We already pay the "Windows Tax" for Windows to be pre-installed on basically every computer you can find, whether you want it or not. So apparently the problem is that it isn't making them enough money. They're still getting paid.
I'm sorry, I didn't know that there was an "allowed amount of money" they can have, and no more...
Windows costs more to develop today than it did 20 years ago, yet the price hasn't changed.
MS provides a decade worth of updates for free, they have looked at the market and figured out that doing so is not a good idea. Rather than raise the price of Windows, they will shorten the time period for free updates.
This also helps with the problem of people staying on older versions of Windows for long periods of time, such as Windows XP.
Plus there must be people buying boxed copies of Windows. Only for some reason it sounds like they're going to stop selling those in favor of the subscriptions.
No, I imagine they'll still sell Windows, but now they can lower the price and offer 3 years of updates. Perhaps they could do $19 for a 1 year Windows licence or $49 for a 3 year licence, then sell annual updates for $20 a year...
Another thing they could do is include some OneDrive space, Skype minutes, and even a Windows store credit with that. Perhaps $10 of Windows Store credit per year of renewal.
This would be acceptable. What's the bet that the concept of being allowed to use an expired license on a computer isn't what Microsoft agrees with?
What about the option to keep using it, but Internet access is disabled?
In other words, if you want to keep rocking that old unsupported version of Windows, knock yourself out, but keep it off the net.
Think of this like emissions controls on cars, we don't allow those on the street for the same reason, harm to other people. Allowing computers on the net that aren't updated harms the public welfare.
Note: I'm sure many years ago when emissions controls came out, plenty of people were outraged back then as well, now they are normal. Outrage will happen if the above with computers happens, then it will become normal. The government will pass a law and cloak it in "stopping terrorists and protecting children" and most people will say "that sounds reasonable", and move on, while techies and a few others scream outrage and no one listens to them.
Proper '4k' support has been in Photoshop since the 90s
If you used your brain rather than try and be snarky, you'd know I was talking about Premiere, since that is the only program where "proper 4k support" makes any sense...
How about you get used to a new UI and go with something free?
GIMP sucks... it really does... it is fine for cheap people who want a free tool, but it is no Photoshop...
You can use office 365 online, and you can use it on Linux or OSX too.
First, no you really can't use the online versions in a professional environment... yes, they work fine in a pinch, but if you're building or editing a 143 slide PowerPoint, that is just painful.
Desktop applications exist for a reason.
Also, this has nothing to do with Windows vs Linux vs OSX, it has to do with MS Office in general.
Or you can just use the free office online with a free outlook account, like google docs. Works just fine for those times you really need to use MS Word.
For many people, that is plenty... for professionals who actually use this stuff all the time, it isn't...
My wife gets documents and files all the time from many people and sends out many more. She simply could not function without MS Office and nothing else is an acceptable alternative.
I've tried opening her documents in other Office programs, none of them do it properly, sad to say...
What are you a menonite? 10 users and 25 machines in your family?
What, I can't have 8 kids?
As for the computers, that isn't hard.. desktops, laptops, computers on the TVs, a file server, build and test machines, a few computers at the beach house, etc...
I wish OneDrive was a better product though. Ever tried to sync large OneDrive folders between two machines on your local network? Unlike Dropbox it doesn't seem to realize that there's no need to do a roundtrip to an Oregon server to copy files between computers that are two feet apart.
I agree with you... Sadly, DropBox won't offer me 10TB of storage for $70 a year...
If they would, I'd probably use it...
Note: I'm grandfathered in with OneDrive, so I have 10TB of storage per account. New accounts only get 1TB, which wouldn't be enough for me.:(
I can see a time when you go buy a new computer and it comes with Windows on it and 3 years of "free" updates and support, with the option to pay X dollars per year after that to get continued updates...
This way people who don't need to buy a new computer can, at least for awhile, continue to use that machine and keep it current...
The question is, how much per machine, or per user, per year?
$5 per machine per year might be reasonable, or perhaps $20 per user for up to 5 machines, or perhaps a family licence for $50 per year for 25 machines and 10 users...
I imagine they won't be that generous, but they would be smart to do so to soften the blow when they roll it out. Either way, the idea of selling Windows and giving away 10 years of free updates is probably not going to survive, whatever comes next...
I subscribe to Office 365, I quite like the model actually...
I have multiple computers and being able to install Office and have it always up to date, along with 5 OneDrive accounts with plenty of storage is totally worth it to me.
Windows as a service could work, if done right. The key is to take into account those people who have more than 2 or 3 computers and to provide an inexpensive way to grow that number (which Office 365 really doesn't under one account).
