore (and that in itself is a good reason not to use OO).

Why not jump to LibreOffice which is much better and doesn't rely on Java and is actively being developed?

As for MS Office - 2007, 2010 will be the last versions I use from choice simply because you have a DVD and can install on desktop and laptop (or 3 PCs fro the Home and Student version). No interest in Office 365, and if Windows becomes a subscription service I will decamp to Linux (or even Apple - except I can't afford that) when end of life on the final none subscription version happens. Having said that manufacturers are already struggling - trying to sell subscription based products with their hardware is just going to make sales even harder. So many of the big names are already pulling out of PC and laptop sales in Europe (including Sony, Toshiba and Samsung) - it is only going to get worse.

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: 40hz on October 01, 2014, 11:16 AM

Why not jump to LibreOffice which is much better and doesn't rely on Java and is actively being developed?

-Carol Haynes (October 01, 2014, 10:59 AM)

This! :Thmbsup:

Or Softmaker's FreeOffice (http://www.freeoffice.com/) if you don't want a FOSS product. Linux version available too for that day when and if you decide to walk away from Windows.

WPS Office Free 2014 (http://www.kingsoftstore.com/software/kingsoft-office-freeware) is another viable alternative. The Windows version is mature. Kingsoft has been around for years. Their Linux version is still officially an alpha, but it is available for public download. Links to do that can be found here (http://www.kingsoftstore.com/news/3313-kingsoft-office-published-new-version-for-linux-alpha11.html). FWIW I use it ( the deb version) regularly and it's a very stable alpha. I've had no surprises at all in a year+ of regular use.

YMMV 8) :Thmbsup:

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: wraith808 on October 01, 2014, 11:17 AM

Why not jump to LibreOffice which is much better and doesn't rely on Java and is actively being developed?

-Carol Haynes (October 01, 2014, 10:59 AM)

That was what I tried.  It was still slow, at least in my experience.

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: wraith808 on October 01, 2014, 11:21 AM

This is hilarious...

http://www.infoworld.com/article/2613504/microsoft-windows/microsoft-windows-microsoft-skips-too-good-windows-9-jumps-to-windows-10.html

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: tomos on October 01, 2014, 12:27 PM

This is hilarious...

http://www.infoworld.com/article/2613504/microsoft-windows/microsoft-windows-microsoft-skips-too-good-windows-9-jumps-to-windows-10.html

-wraith808 (October 01, 2014, 11:21 AM)

haha very good :Thmbsup:

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: Deozaan on October 01, 2014, 01:44 PM

This is hilarious...

http://www.infoworld.com/article/2613504/microsoft-windows/microsoft-windows-microsoft-skips-too-good-windows-9-jumps-to-windows-10.html

-wraith808 (October 01, 2014, 11:21 AM)

Please note that that was an April Fool's article from 2013!

They thought they were being silly, but they were prophetic!

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: Cuffy on October 01, 2014, 02:10 PM

Now that we know what it is and what number to look for............. here's where to get and how to install it   :D

http://www.howtogeek.com/197503/microsoft-announces-windows-9-but-names-it-windows-10/

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: Cuffy on October 01, 2014, 02:16 PM

What the hell.............
the day is shot anyway  :P

http://www.pcworld.com/newsletter/archive/206201410011130/

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: TaoPhoenix on October 01, 2014, 02:26 PM

What I'd give for a "day in the Microsoft marketing meeting."

"I know, let's go from 7, to 8, to ... 10!"

In other news, Microsoft gave $500 million to assist preschoolers with their basic counting skills!
:P
(Just kidding!)

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: Josh on October 01, 2014, 03:11 PM

Windows 10 x64 Tech Preview ISO Image - Direct Link (http://iso.esd.microsoft.com/W9TPI/FD54DF81A4CCF4511BA1445C606DDBA2/WindowsTechnicalPreview-x64-EN-US.iso)

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: Cuffy on October 01, 2014, 03:31 PM

WindowsTechnicalPreview-x64-EN-US.iso]Windows 10 x64 Tech Preview ISO Image - Direct Link

-Josh (October 01, 2014, 03:11 PM)

you may have just started a flash mob  ;D

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: Deozaan on October 01, 2014, 04:08 PM

Windows 10 x64 Tech Preview ISO Image - Direct Link (http://iso.esd.microsoft.com/W9TPI/FD54DF81A4CCF4511BA1445C606DDBA2/WindowsTechnicalPreview-x64-EN-US.iso)

-Josh (October 01, 2014, 03:11 PM)

Heh heh. Notice the URL contains W9TPI, i.e., Windows 9 Technical Preview Image. ;D

According to Microsoft's website (http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/preview-iso), the SHA-1 for the above ISO should be: EB75A3D3C0F621F175B75DC65DB036D0E00EAC43

But don't you also need a product key for the ISO to work?

