Paying for Microsoft Windows.

[Lola]

Some might know about this, some not. This is your future with MS! I get this type of information from "FOSS" a Linux Info group.

Future for Linux getting Brighter with Microsofts Latest Paid Update notification

Discussion













wadesmart
4d

One of my clients asked if I had read the Forbes story about Microsoft charging after 2020 for updates. I said no. Found the article and sure enough, “Microsoft has always described Windows 10 ‘as a service’ and leaks have already revealed new monthly charges are coming. … In a new blog post entitled ‘Helping customers shift to a modern desktop’, Microsoft has announced that it will indeed start charging Windows 7 customers a monthly fee from Jan 14, 2020, if they want to keep their computers safe.” (safe = updates). “Furthermore, Microsoft says it will increase the cost of this (fee) every year.” Now, this only applies to W7 Pro in Volume Licensing. Maybe some small businesses. All home users will be left out and will have to move to W10.
There are things I like about Windows but MS has needed to do something different for a long time. Breaking from their past like Apple did isnt something they have wanted to do. Charging a home user a monthly fee after already purchasing the computer… hmm charging ANY user a monthly fee… this already has some people jumpy. This article came out Sept 8 and Im surprised at how many are already sending me emails asking about this.
I was a long time user of the software The Brain but dumped it this past year when they said they would only support Windows going forward. Thats fine. Their choice. Some of my clients used that software and they dropped it too but for other reasons other than lack of Linux support. But now we are, slowly, starting to see advantages to look at other OS and how they save us money - in all the different ways.
Anyway, I find these little things push more people into considering other options which have a increasing effect upon our community.

 

[kamkar]

Good thing linux seem to get adapted to do more and more things, normally only done with windows machines, like gaming just to mention one thing.

 

[kamkar]

As i said in the other post "Good thing linux seem to get adapted to do more and more things, normally only done with windows machines, like gaming just to mention one thing. "

 

[Lola]

As i said in the other post "Good thing linux seem to get adapted to do more and more things, normally only done with windows machines, like gaming just to mention one thing. "

Linux is running on just about all of the worlds Super Computers now, if not all. Windows was the first OS that businesses/individuals started using, so they established a vast user base, and people don't like to change things!
There were other operating systems like Unix, Sun, etc, but they were usually just used on mainframes. Microsoft purchased some small Linux company just a few years ago to try and get in on Linux but I haven't heard anything about their efforts with it, and could care less. I had a very bad experience with them years ago and switched to Linux the same day, never been happier.

My reason for the post was to let people know they will be charged for using it come 2020, according to MS!

 

[DT MI]

Two major reasons Linux has not been successful in the retail marketplace are: 1) development is fragmented so there's no concerted push to market it and 2) with few exceptions the software available is not sufficiently broad from a functionality perspective to attract new users. Both are significant hurdles to overcome to become as successful in the market as Windows has become.

Despite it's many shortcomings (functionally and politically) Windows has managed to become 'all things to all people' in much the same way that IBM did when mainframe computers started becoming mainstream. Years ago it was pretty much accepted that IBM had 2nd best hardware and 2nd best software but world class marketing. Microsoft's success can be attributed to much of the same - and the fact that when IBM solidified the infant PC industry when they entered the market they chose MS-DOS as the OS.

 

[kamkar]

Indeed Linux rule when it come to mass compute, but it have a hard time on the personal level of compute.
But it seem like more and more people and companies are turning to Linux for the smaller things too, and getting cooperate backers are a lot better then the voluntary free work of all the worlds nerds.
Even Dr. Sheldon Cooper run multiple operating systems on his computer,,,, though he do favor Linux

 

[impulsivetravelerguy]

I've been running a Mac for a couple years, but the computer is getting old and slow. I'm currently transitioning to Debian Linux on a computer I bought. With all the privacy issues, I want to go to 100% free\open source software. With that being said, Linux is not ready for prime time. I'm a [Windows] Sys Admin and have been administering Windows environments (both server and desktop) for over 10 years.

I struggle to get basic things working on Linux, including the wireless drivers. I had to search for hours to figure out why I couldn't connect to WiFi. During the install it connected fine. After I booted into the newly installed Desktop, it would show the wireless networks, but not connect. I found out after the install it turns on MAC randomization. I had to edit a config file to turn that off. All this to get WiFi to work! A regular user would be lost and would have given up a long time ago.

There's a bunch more examples of this kind of stuff that shows you still have to really be dedicated in order to use Linux as your everyday desktop. I'm actually keeping a journal of my struggles so maybe it'll come in handy to help fix the issues in the future. In order for Linux to be prime time, things just need to work. You shouldn't have to hit the terminal\command line or edit config files to make changes. This should all be done with a GUI that a beginner can easily use. Things like WiFi just need to work so you can at least Google your issues.

 

[jokiin]

I've used Linux for 20 years, for a desktop system I'd still go with Mint, for the most part it just works

 

[DT MI]

I've used Linux for 20 years, for a desktop system I'd still go with Mint, for the most part it just works

+1 - I've played with a lot of distros and Mint is the one I always fall back on when I get frustrated with my 'Linux du jour' choice.

The biggest issue I have with Linux in general is the available S/W is significantly limited (both in availability and functionality) compared to more mainstream platforms.

 

[jokiin]

The biggest issue I have with Linux in general is the available S/W is significantly limited (both in availability and functionality) compared to more mainstream platforms.

absolutely, this is the bit the Linux geeks don't get, if it was just web browsing, email etc Linux does everything you need, it's the 3rd party programs that are the issue, no dashcamviewer for starters

 

[impulsivetravelerguy]

absolutely, this is the bit the Linux geeks don't get, if it was just web browsing, email etc Linux does everything you need, it's the 3rd party programs that are the issue, no dashcamviewer for starters

On the flip side, you're given a lot of flexibility to make your own stuff. It's kind of a double-edged sword. For more advanced users, Linux can be great. For more novice users or people who just want stuff to work, Linux can be horrible. Also, third party applications can definitely be lacking and that's not good if you're looking to say run a business where you need certain software and need it to be reliable.