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Chat Area => General Discussion Area => Topic started by: Rods2 on 01 March 2014, 18:09:07

Title: Is Microsoft going to make Windows 8 free?
Post by: Rods2 on 01 March 2014, 18:09:07
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2570688/Is-Microsoft-make-Windows-FREE-Firm-believed-preparing-giveaway-persuade-users-upgrade.html (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2570688/Is-Microsoft-make-Windows-FREE-Firm-believed-preparing-giveaway-persuade-users-upgrade.html)

Having seen this Tech chart a few days ago it might explain why!

http://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-windows-xp-market-share-2014-2 (http://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-windows-xp-market-share-2014-2)
Title: Re: Is Microsoft going to make Windows 8 free?
Post by: Ever Ready on 01 March 2014, 18:20:49
Never had a problem using W8 with either mouse/keyboard and touch

Just seems like the usual suspects in the media stirring the sticky stuff

Folk didn't want to leave XP for Vista (I can understand that) or W7 (Don't understand that as it was a fabulous o/s)

Banks and financial institutions hate change so it is no surprise that XP will need to prised from their cold dead hands  ;D

I remember OS2 being used in ATM's not so long ago
Title: Re: Is Microsoft going to make Windows 8 free?
Post by: TheBoy on 01 March 2014, 18:49:11
Win XP was a backward step when it came out (compared to W2K, not the W9x line, which was shite).

Vista was excellent, but people got frustrated with a slightly new way of working, and UAC.

Win7 is Vista, but tweaked for faster boot. People are now used to UAC (except those with small willies, who think they can get away with turning it off).

Win8 is a fantastic OS, let down by its split personality user interface, that doesn't really work on a PC (how many gestures and clicks to shut the bugger down? :o). Win8.1, free for all Win8 users, is a vast improvement for those used to older Windows, being able to boot directly into a Desktop, and the comfort of a "Start button" (of sorts, that does exactly the same as the Windows key on Win8).

Win9 rumoured to be available in about 12 months.


Win8 being free? I can't see it to be honest. What would be the benefit to MS? None.
Title: Re: Is Microsoft going to make Windows 8 free?
Post by: Rods2 on 01 March 2014, 20:41:52
Win XP was a backward step when it came out (compared to W2K, not the W9x line, which was shite).

Vista was excellent, but people got frustrated with a slightly new way of working, and UAC.

Win7 is Vista, but tweaked for faster boot. People are now used to UAC (except those with small willies, who think they can get away with turning it off).

Win8 is a fantastic OS, let down by its split personality user interface, that doesn't really work on a PC (how many gestures and clicks to shut the bugger down? :o). Win8.1, free for all Win8 users, is a vast improvement for those used to older Windows, being able to boot directly into a Desktop, and the comfort of a "Start button" (of sorts, that does exactly the same as the Windows key on Win8).

Win9 rumoured to be available in about 12 months.


Win8 being free? I can't see it to be honest. What would be the benefit to MS? None.

Market share, advertising revenue where it is being called Windows with Bing and a bigger share of the app and cloud computing market.

70% of consumer computing devices now use an Apple or Google OS, MS need to stop this market share hemorrhage. If it does happen it will be on the basis of what will give the biggest long term return to MS shareholders.

I see MS is dropping the price of the Xbox One console by £30 to try and boost market share, where round one has gone to Sony and the PS4 on numbers sold.
Title: Re: Is Microsoft going to make Windows 8 free?
Post by: TheBoy on 01 March 2014, 20:58:00
Win XP was a backward step when it came out (compared to W2K, not the W9x line, which was shite).

Vista was excellent, but people got frustrated with a slightly new way of working, and UAC.

Win7 is Vista, but tweaked for faster boot. People are now used to UAC (except those with small willies, who think they can get away with turning it off).

Win8 is a fantastic OS, let down by its split personality user interface, that doesn't really work on a PC (how many gestures and clicks to shut the bugger down? :o). Win8.1, free for all Win8 users, is a vast improvement for those used to older Windows, being able to boot directly into a Desktop, and the comfort of a "Start button" (of sorts, that does exactly the same as the Windows key on Win8).

Win9 rumoured to be available in about 12 months.


Win8 being free? I can't see it to be honest. What would be the benefit to MS? None.

Market share, advertising revenue where it is being called Windows with Bing and a bigger share of the app and cloud computing market.

