Win9 will be FREE!

[Cuffy]

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

http://www.pcworld.c...ers.html#tk.nl_today

 

[KynloStephen66515]

I will believe it when I see it.

[Tuxman]

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".

[tomos]

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.

[Deozaan]

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.

[40hz]

'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.

[rgdot]

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

[40hz]

^I don't think they really care.  

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."

[Cuffy]

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.c...-th.html#tk.nl_today
Have a nice day  

[wraith808]

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...!

[Stoic Joker]

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.

[wraith808]

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.

[40hz]

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 . YMMV

[dr_andus]

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...)

[rgdot]

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.

[Stoic Joker]

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?

[Stoic Joker]

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.

[wraith808]

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.

[Stoic Joker]

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.

[rgdot]

 

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....icrosoft-windows-10/

[dr_andus]

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...

[wraith808]

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.

[mwb1100]

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.

[xtabber]

Since the next version of Windows will be called Windows 10, Windows 9 might as well be free.

[Cuffy]

Quote from: http://www.engadget....icrosoft-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.