So... what's up with this Windows 10 thing?

bhamv3 · Jan 21, 2015

Heard today that they're giving away free upgrades for a year to owners of Windows 7, 8, and 8.1. Are you guys going to go for it immediately, or will you wait and see first? Are there any clear advantages to Windows 10 that are known for sure at this point?

I use Windows 7 and I'm pretty happy with it, while I think Windows 8 is a convoluted mess. I'm not eager to change my OS unless Windows 10 offers something dramatically better.

Cog · Jan 21, 2015

I use windows 8 from the beginning because you were able to upgrade a pirated copy of windows 7 to a legal copy of windows 8. I still use windows 7 at work and I don't see any difference. Maybe it's because I'm one of those people who don't use the start menu or maybe it's because I don't do much work at home. I will upgrade to windows 10 as soon as possible, just to see what happens.

Jay · Jan 21, 2015

I'd like to but I want to see 10 first.

Dave · Jan 21, 2015

You can do this for up to a year. So I'm going to wait a few months and let them work out some kinks.

PatrThom · Jan 21, 2015

Curious but cautious. I still haven't installed my upgrade to 7 yet, I like to think long-term, and I want to know how easy it is to re-install 10 later. I will not be at all happy if they somehow prohibit W10 from being able to install once W11 comes out.

--Patrick

Thread Necromancer · Jan 22, 2015

I was a very reluctant convert to windows 7. I was still using win 2000 and linux and mostly skipped xp and definately skipped vista only learning enough of them that i had to for work purposes. Now i enhoy 7 when i have to work in windows but still prefer linux. I dont care for 8, had not heard of the release for ten until today, and am wondering where 9 is.

ncts_dodge_man · Jan 22, 2015

I work in tech support and am the primary admin for our Citrix XenApp and XenDesktop environments at work, so I'll probably be going to it both at work and at home within the first few months so I can support the people who would go to it. The company I work for has over 1000 employees and over 2/3 of them are remote and have to use their own computers.[DOUBLEPOST=1421935352,1421935297][/DOUBLEPOST]

Thread Necromancer said:
and am wondering where 9 is.

They are skipping 9 and going right to 10.

Eriol · Jan 22, 2015

ncts_dodge_man said:
They are skipping 9 and going right to 10.

And the supposed reason, which I agree with, us that many installers are done in a "lazy" way and do a text compare and if they see "windows 9" they summer it is "95" or "98" and fail. Going directly to 10 avoids the bad of lazy other programmers.

drawn_inward · Jan 22, 2015

I won't go out and get it, even if it's a free upgrade. If it comes bundled then I'll give it a whirl. I still haven't used a windows 8 machine. I have an XP machine and a 7 laptop at home. The xp machine is ancient and almost always turned off. The laptop gets minimal use. We usually use our iPad at home b/c it's so much easier/faster than dealing with the laptop. I might get a windows tablet in the future so there's that.

sixpackshaker · Jan 22, 2015

I need a computer upgrade. So I guess I'll wait until 10 drops. I have to support 8 here at work on <10 computers and I hate it greatly.

Eriol · Jan 22, 2015

sixpackshaker said:
I need a computer upgrade. So I guess I'll wait until 10 drops. I have to support 8 here at work on <10 computers and I hate it greatly.

Can you explain the hate please? If it's the start screen thing, then just install the one at classicshell.net and you're basically as good as 7 again. And things like task manager are better. So why has it been so bad?

I just don't get the hate for it.

sixpackshaker · Jan 22, 2015

Eriol said:
Can you explain the hate please? If it's the start screen thing, then just install the one at classicshell.net and you're basically as good as 7 again. And things like task manager are better. So why has it been so bad?

I just don't get the hate for it.

I don't get to touch it often, so when I have to go fix something that broke, I get to stumble around trying to do in minutes what I can do in seconds.

It does not run an important piece of communications software. So I have to make a work around for that.

There are less than 10 out of 300 pieces of equipment that is running the software. So I really don't get the chance to practice.

