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Microsoft has announced that its next operating system will be offered as a free upgrade to owners of devices running Windows 8, Windows 7 and Windows Phone.The announcement marks a change in strategy to its previous policy of charging for major updates.The offer, which is limited to the OS's first year of release, may aid its adoption.Windows 10 brings the same operating system to devices of all sizes, rather than having different ones for PCs/tablets, mobile phones and the firm's Xbox games console.One of the features highlighted at the presentation was how Cortana - the voice-controlled digital assistant previously limited to Windows Phone handsets - would now work on PCs.
We announced that a free upgrade for Windows 10 will be made available to customers running Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows Phone 8.1 who upgrade in the first year after launch.This is more than a one-time upgrade: once a Windows device is upgraded to Windows 10, we will continue to keep it current for the supported lifetime of the device – at no cost.
... once a Windows device is upgraded to Windows 10, we will continue to keep it current for the supported lifetime of the device – at no cost...
In a separate interview, Meyerson told Reuters that the company plans to deliver free Windows 10 upgrades to all customers, even those running pirated versions of Windows. "We are upgrading all qualified PCs, genuine and non-genuine, to Windows 10," Meyerson told Reuters.A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed via email that the plan to allow free upgrades for non-genuine copies of Windows applies to all markets and is not limited to China.
a DOS6.22 user who logs turnstile clicks at a stadium via an RS232 interface
Until MS introduces a monthly/yearly subscription for continuing updates, a few years down the line (just my theory)
Windows 10 is designed to support continuous, rolling updates
In a recent update for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1, Microsoft has silently installed Windows 10 downloader which signifies the company is getting prepared to welcome its next big OS – Windows 10. Microsoft released an optional update which states “enables additional capabilities for Windows Update notifications when new updates are available to the user”.
And then it was Windows 8-style. And then it was Modern. And then it was Windows Store. And then it was Universal. And today, Microsoft has decreed that henceforth these apps—which are all ultimately based on Windows Runtime—will be known as Windows apps.Historically, of course, "Windows apps" (or "Windows programs") referred to standard, Win32-based executables that ran on the Windows desktop. Under the new naming scheme, these Win32 apps will now be called Windows desktop applications.
Microsoft uses Windows Update to force Windows 10 ads onto older PCs'Recommended update' turns Windows 7, 8 into new OS plug
'Fraid I don't always understand (or, er, care) WTF MS are talking about. First noticed this with Windows 8 and Metro - whatever that was.QuoteAnd then it was Windows 8-style. And then it was Modern. And then it was Windows Store. And then it was Universal. And today, Microsoft has decreed that henceforth these apps—which are all ultimately based on Windows Runtime—will be known as Windows apps.Historically, of course, "Windows apps" (or "Windows programs") referred to standard, Win32-based executables that ran on the Windows desktop. Under the new naming scheme, these Win32 apps will now be called Windows desktop applications. http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/03/dont-call-them-metro-microsoft-rebrands-universal-apps-as-windows-apps/Then there was the who-gets-Windows-10-for-free-and-for-how-long mystery.All as clear to me as the sales waffle from some dodgy geezer on the doorstep trying to flog replacement windows, “enables additional capabilities for Windows Update notifications when new updates are available to the user” had me baffled. But, according to The Register, what it means is:QuoteMicrosoft uses Windows Update to force Windows 10 ads onto older PCs'Recommended update' turns Windows 7, 8 into new OS plughttp://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/04/09/microsofts_mystery_update_will_push_windows_10_onto_window_7_8_machines/
Microsoft takes security to a new level with Device GuardMicrosoft announced a new feature called Device Guard that prevents unauthorized or malicious code from executing on a Windows system. Malware and exploits have a distinct advantage: they always get the first move. Traditional antimalware and security tools are reactive and based on detecting and blocking known threats. A threat can't be known, however, until it exists and affects something or someone first. It's a poor model for defense. Microsoft proposes to change that with Device Guard.There are already controls in place within Windows that make determinations about whether or not an application can be trusted and should be allowed to execute. The Achilles heel of that approach is that some rootkits and exploits are capable of compromising Windows at the kernel level--below where those decisions are made. That means the malware itself can alter, override, or circumvent those decisions and execute anyway.Device Guard takes the protection to a new level. It uses technology embedded at the hardware level, combined with virtualization, to separate the decision-making process from the Windows operating system.
Windows 10 Device Guard: Microsoft's effort to keep malware off PCsYou'll need a machine with the right IOMMU techThe details are a little vague... but from what we can tell, Device Guard wraps an extra layer of defense around the operating system to prevent malware from permanently compromising a PC.Device Guard, when enabled by an administrator, checks to see if each and every application is cryptographically signed by Microsoft as a trusted binary before it is allowed to run. Device Guard itself runs in its own pocket of memory with its own minimal instance of Windows, and is protected from the rest of the system by the IOMMU features in the PC's processor and motherboard chipset.There is, of course, a catch. To get Device Guard working, a supported IOMMU setup must be present in the PC or device. However, AMD and Intel processors, and even certain ARM and MIPS cores, have had IOMMU protection mechanisms built-in for a while now. When Windows 10 comes out this summer, computer giants such as HP, Lenovo, Acer, and Toshiba, will tout their hardware as Device Guard-capable or Device Guard-ready.Device Guard-ready systems will have the required IOMMU hardware present, kernel drivers optimized for Device Guard installed, and the security feature enabled. Device Guard-capable devices will have just the IOMMU hardware present, leaving the driver installation and configuration up to the user.
Dustin Ingalls, Microsoft's group program manager for operating system security, told The Register... Device Guard will approve trusted universal apps on Windows 10 desktops, tablets and phones. Applications available from the Windows Store will be signed off and ready to run via Device Guard. Enterprises with legacy apps can send hashes of the executables to Redmond to be signed within minutes, we're told."When apps are submitted to the Store, those apps go through vetting and all kinds of checks," Ingalls said."But if an enterprise is saying 'Hey, sign this for me,' it will be done with a key that only works for that company. If that enterprise wants to sign bad stuff, they are entitled to do that – we're not trying to say we'll only sign this or that. All we're doing is trying to make it easy for you to get an app signed so the new defenses will allow this piece of software to run."
Microsoft to stop producing Windows versionsWindows 10 is going to be the last major revision of the operating system.Jerry Nixon, a Microsoft development executive, said in a conference speech this week that Windows 10 would be the "last version" of the dominant desktop software.His comments were echoed by Microsoft which said it would update Windows in future in an "ongoing manner".Instead of new stand-alone versions, Windows 10 would be improved in regular instalments, the firm said.In a statement, Microsoft said Mr Nixon's comments reflected a change in the way that it made its software."Windows will be delivered as a service bringing new innovations and updates in an ongoing manner," it said, adding that it expected there to be a "long future" for Windows.
I guess it depends on how frequent the updates are and even more how much they charge us. I know there are other OSs around but many of worry that we have software that might not run on e.g. Linux. Tony
we have software that might not run on e.g. Linux.
Wine (originally an acronym for "Wine Is Not an Emulator") is a compatibility layer capable of running Windows applications on several POSIX-compliant operating systems, such as Linux, Mac OSX, & BSD. Instead of simulating internal Windows logic like a virtual machine or emulator, Wine translates Windows API calls into POSIX calls on-the-fly, eliminating the performance and memory penalties of other methods and allowing you to cleanly integrate Windows applications into your desktop.
Actually it just about makes sense.