I have been on holiday for the past 10 days so I haven't had much of a chance to test new Linux distributions or work on any tutorials.
I have had lots of available reading time however and there was one particular story in Web User magazine that really amazed me, or should I say annoyed me.
Basically Windows XP and Vista users were enticed into trying out the "Insider Preview" version of Windows 10 to help Microsoft find bugs and react to feedback.
As a reward for their input into Windows 10, the "Insider Preview" users were to be given a free upgrade to the full version when it has been fully released.
Except of course now they aren't. Microsoft has changed the terms. Only Windows 7 and Windows 8 users will receive a free upgrade to Windows 10.
There have also been rumours circulating that the upgrade will only be supported for 1 year for Windows 7 and Windows 8 users, at which point the operating system will work on a subscription basis. These rumours are considered to be false.
This article on the "The Inquirer" explains the situation further.
Quite simply if you have Windows XP or Windows Vista there is to be no free upgrade to Windows 10. If you wiped XP or Vista from your machine to install the "Insider Preview" and you don't have Windows disks or a recovery drive then you have been left high and dry.
That is a big slap in the face from Microsoft isn't it? Thank you for trying our software and letting us fix the bad bits. They will now take all of the glory and your hard earned money as well.
It doesn't stop there of course. If you are a Windows 7 or Windows 8 user then you have to have a genuine version and that means if you upgraded from XP or Vista to those versions you are again in a tricky position.
What happens if Microsoft does indeed end up switching to a subscription model as they have with Office 365? Everyone is then locked in and Microsoft can basically set their own price from that point forward.
Switch to Linux. There are no scams, no teasers, no tricks. You can try it for free and you can use it for free.
Don't worry about the learning curve either. There are versions of Linux that are easy to install and easy to get to grips with such as Linux Mint, Zorin, PCLinuxOS and for those with older machines Lubuntu.
Need a guide? Try one of these:
- How to install Zorin OS 9
- How to replace Windows XP with Lubuntu
- How To Dual Boot Windows XP and Linux
- How To Dual Boot Windows Vista and Linux
- How To Dual Boot Windows 7 and Linux Mint
- How To Dual Boot Windows 8 and Linux Mint
There are many great reasons to use Linux.
As well as being free to download and install (although it is a good idea to donate to the people that make the distribution you are using), there is a huge support network and people get back to you with answers to your queries far quicker than the Microsoft support forums and the answers are actually helpful.
The community is great. If you are looking for support, a bit of banter or want to contribute then it is easy to get involved but if you just want to use your computer that is perfectly fine as well. It is all about freedom.
Every printer I have bought in the past 5 years has been easier to set up with Linux than it has with Windows.
There are thousands of really good free software packages available for Linux whether you are looking for a word processing package, spreadsheet tool, graphics editor, audio player or email client.
10 years ago Windows was dominant. Now you don't really need it. Don't let Microsoft get away with treating their customers like mugs.
Thankyou for reading.
No comments:
Post a Comment