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: superboyac on October 01, 2014, 05:07 PM

Boy, I've cut down a lot on what news I follow over the years.  i think I may cut out a whole bunch of tech news.  These articles about new devices and new features and stuff are really making me  :-\.

So all this news about windows 10.  ok.  All they've really done is change the start button so it's now even bigger with tiles showing.  One programmer.  One day.  Let's say 10 programmers, one month.

What else?  built-in multiple desktops?  ok.  windows users have had third party tools forever, so who really cares?  I can't criticize it too much, of course, they are just addressing the (quite stupid) complaints of users who say windows has nothing while apple has all these great software built into the OS.

This move away from the windows third-party tools is still troubling to me.  It's making me keep an eye out on Linux. 

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: Stoic Joker on October 01, 2014, 05:20 PM

But don't you also need a product key for the ISO to work?

-Deozaan (October 01, 2014, 04:08 PM)

No, it just installs. I've got it running in a VM at work.

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: Deozaan on October 01, 2014, 05:38 PM

How'd you get it to install? It crashes my VirtualBox VM during boot.

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: wraith808 on October 01, 2014, 05:49 PM

This is hilarious...

http://www.infoworld.com/article/2613504/microsoft-windows/microsoft-windows-microsoft-skips-too-good-windows-9-jumps-to-windows-10.html

-wraith808 (October 01, 2014, 11:21 AM)

Please note that that was an April Fool's article from 2013!

They thought they were being silly, but they were prophetic!

-Deozaan (October 01, 2014, 01:44 PM)

That was my point... but less well stated :)

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: wraith808 on October 01, 2014, 05:51 PM

Boy, I've cut down a lot on what news I follow over the years.  i think I may cut out a whole bunch of tech news.  These articles about new devices and new features and stuff are really making me  :-\.

So all this news about windows 10.  ok.  All they've really done is change the start button so it's now even bigger with tiles showing.  One programmer.  One day.  Let's say 10 programmers, one month.

What else?  built-in multiple desktops?  ok.  windows users have had third party tools forever, so who really cares?  I can't criticize it too much, of course, they are just addressing the (quite stupid) complaints of users who say windows has nothing while apple has all these great software built into the OS.

This move away from the windows third-party tools is still troubling to me.  It's making me keep an eye out on Linux. 

-superboyac (October 01, 2014, 05:07 PM)

There's more than that there.  In fact, there's enough more that I can't really summarize in a post.  Read a few of the articles.  And I'm sure there's more than that under the hood.

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: Cuffy on October 01, 2014, 06:08 PM

Boy, I've cut down a lot on what news I follow over the years.  i think I may cut out a whole bunch of tech news.  These articles about new devices and new features and stuff are really making me  undecided.

Confusing isn't it  :huh:
I've been reading comments from readers in all the posts about the releases and non-releases, what it is and what it ain't, when and how, do it or don't it, and so much more, for several hours.
I can't come to a conclusion; I don't know what the question is  :huh:
I ran across one comment that comes about as close as possible to the right answer and sums up the situation at Microsoft and the rest of the world for that matter  :tellme:
We read the old quotations, "This too will pass", and thousands of others, and take solace, but this is about as profound as it gets in my mind.
We have THE answer  :huh: Take comfort  :P

"My God, they talk about "apps", not "programs", this scares me!
And, this idea of jumping a number is the most depressing thing in the
history of marketing"

I think Microsoft now knows what they have to do  :D
When you hear the voice of the people and realize what democracy means you are left with a warm feeling in your gut  :-[
Have a nice day  :Thmbsup:

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: Stoic Joker on October 01, 2014, 06:53 PM

How'd you get it to install? It crashes my VirtualBox VM during boot.

-Deozaan (October 01, 2014, 05:38 PM)

I installed a 32-bit copy in a 64-bit Windows 8.1 Hyper-V VM. From initial boot to desktop was just a bit over 5 minutes. While it runs just fine, I was rather disappointed that the sound card didn't work. Now I've learned to expect that out of a Linux distro ... But Windows on Windows??? Yeish!

