Speaking to Reuters from the WinHEC conference in China, Microsoft's operating system chief Terry Myerson said, "We are upgrading all qualified PCs, genuine and non-genuine, to Windows 10." This means that everyone running Windows 7 or 8.1, irrespective of whether you pirated the operating system or not, will be allowed to upgrade to a legitimate version of Windows 10.It isn't clear if Myerson's comments only pertain to China, or to all Windows users worldwide. We have reached out to Microsoft for clarification, but haven't yet heard back. Myerson's wording certainly sounds like this will affect all Windows users worldwide.Updated: ZDNet's Ed Bott got a response from a Microsoft spokesperson, confirming that the free upgrade path is indeed available for all pirates everywhere, and not just in China.As you may have heard before, Microsoft has long had an issue with Windows piracy, especially in developing markets. Back in 2011, then-CEO Steve Ballmer estimated that only 10 percent of users in China were actually paying for Microsoft software. Rather famously, one of the main reasons that Windows XP had such a massive share of the desktop market for so many years was due to rampant piracy in China. A more recent study by the BSA says that 74 percent of commercial software in China is unlicensed.But now, according to Myerson, it's time to "re-engage" with Chinese users of Windows—and that means a free, legitimate upgrade license for Windows 10, even if you're a pirate. We don't yet know how this program will be implemented, but presumably it's an extension of the previously announced program, which will see Microsoft offer free upgrades to Windows 10 during the first year of availability.
that's just dumb
Quote from: gats on March 18, 2015, 04:09:31 PMthat's just dumbWhy do you care? Free W10 is a good thing.
Quote from: BritishLemön on March 18, 2015, 04:11:27 PMQuote from: gats on March 18, 2015, 04:09:31 PMthat's just dumbWhy do you care? Free W10 is a good thing.well free windows 10 means that MS have to make their money another way so let's think. if they're trying to reach out to as many people as they can and they're giving away the software for free it obviously means ads everywhere.
it obviously means ads everywhere.
Any word on a release date?
Quote from: Nexus on March 18, 2015, 04:20:30 PMAny word on a release date?"This summer" is all I have seen.
Quote from: gats on March 18, 2015, 04:14:48 PMQuote from: BritishLemön on March 18, 2015, 04:11:27 PMQuote from: gats on March 18, 2015, 04:09:31 PMthat's just dumbWhy do you care? Free W10 is a good thing.well free windows 10 means that MS have to make their money another way so let's think. if they're trying to reach out to as many people as they can and they're giving away the software for free it obviously means ads everywhere.I think they're just trying to win back customers that they lost when Window 8 released.
Quote from: Rinev Jeqkogo on March 18, 2015, 04:25:50 PMQuote from: gats on March 18, 2015, 04:14:48 PMQuote from: BritishLemön on March 18, 2015, 04:11:27 PMQuote from: gats on March 18, 2015, 04:09:31 PMthat's just dumbWhy do you care? Free W10 is a good thing.well free windows 10 means that MS have to make their money another way so let's think. if they're trying to reach out to as many people as they can and they're giving away the software for free it obviously means ads everywhere.I think they're just trying to win back customers that they lost when Window 8 released.I think Windows 8 was a mis-step. I understand what they were trying to do, but given that an overwhelming majority of their users are desktop and laptop users, not tablet and phone users, it was silly to design an entire OS around a touch-based interface. Win8/8.1 works great on the Surface, but it just doesn't translate to regular desktop mode with a mouse.
Now the question is... is it worth upgrading from Windows 7?
Doesn't surprise me. They're trying to get all of the idiots that are still using Windows 7 to upgrade hence why they didn't name it Windows 9 because it makes you feel much more outdated when you're 3 generations behind rather than two.
Quote from: BritishLemön on March 18, 2015, 05:04:18 PMQuote from: S\ash on March 18, 2015, 04:59:15 PMDoesn't surprise me. They're trying to get all of the idiots that are still using Windows 7 to upgrade hence why they didn't name it Windows 9 because it makes you feel much more outdated when you're 3 generations behind rather than two.People are still using Win7 because it's not shit. Why go from something good(Win7) to something shit(Win8)?I'd say they're pretty smart.All new software is optimized for the newest generation of software and its completely fucking retarded to use outdated software, you're only hurting yourself.
Quote from: S\ash on March 18, 2015, 04:59:15 PMDoesn't surprise me. They're trying to get all of the idiots that are still using Windows 7 to upgrade hence why they didn't name it Windows 9 because it makes you feel much more outdated when you're 3 generations behind rather than two.People are still using Win7 because it's not shit. Why go from something good(Win7) to something shit(Win8)?I'd say they're pretty smart.
>2025>still using Windows>not using a GNU/Linux based operating system>not having your loli waifu as your background with a tiling window manager
Windows 10 will be a free upgrade for ALL current Windows 7/8/8.1 users