I should not have to hack a major software release to make it usable.

Bubble181 · Jan 22, 2015

So it has nothing to do with Win 8 itself, and more the lack of experience you have with it, and the incompatibility of some software with it? Ah yes.

I'm not a fan of 8, either, mind. 8.1 actually solved most of my gripes (booting to desktop, start menu, turning off more easily) but some bits (the whole damn layout is made for touch screens which makes NO DAMN SENSE for a desktop) continue to be annoying.

I have to say, it improves performance for most games when compared to win 7, and the compatibility modes actually work occasionally, where before they were just window dressing...So I've at least learned to live with 8.1.

PatrThom · Jan 22, 2015

Yeah. If you're at 8 and have the ability to get 8.1 (which should be just about everyone), you really should.

--Patrick

sixpackshaker · Jan 22, 2015

PatrThom said:
Yeah. If you're at 8 and have the ability to get 8.1 (which should be just about everyone), you really should.

--Patrick

That boat has sailed.

Tinwhistler · Jan 22, 2015

I have 8.1. There's only a few, infrequent cases where I have to deal with the aero theme. It annoys, but it happens so rarely I don't care that much.

Other than that, it's not too bad. Booting is faster (due to the fact that win 8 basically logs out and sleeps instead of doing a hard shutdown), games run better, and it's stable.

I occasionally boot to a windows XP virtual machine in VMware, but that's because every frigging company I work with has different ways of doing VPN, and some of them (like the government's smart card reader) make system changes that are nearly impossible to reverse--and are incompatible with other VPN setups. So, now, every time I need to VPN for something, I make a new virtual machine for that purpose/company, just to so I don't have to deal with the headaches. Totally nothing related to windows 8 ability or performance

GasBandit · Jan 23, 2015

Gonna wait and see if it sucks, first.

sixpackshaker · Jan 23, 2015

I think I get it now. Win 7 did not need to go away already. So they put out a generation of crappy computers. Then roll out a good release, to get everybody to jump on the new OS.

GasBandit · Jan 23, 2015

sixpackshaker said:
I think I get it now. Win 7 did not need to go away already. So they put out a generation of crappy computers. Then roll out a good release, to get everybody to jump on the new OS.

That's the real rub. The only real reason to get rid of XP (aside from artificially induced "loss of support") was its 32 bit limitations, particularly on RAM.

With windows 7 being 64 bit, and good enough for everything, I really don't see a reason to "upgrade." Windows 8 was bad, yes, but really, it had no reason to exist at all. And really, at this point, what reason does windows 10 have to exist? Windows 7 is still fine, and I can't imagine what "upgrades" would be worth putting up with them playing 52-pickup with the control panels again.

PatrThom · Jan 23, 2015

stienman said:
consumer support [for Win7] ends very soon

It ended Jan13, 10 days ago.
We are now in "extended support" for another 5 years, security patches and the like only, no new features nor enhancements.
MSFT is pushing HARD for everyone to be on 8.1 at a minimum as soon as possible for some reason.

--Patrick

GasBandit · Jan 23, 2015

stienman said:
Which is why it's a free upgrade.

Depending on how they juggled shit around, free may not be cheap enough.

Necronic · Jan 23, 2015

Eriol said:
And the supposed reason, which I agree with, us that many installers are done in a "lazy" way and do a text compare and if they see "windows 9" they summer it is "95" or "98" and fail. Going directly to 10 avoids the bad of lazy other programmers.

As someone who is constantly furious when trying to search for stuff related to "Microsoft Access" and seeing the other use of "access" dominate search results" I can't say I'm against this. It's legitimately a problem.

Officer_Charon · Jan 28, 2015

PatrThom said:
It ended Jan13, 10 days ago.
We are now in "extended support" for another 5 years, security patches and the like only, no new features nor enhancements.
MSFT is pushing HARD for everyone to be on 8.1 at a minimum as soon as possible for some reason.

