Windows 10 Free Upgrade Offer - Pros and Cons?

WingedKagouti on 1/8/2015 at 00:08

Quote Posted by Tony_Tarantula

If you're in the camp that's concerned about user privacy, stay the fuck away from Windows 10:

(http://www.techworm.net/2014/10/microsofts-windows-10-permission-watch-every-move.html)

And you can opt out of most (if not all) of that. And a lot of it during the installation process if you're not just blindly clicking through. And something as simple as using a Local Account (ie. the standard type of login you use for previous versions) instead of a Microsoft Account cuts out a bunch as well. Also, the article you've linked is for the Technical Preview from back in 2014, there are plenty of more recent articles with more relevant information. A couple here:

(http://www.polygon.com/2015/7/31/9075531/windows-10-privacy-how-to)
(http://thenextweb.com/microsoft/2015/07/29/wind-nos/)
(http://www.alphr.com/microsoft/microsoft-windows-10/1001289/the-5-windows-10-privacy-issues-you-should-be-aware-of)

Yes, it is something you should be aware of if/when installing and using Win10, but so far it has not been actually proven to be anything to go mad with fear over.

EvaUnit02 on 1/8/2015 at 01:41

More of the same as Windows 8 except the jarring clash between two UIs designed for different input interfaces is gone.

You get all of the objectively better improvements made in Windows 8 like super fast OS boot times, the incremental UI productivity/usability improvements, etc and what's the cost? Nothing. Windows 7 has been antiquated since 2012 and that's just compounded now that 10 has "fixed" the bugbears of 8 (which were easily solved out the gate by just installing a 3rd party app like ClassicShell), rendering 7 fossilised junk.

gkkiller on 1/8/2015 at 04:48

So you don't need an MS account for Win10? Thank God.

WingedKagouti on 1/8/2015 at 11:18

Quote Posted by gkkiller

So you don't need an MS account for Win10? Thank God.

They do try to make you use one by tying it into a lot of the extra things such as One Drive backing up your stuff etc. Ie. stuff that does play into them profiling you and your use of the system.

DarkForge on 1/8/2015 at 13:04

Quote Posted by faetal

Since I have a whole year to upgrade, I'm just going to sit back and watch for a few months.

I think I'll join you on that boat for the time being as well. I probably wouldn't be against switching to Win10 but for me it's all dependant on game compatibility. Win7 has been working great for me and I've managed to get loads of games running on it, both old and new - even a couple that I couldn't get to run under XP, amazingly.

If switching to Win10 suddenly stops half of them from working though, I won't be happy! I'll need to hear more about which games run and which ones don't before I make any decision.

WingedKagouti on 1/8/2015 at 14:28

Quote Posted by DarkForge

From the stuff I have tested so far, everything works just as well as it did under Win7. Others have reported issues with various games and programs, including ones that work perfectly for me. Still, I do recommend waiting to test it out on your main PC for a couple of months.

heywood on 1/8/2015 at 18:41

Quote Posted by Tony_Tarantula

If you're in the camp that's concerned about user privacy, stay the fuck away from Windows 10:

(http://www.techworm.net/2014/10/microsofts-windows-10-permission-watch-every-move.html)

Well, you didn't think they were offering it for free out of charity, did you?

Renzatic on 1/8/2015 at 19:31

Quote Posted by heywood

Well, you didn't think they were offering it for free out of charity, did you?

They're not offering it for free. They're giving everyone a temporary deal to get in on some Windows 10 action. But once it's passed, or if you buy a new computer, you'll be buying Windows same as always.

Though the whole hoolabaloo over MS SPYING is much ado about nothing. Yeah, things like this should always be opt-in rather than opt-out, but it can all be disabled easily enough. Log in with a local account, turn off Cortana, then hit up the privacy tab, and spend roughly 30 seconds clicking some crap. Bam. Done.

But is that really enough. Would MDollarsign give up so easily on our tasty, tasty analytics? How do we know turning it off really turns it off? Would the NSA allow that per their contract with Bill Gates?

...maybe I am a fool. Maybe global warming is a lie. Maybe the illuminati is real. I think we've crossed the Rubicon here, people. O_0

heywood on 1/8/2015 at 20:57

Microsoft has made billions selling new Windows versions to people with existing computers, and for now at least they are not charging for it. They might start charging later... maybe, but odds are that most people will have already upgraded by then. Also, the release of a new Windows version traditionally drives a spike in new PC sales, and analysts are not predicting that to happen this time because the free upgrade will cannibalize sales.

So why does Microsoft want home users to switch to 10 so badly they're giving up their bread & butter revenue stream for now? They have to be monetizing it somehow.

And yes I know you can opt out of at least some of the user data collection. I suspect that most people don't opt out, either because they aren't aware, or they don't care, or they're too lazy to bother.

EvaUnit02 on 2/8/2015 at 00:53

Oh please with this conspiracy nut BS, Microsoft make their real money from Enterprise customers. Stuff like Office 365 subscriptions and Azure servers are guaranteed, virtually unlimited meal tickets. They have that market on such hard lockdown that the hippy daydream of Linux becoming having any sort of legitimate popularity will never happen.