But really it needs to be on a per-user basis, so I can install Windows on as many computers as I want, so long as my first log-in is and remains the primary account. Remove that account and the "activation" goes away. Perhaps the primary account needs to log-in once every 30 days to keep it active?
Many of these services will come to you... They install them in the back of trucks and you can personally put your drive into the machine if you like and watch it turned to mush...
I agree with all you said... again the NSA, the only solution is total disintegration, not even drive shredding would be enough for me, since that just cuts it into strips and you never can tell...
That assumes you can trust the encryption 100%, that there is no weak link at any point, that your computer that you open the files on isn't compromised, and that no one hits you with a $5 wrench...
Without people being held to count for this, then it is meaningless...
The current people who agreed to this are giving away shareholders money, not their money. What does it matter to the CEO who still gets paid, cheat and get rewarded, lied and still get something...
Large companies will not stop doing these things just because of a fine...
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We already pay the "Windows Tax" for Windows to be pre-installed on basically every computer you can find, whether you want it or not. So apparently the problem is that it isn't making them enough money. They're still getting paid.
I'm sorry, I didn't know that there was an "allowed amount of money" they can have, and no more...
Windows costs more to develop today than it did 20 years ago, yet the price hasn't changed.
MS provides a decade worth of updates for free, they have looked at the market and figured out that doing so is not a good idea. Rather than raise the price of Windows, they will shorten the time period for free updates.
This also helps with the problem of people staying on older versions of Windows for long periods of time, such as Windows XP.
Plus there must be people buying boxed copies of Windows. Only for some reason it sounds like they're going to stop selling those in favor of the subscriptions.
No, I imagine they'll still sell Windows, but now they can lower the price and offer 3 years of updates. Perhaps they could do $19 for a 1 year Windows licence or $49 for a 3 year licence, then sell annual updates for $20 a year...
Another thing they could do is include some OneDrive space, Skype minutes, and even a Windows store credit with that. Perhaps $10 of Windows Store credit per year of renewal.
Ohh, look, it's Apple, the monopoly without any marketshare again.
It isn't the marketshare of phones that matters, it is the marketshare of app stores...
Out of 100% of the dollars spent in all app stores, what percentage is spent in the Apple App Store?
This would be acceptable. What's the bet that the concept of being allowed to use an expired license on a computer isn't what Microsoft agrees with?
What about the option to keep using it, but Internet access is disabled?
In other words, if you want to keep rocking that old unsupported version of Windows, knock yourself out, but keep it off the net.
Think of this like emissions controls on cars, we don't allow those on the street for the same reason, harm to other people. Allowing computers on the net that aren't updated harms the public welfare.
Note: I'm sure many years ago when emissions controls came out, plenty of people were outraged back then as well, now they are normal. Outrage will happen if the above with computers happens, then it will become normal. The government will pass a law and cloak it in "stopping terrorists and protecting children" and most people will say "that sounds reasonable", and move on, while techies and a few others scream outrage and no one listens to them.
$20 per user per year for a thing you can have for free if not for the Microsoft lock-in.
I can have Windows for free? All those people developing it don't need to be paid?
If you meant Linux, it isn't the same thing nor is it a replacement for Windows on the desktop, as much as the Linux folks want it to be.
Unlike the "I want everything for free" crowd, I'm ok to pay for things that I use.
Proper '4k' support has been in Photoshop since the 90s
If you used your brain rather than try and be snarky, you'd know I was talking about Premiere, since that is the only program where "proper 4k support" makes any sense...
How about you get used to a new UI and go with something free?
GIMP sucks... it really does... it is fine for cheap people who want a free tool, but it is no Photoshop...
That is true in really large companies... it is far less true outside of public companies...
And it is less true every day, now that MS has made it easier to be on the newest version of everything...
In any case, Office 2016 is FAR more compatible with Office 2013 than it is with OpenOffice...
OpenOffice is no worse than different versions of MS Office in that respect.
First, I disagree... OpenOffice isn't remotely the same as using Office 2013 vs Office 2016 on the same document, I've tried it...
Second, if you're using Office in a serious professional capacity where 100% accuracy is needed, then you're on the current version...
You can use office 365 online, and you can use it on Linux or OSX too.
First, no you really can't use the online versions in a professional environment... yes, they work fine in a pinch, but if you're building or editing a 143 slide PowerPoint, that is just painful.
Desktop applications exist for a reason.
Also, this has nothing to do with Windows vs Linux vs OSX, it has to do with MS Office in general.
Or you can just use the free office online with a free outlook account, like google docs. Works just fine for those times you really need to use MS Word.
For many people, that is plenty... for professionals who actually use this stuff all the time, it isn't...
My wife gets documents and files all the time from many people and sends out many more. She simply could not function without MS Office and nothing else is an acceptable alternative.
I've tried opening her documents in other Office programs, none of them do it properly, sad to say...
