The avalanche has just began.
Can yall idiots just fact-check for a goddamn second? https://www.windowslatest.com/2023/10/16/no-windows-12-is-a-free-upgrade-and-wont-require-a-subscription/
Edit: Just type "windows 12 subscription" into your search bar. It's fewer words than any of these comments!
No man dont ruin Linux rabid users from bitching about Windows.
Someone mentioned Linux!
I use Arch btw.
if this is true I might actually stop being lazy and mess with Linux for my personal systems
Please do.
One of us, one of us!
There is no "us" or "them". If Microsoft will maintain its streak of spoiling everything they touch, everyone will switch to Linux sooner or later 😉
Now, for an actual sane take, unless we do the actual marketing work in order to gather interest from people, no, not even close to everyone will switch to Linux, specially considering Microsoft has literal millions of dollars to spend in marketing and will likely spin this in a way that non-techy people specially will buy in due to not knowing any choice.
This is a PSA begging people to contribute to their favorite distros not (only) with code but with marketing. Social media posts, videos, word of mouth recommendations, advocacy, events, etc. If your distro doesn't have a marketing team, create one, as most projects should already have done two decades ago. If your distro has one (like we do in Fedora), join it. There'll likely be something you can help with.
Okay, you've got a point 😅
Arch doesn't need a marketing department. If someone uses Arch they'll tell you.
Do you have a minute to talk about our Lord and Savior, Patrick Volkerding?
Have you ever set up Arch with Secureboot, full disk encryption, Btrfs snapshots, NVidia drivers and multilib support and thought "man, I wish this was harder"? Then Slackware is the distro for you!
That's true. We're just getting the window managers and drivers ready for everyone who will follow us.
As it turns out, the rumours discussed by some outlets are based on the “IoT Enterprise Subscription” of Windows 11, not Windows vNext. For those unaware, Windows 24H2 or Windows vNext is what Windows 12 is being called publicly. As you can see in the above screenshots, the “subscription” code strings found in the preview builds are associated with a new Enterprise version of Windows 11 loT and have nothing to do with Windows 12 or future versions of the OS.
I’m not saying to use it or to not switch to linux, but maybe this isn’t that much of a concern.
I’d be more concerned about
the next version of Windows will be heavily integrated with AI and cloud capabilities.
Windows accounts for 12% of their profits, and I'm willing to bet that the consumer versions are a very small part of that. Most businesses are not buying OEM licenses. They are already using a subscription model for M365 which includes Windows licenses or a standard EA or SA agreement.
They learned after the Windows Phone that they don't need to win the client OS battle as long as they can get their other products on the devices. Since then Windows has really focused more on keeping you locked into the Microsoft ecosystem versus keeping locked into Windows itself. Hence why the upgrades have all been free where in the past you would have to repurchase each new edition of Windows.
Of course I could be completely wrong. They have done some bonkers stuff in the past.
MS is completely focussed on the Enterprise market now. They need everyone to start using Office 365 early so they'll keep using it at their job. They don't really care what OS people run underneath, as long as it can connect to Azure/Entra.
I haven’t found it that difficult. Just take the plunge.
I'm not concerned with difficulty just that it'll take a bit of my time
yes I'm lazy
It's very gradual and fun because it's new. A lot of you being lazy is also just your safety mechanism kicking in so you don't dive into every single urge all the time.
Once you dip your toe, you'll be at it for a long and good time.
I'm an early adopter of Linux (early as in 96-97) but I also run MacOS and Windows so I'm I tell you this from an unbiased point of view. Linux has never been easier to run. My daily driver is a ThinkPad running Pop!_OS Linux and I never have to think about it. I just installed and everything ran.
I don't game on my daily driver, I use MacOS for music. At this point Windows is relegated to Adobe Creative Suite, GeForce Now, and the occasional game I can't run on Linux or GeForce Now.
Truly ungovernable, mad respect.