70% of consumer computing devices now use an Apple or Google OS, MS need to stop this market share hemorrhage. If it does happen it will be on the basis of what will give the biggest long term return to MS shareholders.

I see MS is dropping the price of the Xbox One console by £30 to try and boost market share, where round one has gone to Sony and the PS4 on numbers sold.
The majority will not upgrade their OS, they will get a new PC. TBH, if you're running XP, your PC is probably at least 6yrs old, so has done its time.

The licence cost of Windows 8 on a new, branded PC is irrelevant (think single digit dollars  :-X), so making it a free download for consumers offers nothing to MS. Cloud? MS's cloud is not consumer orientated. So giving away consumer OS will have no impact. Apps? MS's (application) money maker remains the Office suite and associated Office apps. These will continue to be sold via the channel, due to the way most are licenced. Bing and associated revenue streams? Market dominance is unlikely to be a go-er in EU land due to anti competitive measures.

So I still believe it will be unlikely.

Win9 may potentially be free to Win8 users, in the same way Win8.1 is. Assuming they call it Win9, and not Win8.2...   ...though likely MS will be keen to call it something other than the Win8 line.
Title: Re: Is Microsoft going to make Windows 8 free?
Post by: pscocoa on 02 March 2014, 10:47:01
Win XP was a backward step when it came out (compared to W2K, not the W9x line, which was shite).

Vista was excellent, but people got frustrated with a slightly new way of working, and UAC.

Win7 is Vista, but tweaked for faster boot. People are now used to UAC (except those with small willies, who think they can get away with turning it off).

Win8 is a fantastic OS, let down by its split personality user interface, that doesn't really work on a PC (how many gestures and clicks to shut the bugger down? :o). Win8.1, free for all Win8 users, is a vast improvement for those used to older Windows, being able to boot directly into a Desktop, and the comfort of a "Start button" (of sorts, that does exactly the same as the Windows key on Win8).

Win9 rumoured to be available in about 12 months.


Win8 being free? I can't see it to be honest. What would be the benefit to MS? None.

Try Windows key + X for great control and shutdown in Win 8.1
Title: Re: Is Microsoft going to make Windows 8 free?
Post by: Ever Ready on 02 March 2014, 11:01:44
I tend to alt + f4 and ok :y
Title: Re: Is Microsoft going to make Windows 8 free?
Post by: zirk on 02 March 2014, 13:47:06
Never really understood why MS never produced three versions of Win8

Win8 Mobile, Win8 Tablet and Win8 PC, that way making the Switch for PC and Lappy users an easier time.

More than happy with my Win7 Premium, so will stick with that for the time being and unlike some was well happy with Vista as well.
Title: Re: Is Microsoft going to make Windows 8 free?
Post by: tunnie on 02 March 2014, 14:47:36
It would have to be free to tempt me back to Windows as a main machine!
Title: Re: Is Microsoft going to make Windows 8 free?
Post by: cem_devecioglu on 02 March 2014, 22:59:05
the days of microsoft trying to open a hole in the IBM market has long long gone.. now they have countless customers in all continents ..

they have an army of programmers, support teams etc etc..  no reason for them to go back..

and with all this power still they cant impose necessary standards and ready tools on browser market.. still we are using the coding standards of 2400 baud internet.. complete sh*t and nonsense.. >:(
Title: Re: Is Microsoft going to make Windows 8 free?
Post by: Lizzie_Zoom on 03 March 2014, 10:32:48
the days of microsoft trying to open a hole in the IBM market has long long gone.. now they have countless customers in all continents ..

they have an army of programmers, support teams etc etc..  no reason for them to go back..

and with all this power still they cant impose necessary standards and ready tools on browser market.. still we are using the coding standards of 2400 baud internet.. complete sh*t and nonsense.. >:(


I love it Cem when you talk dirty! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;)

..................................what the hell is "standards of 2400 baud internet"?! :o :o :o  You IT wizards can certainly make it sound good though! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;)
Title: Re: Is Microsoft going to make Windows 8 free?
Post by: Kevin Wood on 03 March 2014, 11:09:38
It would have to be free to tempt me back to Windows as a main machine!