--Patrick

So at this point, going for a new OS install, Win7 won't even be an option available to me? (Still running XP, need to change that SOON)

PatrThom · Jan 28, 2015

stienman said:
it's available on Amazon:

I would like to point out that the Amazon link above goes to the OEM/System Builder version, e.g., the version that is "permanently" locked to the first machine where you install it (because ostensibly it is considered part of the computer). This does not matter if you are never going to reinstall it onto another computer (after an upgrade, when/if the first computer dies, etc). That is the way the licensing structure works with Win7 and earlier, and that is why there is one version that only goes for $100, and another version that looks exactly identical but which instead sells for $250 or so (the "retail" version that can be moved to another computer later).

However...starting with 8, Microsoft's licensing structure has changed, and so now the copy you buy CAN be installed on another computer if you want, so long as you remove it from the first computer when you do so. So you will be able to move your OS from an old computer to a new computer later if you want without having to buy another copy.

--Patrick

Shakey · Jan 28, 2015

I'll switch to 10 as soon as I can. It's feeling a lot like what 7 was to Vista.
I have 8.1 on my laptop with no real complaints. Once you figure out where everything is, it works just fine. The big issue with 8 was that for it to work right ui wise you almost had to have a touchscreen, which I did, so I didn't even have an issue with it. 8.1 solved most of that, and 10 looks to be even better.

PatrThom · Feb 1, 2015

ArsTchnica said:
Windows 10 is changing [the old licensing model]. As announced last week, current users of Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 will be able to upgrade to Windows 10 for no cost. Microsoft says that this will be a limited time offer that will run one year from the release of Windows 10 [...] Subsequently, and in some ways even more importantly, those new Windows 10 machines will continue to receive updates "for the lifetime of the device—at no cost." Those paid major version upgrades that Windows has historically had will be going away; once you're on the Windows 10 train, you're on the Windows train, and you'll continue to receive a steady stream of updates and upgrades until your system stops working and you buy or build a new one.

Well. This is interesting.

--Patrick

SpecialKO · Feb 1, 2015

As long as Windows 10 isn't broken in some way that makes it demonstrably worse than 7, I'll be going for that free upgrade. I barely use Windows anymore except as a gaming PC, so if it means ongoing support for something that is more or less as functional as (hopefully more than) 7, I'm good with it seeing as how 7 consumer support is over.

Bubble181 · Feb 1, 2015

PatrThom said:
Well. This is interesting.

--Patrick

Depends on how they define a "machine" though. Easy enough for phones and tablets, but (especially) desktops get tinkered with. Is it like the old activation limits, new HD, new system; new MB new system; new GFX card, new system...?

Sounds interesting and intriguing, mind you, but I'll be curious to see how they implement it.

GasBandit · Feb 1, 2015

My guess is it will be tied to the motherboard.

Shakey · Feb 2, 2015

I've been running 10 on my laptop, and I'm liking it so far. There are a few things that bug me, but hopefully they'll get changed. I'm a big start menu then start typing the name of program you want. How that works is a bit odd, but it works as it would normally.

jwhouk · Feb 2, 2015

Wait - 10 is OUT?

Tinwhistler · Feb 2, 2015

jwhouk said:
Wait - 10 is OUT?

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/preview-iso

Shakey · Feb 2, 2015

jwhouk said:
Wait - 10 is OUT?

The beta preview. I haven't had any issues so far, it seems pretty stable. The new browser that will replace Explorer isn't in it yet, but probably will be soon.

sellox · Mar 15, 2015

I understand the feeling of wanting to stay in what one is comfortable with, but as technology developes and improves, soon or late everyone will have to upgrade. imho

Shakey said:
The beta preview. I haven't had any issues so far, it seems pretty stable. The new browser that will replace Explorer isn't in it yet, but probably will be soon.

Finally they are going to replace Explorer. That's good news.

Shakey · Mar 18, 2015

Looks like even you filthy pirates may get a free upgrade to a legitimate copy.

http://arstechnica.com/information-...ee-upgrade-for-genuine-and-non-genuine-users/