Just start by dual booting one of the "easy" distros and doing stuff that doesn't require Windows. Eventually you'll start spending more and more time on it out of comfort, then one day you may realise that you haven't needed your Windows partition in months, and can skip out on it entirely.
This was based on a report that was debunked almost immediately, y’all gotta stop reposting this every day.
Nooo but it confirms my viewpoint :-(
Oh that sweet, sweet confirmation bias hit. Nothing like it!
I love paying for spyware!!!
Everyone here thinking it’s the beginning of the great migration :tm:
Sorry guys, people are just going to use cracked versions of windows to play games
I suspect most people that only use their Windows computer for general stuff like web browsing, e-mail, multi media, office etc., which is probably the majority by far, will actually fall for the subscription scam.
This is the moment where Hannah Montana Linux will shine
If you’re not running Ubuntu Satanic Edition are you really a devout follower of the dark Lord
Guess that's the day I move over to Linux full time? Just installed mint on one of my work machines to play around on anyways....
The best time to start is now. The second best time to start is now.
Welcome!
Kudos to Microsoft on keeping to inpirationally show us with every edition it can still get even worse... 😅
It's not going to happen for normal users. This is most likely for users that already use some ms subscription, like office.
Exactly, it's going to be Office 365+Windows in a single package kinda deal.
Probably with a mostly functioning Windows left if you stop paying, but no access to specific features or Office.
It's just a way to get people to pay a few bucks a month extra for the Office 365 package, which in the long term culminates to getting full bank plus then some for Windows, instead of a one time flat fee people will then use for as long as they keep the system.
Most people I know use the same system/laptop for 3-4 years, some even as long as 6-8 years if the thing doesn't break down.
The subscription will likely be setup so that you pay what you'd normally pay for a basic Windows Home (100-130ish) within the first 2 years (say $5 a month) and every year you use the same device longer than that, is just extra gravy for Microsoft.
But I doubt they'll drop the simple license. There are to many devices where a subscription wouldn't work and especially in this day and age, connecting the device to the Internet for any length of time is a big nono for the user/company.
The enshittening continues. Why charge people once when you can charge them repeatedly until they decide enough is enough and leave?
My suspicion is that home installations will still be available at retail or OEM channels.
The subscription likely applies more to enterprise and possibly Windows 365. Enterprise licensing is a mess which might actually be simplified by a subscription pay-what-you-actually-use model.
Also it’s be cool to see windows 365 come to consumers as an alternative to a full PC. Would be able to standardize on home thin-client builds, or possibly add it as a feature to the Xbox Platform.
This is really just going to make Apple more sales and cripple the PC gaming market.
Then, Apple will do it and… maybe that will be the year of Linux desktop? 😉
Linux Gaming is now a truly viable force thanks to Steam (Proton). The PC Gaming market will be fine without Windows.
As much as I hate being bled to death by subscription services, It’s probably still cheaper to subscribe to windows for a whole decade than use an apple computer outright for half that time.
The majority of Linux users aren’t in it because it’s free (as in free beer) anyway, and most broke gamers will likely continue to just pirate windows regardless.
However now that data usage and privacy and security is becoming a hot topic in the age of AI, I think once Microsoft and apple both start getting really brazen with their telemetry and embedded spyware, it will finally be the year of the Linux desktop! ;)
I’m looking forward to see more Linux adoption because of this 😃
OP is spreading misinformation. Ban his ass.
Wait. A few years ago, Windows decided they couldn't keep up with warez, so they allowed unactivated Windows for the first time. Now, they are going back to paid model, just to let the piracy shine up again!
In addition, this means, that if I bought a computer with Windows pre-installed, I couldn't operate it? This will render OEM Windows installation useless. So.. year of the Linux Desktop?
Was already looking to jump ship at the file explorers having ads as a "test" but boy howdy, do it Microsoft. This would push me to make the Linux switch outright.
Hint: :q!
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