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: Josh on October 01, 2014, 08:26 PM

ISO Site Direct Link (Microsoft.com) (http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/preview-iso)

Product Key: NKJFK-GPHP7-G8C3J-P6JXR-HQRJR

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: app103 on October 01, 2014, 08:33 PM

And then there is this: http://gizmodo.com/windows-10-may-have-gotten-its-name-because-of-lazy-cod-1641383218

Blames the skipping of 9 on "lazy coders" that detected any windows version beginning with 9 as win9x.

[ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Sounds like someone was trolling to me, because any coder that has ever written code to detect Windows version knows that example code wouldn't never work, because Win95/98/ME version number begins with 4 and not 9.  ;)

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: rgdot on October 01, 2014, 08:45 PM

^ Sounds more like an April 1 article  :P

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: TaoPhoenix on October 01, 2014, 09:16 PM

Another funny theory from me: "Hey, if Apple started owning the world with OS X, can't we have a "10" too? Pleeze?"
:D

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: Deozaan on October 01, 2014, 09:52 PM

How'd you get it to install? It crashes my VirtualBox VM during boot.

-Deozaan (October 01, 2014, 05:38 PM)

I installed a 32-bit copy in a 64-bit Windows 8.1 Hyper-V VM. From initial boot to desktop was just a bit over 5 minutes. While it runs just fine, I was rather disappointed that the sound card didn't work. Now I've learned to expect that out of a Linux distro ... But Windows on Windows??? Yeish!

-Stoic Joker (October 01, 2014, 06:53 PM)

OK. I guess I'll try a 32-bit ISO. . .

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: Stoic Joker on October 01, 2014, 10:15 PM

Sounds like someone was trolling to me

-app103 (October 01, 2014, 08:33 PM)

+1 - Definitely trolling:

Code: C++ [Select]

1. typedef struct _OSVERSIONINFOEX {
2.   DWORD dwOSVersionInfoSize;
3.   DWORD dwMajorVersion;
4.   DWORD dwMinorVersion;
5.   DWORD dwBuildNumber;
6.   DWORD dwPlatformId;
7.   TCHAR szCSDVersion[128];
8.   WORD  wServicePackMajor;
9.   WORD  wServicePackMinor;
10.   WORD  wSuiteMask;
11.   BYTE  wProductType;
12.   BYTE  wReserved;
13. } OSVERSIONINFOEX, *POSVERSIONINFOEX, *LPOSVERSIONINFOEX;

...That ain't no string search. ;)

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: app103 on October 02, 2014, 03:07 AM

As it turns out, Java lets you do stupid stuff like this.  :huh:

https://searchcode.com/?q=if%28version%2Cstartswith%28%22windows+9%22%29

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: Ath on October 02, 2014, 04:01 AM

As it turns out, Java lets you do stupid stuff like this.  :huh:

https://searchcode.com/?q=if%28version%2Cstartswith%28%22windows+9%22%29

-app103 (October 02, 2014, 03:07 AM)

That's not Java to blame, just stupid/sloppy/lazy programming, and people tend to repeat their mistakes :-\

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: app103 on October 02, 2014, 05:29 AM

As it turns out, Java lets you do stupid stuff like this.  :huh:

https://searchcode.com/?q=if%28version%2Cstartswith%28%22windows+9%22%29

-app103 (October 02, 2014, 03:07 AM)

That's not Java to blame, just stupid/sloppy/lazy programming, and people tend to repeat their mistakes :-\

-Ath (October 02, 2014, 04:01 AM)

No, I blame Java, since it allows you to get the OS version from the Java platform, rather than directly from the OS itself, and it delivers it as a pretty plain English string. This allows you to easily do stupid stuff you could never get away with in another language that forces you to get the info directly from the OS or delivers the info through its built in functions in a way that forces you to do things in a less asinine way. This is one of those cases where Java lets you shoot yourself in the foot*.

http://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/essential/environment/sysprop.html

^{*Yes, I know every language includes shoot your foot stuff.}

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: SeraphimLabs on October 02, 2014, 06:39 AM

I do hope you guys actually read the terms of use on that beta participation program.

If you associate your Microsoft account with your Program Device, you consent to the Program Services automatically using data associated with your Microsoft account and services tied to your Microsoft account to improve Microsoft and partner products and services.

We shall see what happens though. Just because it's good now doesn't mean the release will also be.

I kinda liked Longhorn actually, it did well for what it was. When the release came around, they had chopped it up and turned into the nightmare called Vista.

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: Jibz on October 02, 2014, 07:52 AM

As it turns out, Java lets you do stupid stuff like this.  :huh:

https://searchcode.com/?q=if%28version%2Cstartswith%28%22windows+9%22%29

-app103 (October 02, 2014, 03:07 AM)

But if they name it Windows 10, what about all the legacy software that checks for Windows 1.x by string compare???!