I suspect it will remain paid-for, as they don't want to see it proven that they can't give it away. ;D
Title: Re: Is Microsoft going to make Windows 8 free?
Post by: cem_devecioglu on 03 March 2014, 19:31:48
the days of microsoft trying to open a hole in the IBM market has long long gone.. now they have countless customers in all continents ..

they have an army of programmers, support teams etc etc..  no reason for them to go back..

and with all this power still they cant impose necessary standards and ready tools on browser market.. still we are using the coding standards of 2400 baud internet.. complete sh*t and nonsense.. >:(


I love it Cem when you talk dirty! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;)

..................................what the hell is "standards of 2400 baud internet"?! :o :o :o  You IT wizards can certainly make it sound good though! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;)

 ::) ;D

hypertext markup language  shortly html.. for the favor of less data traffic, a primitive standard for browsers is stil in use.. this limits how the browsers work, act,process and coded.. so we are limited with a tool (regardless of browser) with a subset which is very poor compared to even windows 1.0..  the artificial solutions like activex or add-ons is definitely far from being the answer as they are bulky, not safe, slow and creates more problems then they solve..

instead a much better built in ready safe objects could be implemented that could do many jobs .. with simple parameter transfers.. plain stupidty..
Title: Re: Is Microsoft going to make Windows 8 free?
Post by: TheBoy on 03 March 2014, 19:50:25
the days of microsoft trying to open a hole in the IBM market has long long gone.. now they have countless customers in all continents ..

they have an army of programmers, support teams etc etc..  no reason for them to go back..

and with all this power still they cant impose necessary standards and ready tools on browser market.. still we are using the coding standards of 2400 baud internet.. complete sh*t and nonsense.. >:(


I love it Cem when you talk dirty! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;)

..................................what the hell is "standards of 2400 baud internet"?! :o :o :o  You IT wizards can certainly make it sound good though! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;)

 ::) ;D

hypertext markup language  shortly html.. for the favor of less data traffic, a primitive standard for browsers is stil in use.. this limits how the browsers work, act,process and coded.. so we are limited with a tool (regardless of browser) with a subset which is very poor compared to even windows 1.0..  the artificial solutions like activex or add-ons is definitely far from being the answer as they are bulky, not safe, slow and creates more problems then they solve..

instead a much better built in ready safe objects could be implemented that could do many jobs .. with simple parameter transfers.. plain stupidty..
MS came up with Silverlight and backed AJAX heavily, and made AJAX easy with ASP.NET, and have been heavily promoting HTML5

So I'd say MS have done lots to bring forward web "standards". Trouble is, if MS ever do anything for the better, they get slated as being non standards compliant, so we're stuck with the old standards, and lowest common denominator old fashioned shite. Not helped by the fact that http needs to remain (mostly) connectionless.
Title: Re: Is Microsoft going to make Windows 8 free?
Post by: cem_devecioglu on 03 March 2014, 22:32:39
and another problem is that  , many web site projects (detailed large projects) although written for common browser usage , it works under one or two browsers "normally/acceptibly"..  but not in all..

the solution is that the browser producer firms must come together and agree on new standards.. or we will continue to creep  :(


Title: Re: Is Microsoft going to make Windows 8 free?
Post by: Rods2 on 03 March 2014, 22:57:33
and another problem is that  , many web site projects (detailed large projects) although written for common browser usage , it works under one or two browsers "normally/acceptibly"..  but not in all..

the solution is that the browser producer firms must come together and agree on new standards.. or we will continue to creep  :(

This does make development more difficult and time consuming. Standards are interpreted in different ways, a classic being how padding is handled by IE and Mozilla. I personally prefer Microsoft's interpretation, but on the downside, IE does some very weird things with bottom borders with images, which is a pain.

Unfortunately, when things are developed in a different era like HTML, JavaScript etc, their crudeness were acceptable for the hardware standards at the time, but now things have moved on they are not. Using objects as associative arrays in JavaScript is a pain, where they have many annoying limitations. JavaScripts fragility is also a pain, where one minor error will stop the interpretation and execution of the rest of the script!
Title: Re: Is Microsoft going to make Windows 8 free?
Post by: TheBoy on 04 March 2014, 18:11:33
and another problem is that  , many web site projects (detailed large projects) although written for common browser usage , it works under one or two browsers "normally/acceptibly"..  but not in all..

the solution is that the browser producer firms must come together and agree on new standards.. or we will continue to creep  :(
As soon as you have tightly defined standards, you get stuck in the dark ages. There needs to be a compromise between tight standards and innovation.