Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Microsoft to stop producing Windows versions

m.bbc.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

21–30 of 323 posts

Re: Microsoft to stop producing Windows versions

#21

Post by tehwalrus »

mattmanser wrote: post #11
Sir_Substance wrote: post #5

I'm not happy with this. I waited on XP until they got over vista, and I'm still on 7 while I watch in bemusement at the windows 8.1 nonsense. Now, with windows 10, my security updates will come bundled with my unwanted OS changes. I doubt microsoft will let people opt out of unwanted cloud-based security risks or crazy interface experiments.

They kind of hint in the article that changes will be optional when they first roll out: [this will] let Microsoft tinker more with the software to test new features and see how customers like them

you can almost imagine a Windows, stable and Windows, beta channel...

Re: Microsoft to stop producing Windows versions

#22

Post by MichaelApproved »

Giorgi wrote: post #9

Stupid decision. Will take years before they realize Internet is not so fast everywhere and not every company would like to have only online version of OS.

Service packs have always been available on physical disc, in addition to downloading. I don't see why major updates couldn't be available on disc as well.

Re: Microsoft to stop producing Windows versions

#23

Post by derefr »

I would be intrigued by an Adobe Creative Cloud equivalent for Microsoft products. Especially if it meant that a subscription was per-person, instead of per-machine.

This would work especially well coupled with the global "floating identities" introduced through signing in with your Microsoft Account. The image I would have is of Windows being automatically updated either way, but preventing sign-in to Microsoft Accounts whose subscriptions have lapsed (save for some limited kiosk functionality related to renewing the subscription, and local administrator access for fixing Internet connectivity et al.)

Re: Microsoft to stop producing Windows versions

#24

Post by mreiland »

higherpurpose wrote: post #4

How does that work exactly? Will they require a subscription? I have a hard time believing most Windows users who right now think they are getting "Windows for free" with their laptop and never have to worry about it again, would agree to pay Microsoft even $1 a month for it. If there is no subscription then how will they charge users - per "major update"? Like some sort of Windows 10.1? What would happened to the Wi…

They're trying to make Windows a platform instead of a cash cow. They've finally realized they have the advantage and google will never beat them unless they wait too long.

Re: Microsoft to stop producing Windows versions

#25

Post by Redoubts »

McGlockenshire wrote: post #18
Sir_Substance wrote: post #5

I'm not happy with this. I waited on XP until they got over vista, and I'm still on 7 while I watch in bemusement at the windows 8.1 nonsense. Now, with windows 10, my security updates will come bundled with my unwanted OS changes. I doubt microsoft will let people opt out of unwanted cloud-based security risks or crazy interface experiments.

> Now, with windows 10, my security updates will come bundled with my unwanted OS changes. This is going to be utter and complete chaos for any organization that performs strict change management and compatibility testing. It's already hard enough to push out normal security updates for some organizations, so having to mix in feature or even kernel changes is going to be a nightmare...

>To support Windows 10 devices in these mission critical customer environments we will provide Long Term Servicing branches at the appropriate time intervals. On these branches, customer devices will receive the level of enterprise support expected for the mission critical systems, keeping systems more secure with the latest security and critical updates, while minimizing change by not delivering new features for the duration of mainstream (five years) and extended support (five years). On Long Term Servicing branches, customers will have the flexibility to deliver security updates and fixes via Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) which allows full control over the internal distribution of updates using existing management solutions such as System Center Configuration Manager or to receive these updates automatically via Windows Update

http://blogs.windows.com/business/2015/01/30/windows-10-for-...

Re: Microsoft to stop producing Windows versions

#27

Post by cm2187 »

derefr wrote: post #23

I would be intrigued by an Adobe Creative Cloud equivalent for Microsoft products. Especially if it meant that a subscription was per-person , instead of per-machine. This would work especially well coupled with the global "floating identities" introduced through signing in with your Microsoft Account. The image I would have is of Windows being automatically updated either way, but preventing sign-in to Microsoft Acc…

I don't really like the idea of Microsoft having access to everyone's windows credentials, personal folders, internet browsing history, etc.

Re: Microsoft to stop producing Windows versions

#28

Post by frevd »

higherpurpose wrote: post #4

How does that work exactly? Will they require a subscription? I have a hard time believing most Windows users who right now think they are getting "Windows for free" with their laptop and never have to worry about it again, would agree to pay Microsoft even $1 a month for it. If there is no subscription then how will they charge users - per "major update"? Like some sort of Windows 10.1? What would happened to the Wi…

WindOwS X Snowelephant then Mountainelephant. There will most certainly be some kind of internal sub versioning for the kernel part. Let's see which animals they will take for that, cats are already taken by OS X.

Re: Microsoft to stop producing Windows versions

#29

Post by nathanaldensr »

vruiz wrote: post #10

I see 2 possible scenarios. 1) as others are suggesting, they'll adopt Apple's versioning model putting everything under the windows 10 umbrella. 2) they are setting the table for a rebranding/replacement of Windows in the same fashion as they are doing with IE.

I agree with #2. I think Microsoft is likely producing a new operating system as we speak--one that hopefully is focused on security first. Perhaps a realization of the Singularity OS is coming. OS APIs running managed code, perhaps? The future will certainly be interesting for the Windows ecosystem.
Post reply on HN