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: app103 on October 02, 2014, 09:18 AM

As it turns out, Java lets you do stupid stuff like this.  :huh:

https://searchcode.com/?q=if%28version%2Cstartswith%28%22windows+9%22%29

-app103 (October 02, 2014, 03:07 AM)

But if they name it Windows 10, what about all the legacy software that checks for Windows 1.x by string compare???!

-Jibz (October 02, 2014, 07:52 AM)

Was there ever a version of Java that ran on 1.x that could have provided a reason or means for doing something so stupid?  :tellme:

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: Cuffy on October 02, 2014, 10:30 AM

http://www.zdnet.com/hands-on-with-windows-10-installing-the-windows-technical-preview-7000034267/?s_cid=e539&ttag=e539&ftag=TRE17cfd61

Ed Bott has released the best summation I've seen on how, what, where, etc.  8)
He has explained the whole process from start to finish so you should be able to install the preview with all necessary info on one page  :D

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: Carol Haynes on October 02, 2014, 02:07 PM

After you install Windows Technical Preview, you won’t be able to use the recovery partition on your PC to go back to your previous version of Windows.

Clever trick - why not just leave the recovery partition alone?

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: 40hz on October 02, 2014, 03:19 PM

Clever trick

-Carol Haynes (October 02, 2014, 02:07 PM)

So it would seem, wouldn't it? :-\

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: TaoPhoenix on October 02, 2014, 03:55 PM

Clever trick

-Carol Haynes (October 02, 2014, 02:07 PM)

So it would seem, wouldn't it? :-\

-40hz (October 02, 2014, 03:19 PM)

My text-to-speech program tried to do something like this - if you try out the time limited demo of a new version, it wiped out your paid copy of your older one!
:mad:

However, I was able to dismantle it and go back to the old one, but it certainly was sneakier than that had to me!

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: jadinolf on October 03, 2014, 05:51 PM

Sure it will be FREE BUT what is Windows 9? ;D

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: TaoPhoenix on October 03, 2014, 06:03 PM

Sure it will be FREE BUT what is Windows 9? ;D

-jadinolf (October 03, 2014, 05:51 PM)

Windows 9 is where secrets live. Upon order of the Dept of Homeland Security, Microsoft was ordered to create a second OS and call it Win 10, and for their nefarious purposes, only the Govt gets to have the secret copy of Win 9 for special testing!

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: 40hz on October 03, 2014, 09:04 PM

Just a reminder: The word 'free' is not part of Microsoft's vocabulary.  ;)

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: TaoPhoenix on October 03, 2014, 09:34 PM

Just a reminder: The word 'free' is not part of Microsoft's vocabulary.  ;)

-40hz (October 03, 2014, 09:04 PM)

Right.

This just popped up from the Inquirer. It relates to potential keylogging hardwired into at least the prelim versions of Win 10, and we can only "wait and see" if in this cyber-security-crazed world if they release it without it being a secret backdoor still there for the Feds to play with.
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2373838/microsofts-windows-10-preview-has-permission-to-watch-your-every-move

"...or [if you] enter text, we may collect typed characters, we may collect typed characters and use them for purposes such as improving autocomplete and spellcheck features."

The previous part of the statement was saying things like "app type and how long you use it" ... to me, ho hum. But "collecting typed characters" to "improve spellcheck features" ... that sounds pretty dangerous! I'm sure lots of Co's proprietary info policies and maybe even a few laws like Hipaa would get grouchy about that!

We've all learned that "data doesn't die, except when it's useful for it to do so.".

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: wraith808 on October 03, 2014, 10:27 PM

Just a reminder: The word 'free' is not part of Microsoft's vocabulary.  ;)

-40hz (October 03, 2014, 09:04 PM)

The word 'free' is not a part of any corporate entity's vocabulary.  People thought it was a part of Google's.  Look at where we are now.

Title: Re: Win9 will be FREE!
Post by: TaoPhoenix on October 04, 2014, 06:36 AM

Just a reminder: The word 'free' is not part of Microsoft's vocabulary.  ;)

-40hz (October 03, 2014, 09:04 PM)

The word 'free' is not a part of any corporate entity's vocabulary.  People thought it was a part of Google's.  Look at where we are now.

-wraith808 (October 03, 2014, 10:27 PM)

I agree, but there's still a crazy difference between "qualitative data" and keylogging. Keylogging is very dangerous for anyone else to have, especially for silly reasons like "improving spell check".