Problem is, you just locked yourself into Windows PCs
Sure, but that is 95% of the world... I didn't pick it, the world did, I'm just using what everyone else uses...
Unless there has been a radical change, Mocrosoft office isn't even compatable with crossing to OS X.
Maybe not, but how many professionals use OS X?
Hint: the number is greater than zero, but it isn't THAT high...
I spent a lot of time fixing shit I got from Windows versions.
Ahh, so you're on Mac! Running MS Office on Mac? Why? If you're going to be on Mac, why pay MS anything?
Microsoft's previous family products included 3 licenses, don't expect that to change as they've had that policy for almost a decade.
Office 365 Family is 5, so frankly your statement isn't even correct today, much less in the future...
What are you a menonite? 10 users and 25 machines in your family?
What, I can't have 8 kids?
As for the computers, that isn't hard.. desktops, laptops, computers on the TVs, a file server, build and test machines, a few computers at the beach house, etc...
I wish OneDrive was a better product though. Ever tried to sync large OneDrive folders between two machines on your local network? Unlike Dropbox it doesn't seem to realize that there's no need to do a roundtrip to an Oregon server to copy files between computers that are two feet apart.
I agree with you... Sadly, DropBox won't offer me 10TB of storage for $70 a year...
If they would, I'd probably use it...
Note: I'm grandfathered in with OneDrive, so I have 10TB of storage per account. New accounts only get 1TB, which wouldn't be enough for me. :(
Software as a service makes no sense at all for individuals.
Nonsense, OneDrive makes plenty of sense, as does DropBox and other services...
RENTING shit is generally a fucking waste of money.
That is a broad brush that isn't true as much as you'd think it is...
Apache office, the only cross platform compatible Office suite.
Sure, but not with MS Office which is really the only one that counts...
Yes, I've tried the other options, they "kinda sorta work" most of the time, sometimes, often, but not 100% of the time...
When you exchange Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files with other people, edit them, then send them back, they have to be perfect.
but, as with Adobe Photoshop, I'll just hang onto CC6 for a while longer.
So would I, if it supported enough, but sadly it doesn't, so we're on Adobe CC...
We need proper 4k support and some of the modern tools that CS6 lacks...
I'd rather buy office and use an out of date version for years and years than have to be constantly feeding the meter to do any work
And you can, they still offer that option and likely will for at least the next few years...
I can see a time when you go buy a new computer and it comes with Windows on it and 3 years of "free" updates and support, with the option to pay X dollars per year after that to get continued updates...
This way people who don't need to buy a new computer can, at least for awhile, continue to use that machine and keep it current...
The question is, how much per machine, or per user, per year?
$5 per machine per year might be reasonable, or perhaps $20 per user for up to 5 machines, or perhaps a family licence for $50 per year for 25 machines and 10 users...
I imagine they won't be that generous, but they would be smart to do so to soften the blow when they roll it out. Either way, the idea of selling Windows and giving away 10 years of free updates is probably not going to survive, whatever comes next...
I subscribe to Office 365, I quite like the model actually...
I have multiple computers and being able to install Office and have it always up to date, along with 5 OneDrive accounts with plenty of storage is totally worth it to me.
Windows as a service could work, if done right. The key is to take into account those people who have more than 2 or 3 computers and to provide an inexpensive way to grow that number (which Office 365 really doesn't under one account).
But really it needs to be on a per-user basis, so I can install Windows on as many computers as I want, so long as my first log-in is and remains the primary account. Remove that account and the "activation" goes away. Perhaps the primary account needs to log-in once every 30 days to keep it active?
They aren't, until Apple becomes big enough, then they have no choice...
That is why the anti-trust issues come in, Apple is large enough they should know better.
Many of these services will come to you... They install them in the back of trucks and you can personally put your drive into the machine if you like and watch it turned to mush...
I agree with all you said... again the NSA, the only solution is total disintegration, not even drive shredding would be enough for me, since that just cuts it into strips and you never can tell...
https://www.semshred.com/disin...
Few companies actually offer HDD disintegration, most only offer it for SSDs...
I imagine that completely and totally reducing a HDD to fine dust is expensive and few people really need to do it.
That assumes you can trust the encryption 100%, that there is no weak link at any point, that your computer that you open the files on isn't compromised, and that no one hits you with a $5 wrench...
I recommend a sledgehammer instead.
While that sounds fun, it likely would be less effective than you might think...
Or it might be, but can you be sure?
https://www.semshred.com/conte...
Without people being held to count for this, then it is meaningless...
The current people who agreed to this are giving away shareholders money, not their money. What does it matter to the CEO who still gets paid, cheat and get rewarded, lied and still get something...
Large companies will not stop doing these things just because of a fine...