I read to day in an article that Microsoft is working on a free version of Windows 8.1 with bing. They say that they want to trick all windows 7 users to jump into Windows 8.1. First impressions of the version, looks that there is not realy a significant diffrence between the payed version of Windows 8.1 and the Free bing version. They also give theire free version of windows 8.1 to cheap computer builders.
What do we all think about this? Would it realy be Microsofts goal to get everyone into windows 8.1? Or is Microsoft starting to feel the pressure of Open source operating systems?
There has to be a catch or something. Like the free version will have ads attached to the Start screen that you have to pay to get rid of. If not I wonder what features will be excluded from the free version.
Agree'd.... there are very few "free" things in this world... Least of all from large corporations....
There will be a catch somewhere... Judging from the behavior of alot of companies these days, i would read the terms of service and in particular the "privacy policy" VERY carefully....
Yes, but people that are not capable of learning linux and want to continue to use windows, can make a deal that way, it's not like the paid version is without spyware and data mining, might as well not pay to be spied upon lolz...
Also possible, like Win 7 Starter Edition, all video codecs are blocked, you have to pay extra for even the most basic functionality, or pay for a monthly subscription to be able to use the system for media playing or so... that would also totally sound like Microsoft...
Let's be honest. Anyone looking to change his/her operating system is likely someone who is a little more tech savy than your average user - like this crowd - and not likely to fall for a "free" version of Windows. The very idea that Microsoft would give away an OS goes against common sense!
Frankly, most tech savy people who use Windows either have to use it (for work, most likely), or want to use it for something like gaming. Fewer still might even use Windows for some kind of server set up since they never bothered - or couldn't - come over to Linux. But even for gamers, Steam is now available on Linux which mean the reasons to stay with Windows (other than the ridiculous price tag) are not as compelling as they once were.
Therefore, I think more people are going to start looking towards Linux (Ubuntu, Mint, etc.) once they realize that XP is dead (http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/enterprise/endofsupport.aspx). They're almost sure to give Linux a try once they see the price tag too! So this attempt to give away a likely crippled version of Windows 8 may be just another stop-gap attempt by Microsoft to retain their grip. In fact, I predict a (coming) heavy campaign on all OS fronts not just from Microsoft but also from Apple.
But don't you worry about Microsoft. They still have their console gaming systems as well as their search engine to keep them going. And we won't even talk about Microsoft's arm twisting on the corporate side of things. Just know that even Windows isn't going away just based on the corporate factor alone.
...Poor little IBM now about to hit skid row. Too bad those corporate incompetents are now with Microsoft! But I digress.
Not really, CrOS is based on Gentoo, which is bleeding edge linux, and all Chromebooks are coreboot based, so even the BIOS is open source flashable. There is a big difference between that and WindowsRT for x86...
Between IE Bing and the metro interface, Its represents such a security issue that its not worth it. I have been in the microsoft camp since the beginning, now i plan to moved to linux as soon as i complete build. They have taken to much away and replaced it with even greater security risks with adverts.