The rollout of Windows 10 this summer is being lauded as "free" as long as you do it within the first year. However, there are a lot of details that Microsoft isn't being very open about.
First, this is not a "free upgrade." Windows 10 is marketing and advertising. You may wonder what they are marketing and advertising- it seems they are marketing and advertising their next operating system "Windows." Windows will be a subscription service that, in effect, charges you an annual fee to use your operating system, like Office 365. Don't believe me? Type Windows 365 into a Google search and you will quickly discover that Microsoft has just trademarked this name without admitting to having a product for it.
Second, Microsoft has already installed an "important updater upgrade" on every Windows 7 and 8 user's computer. This updater seems to actually be adware that will begin encouraging you to upgrade to Windows 10.
Unlike other OS, such as Linex and Chrome, which offer mini updates as opposed to major overhauls and these updates frequently do little but enhance or improve the product, Microsoft's history has been filled with lemons- big and small. ME, Vista, Windows 8- all had serious issues that created problems. Perhaps that is because they are still using the exact same code they began with 20 years ago. However, even small updates have caused machines enough issues that users have uninstalled them. For those of us in the know, we tend to wait before installing anything that comes down the chute- even small updates. Just within the past few months I have found two small updates that completely screwed up the way my computer operated and had to be uninstalled.
With the subscription level, the sketchy information available seems to point to 3 levels. The cheapest will get all security features and updates automatically installed ASAP. No more choosing to install an update for you if you don't want to pay big bucks for junk. Also proposed costs are $7-$12 per month per non-Enterprise user. That means if you keep your machine 3 years, you will be paying them a minimum of $336 just to use it and get automatically updated with potential junk. This cost is in addition to any other software costs you acquire and to the cost of the computer itself.
Microsoft likes to blame its financial problems on users who refuse to purchase new upgrades. The fact of the matter is that users refuse to purchase cruddy upgrades. Should Microsoft actually turn out upgrades that were new and beneficial instead of screwing up old code and making a worse product, users would flock to them. Apple doesn't seem to have any problem getting people to upgrade from their iPhone 4 to 5. Why? Because iPhone generally offers more and better features with upgrades. In fact, Apple generally doesn't have the security issues with which Microsoft is plagued, either.
Despite offering Office "Starter" for free, I prefer an older version of Word. Why? Because (1) I don't have to pay for features that were included on it and would now cost a "monthly subscription fee" and (2) because I really don't like the way Office Starter works. I am familiar with both, but usually if I get a .docx file, I immediately convert it to .doc and reopen it, to work in the old version of Word. It does have a few limitations, but considering that my software is more than 10 years old, and I would rather work with those limitations as opposed to use the new item, that should tell you what I think about Starter as a program.
Running two versions of Word on the same computer is a little tricky. Running two operating systems is impossible. Think carefully before downloading your free Windows 10. Personally, I want Microsoft to spell out if they will automatically upgrade 10 to 365 and then charge in 2-3 years or if we will have an option to upgrade before I take them up on their free advertising offer.
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