Microsoft's obsession with piracy threatens Windows 10 licensing mess

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    Microsoft's obsession with piracy threatens Windows 10 licensing mess

    Microsoft's obsession with piracy threatens Windows 10 licensing mess


    Posted: 23 Mar 2015

    Microsoft's obsession with piracy threatens to create a Windows 10 licensing mess

    Microsoft wants everyone to run Windows 10.

    They're so determined to make a clean break with the past, in fact, that they've made an unprecedented offer of free Windows 10 upgrades for anyone running Windows 7 or Windows 8.1. That's a huge user base, representing hundreds of millions and perhaps more than 1 billion PCs worldwide.

    This is a very big deal. For the first time ever, a major Windows version upgrade will arrive via Windows Update, with no payment required and no hoops to jump through.

    They doubled down on that deal last week with news that the upgrade would be available even on PCs running "non-genuine" (pirated) copies of Windows.

    Now, though, the company appears to be backing down from that initial, apparently too-good-to-be-true offer.

    It's yet another round of disappointment in the continuing saga of Microsoft licensing. Every time it looks like the company is about to do something to make Windows licensing more sensible and less onerous, someone (usually in the legal department) gets cold feet.
    Microsoft's obsession with piracy threatens to create a Windows 10 licensing mess | ZDNet
    Borg 386's Avatar Posted By: Borg 386
    23 Mar 2015


  1. Posts : 125
    Windows 8
       #1

    I would not expect them to make upgrades to pirated copies free, but I would expect them to allow me to upgrade the copy of Windows 7 on my laptop which they keep telling me is not genuine possibly because I changed the hard drive for a larger SSD.
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 1,249
    Windows 8.1, Win10Pro
       #2

    Honestly, I fail to see how refusing to give Win7 pirates free, "supported" versions of Win10 makes Windows licensing "less sensible" and "more onerous". I'm surprised that MS is willing to even consider upgrading pirate versions of Win7 at all!
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 480
    Windows 10
       #3

    machare said:
    I would not expect them to make upgrades to pirated copies free, but I would expect them to allow me to upgrade the copy of Windows 7 on my laptop which they keep telling me is not genuine possibly because I changed the hard drive for a larger SSD.
    Just ring them up, it's mostly automatic anyway, I just recently did the same thing and it all got fixed.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 480
    Windows 10
       #4

    Mark Phelps said:
    Honestly, I fail to see how refusing to give Win7 pirates free, "supported" versions of Win10 makes Windows licensing "less sensible" and "more onerous". I'm surprised that MS is willing to even consider upgrading pirate versions of Win7 at all!
    I'm surprised as well, I suppose it's better getting rid of Windows 7 and XP once and for all and concentrating on one Operating system. Microsoft should have done something like this years ago, I wish they would have done it with Windows 8 which is a great operating system, I will never understand why people needed a Start Menu and Aero.
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 1,811
    W7 Ultimate SP1 (64 bit), LM 19.2 MATE (64 bit), W10 Home 1703 (64 bit), W10 Pro 1703 (64 bit) VM
       #5

    Mark Phelps said:
    Honestly, I fail to see how refusing to give Win7 pirates free, "supported" versions of Win10 makes Windows licensing "less sensible" and "more onerous". I'm surprised that MS is willing to even consider upgrading pirate versions of Win7 at all!
    Ed Bott explained his opinion in the article.

    MS wouldn't have to have people manning the phones to deal with false "illegal installation" issues (like with WGA).

    BillyBob said:
    ...
    I will never understand why people needed a Start Menu and Aero.
    No doubt that people who like the Start Menu will never understand why you aren't annoyed by the unnecessary full screen toggling of the Start Screen.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 480
    Windows 10
       #6

    lehnerus2000 said:
    Ed Bott explained his opinion in the article.

    MS wouldn't have to have people manning the phones to deal with false "illegal installation" issues (like with WGA).


    No doubt that people who like the Start Menu will never understand why you aren't annoyed by the unnecessary full screen toggling of the Start Screen.
    All you had to do was type on the screen for your app and up it comes, not so hard, or drag the screen up and there's all your apps in alphabetical order. Or one click and you're on the desktop, but then that one click annoyed about 3/4 of Windows users.
    In my opinion 8 was the easiest OS ever, it just needed a few minutes to get used to it.
    Now Microsoft is trying to please everyone on the planet and it's showing in 10, it's becoming a buggy mess with a little bit of everyone's idea of what an OS should be. It's looking a bit like a Platypus, but knowing Microsoft they'll fix it up and hopefully please at least 20% of the population until they learn how to use it.
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 5,286
    Win 10 Pro x64
       #7

    I am sure it's a different distro of Win 10. Just a platform with features that you need to buy from Win Store to make the platform usable. Something lower than Home Basic. Like a Starter. A bait. Nothing is FREE.
    Last edited by badrobot; 23 Mar 2015 at 22:20.
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 15,024
    Windows 10 IoT
       #8

    machare said:
    I would not expect them to make upgrades to pirated copies free, but I would expect them to allow me to upgrade the copy of Windows 7 on my laptop which they keep telling me is not genuine possibly because I changed the hard drive for a larger SSD.
    If you reinstalled using the code on the COA sticker, just do the phone activation and that should fix it.
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 15,024
    Windows 10 IoT
       #9

    Mark Phelps said:
    Honestly, I fail to see how refusing to give Win7 pirates free, "supported" versions of Win10 makes Windows licensing "less sensible" and "more onerous". I'm surprised that MS is willing to even consider upgrading pirate versions of Win7 at all!
    I didn't get it either. If your current install is non genuine, Windows 10 will be non genuine/not activated. A 30 day trial or something. You'll get nagged to buy/enter a product code and activate. I don't see the licensing confusion, it's not licensed.
      My Computer


 

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