Windows 10 to be the last edition of Windows.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Taking a page from other software distributors.

 

With the release of Windows 10, Microsoft is ending the packaging of the operating system on a periodic basis and going to a system that simply updates the platform on an ongoing basis.  This is similar to what Ubuntu users get, for example, as on-going updates come in over the Internet.  Major version changes occur in Ubuntu, for example, every six months, but there is no "sea change" in the way it operates.

 

This system will provide much more immediacy as user needs and hardware advances make new or revised packages necessary.  Instead of a whole release, which is not supposed to ever happen, users will simply receive updates.

 

The article is silent about whether there will be an ongoing charge for this service, but if they are smart, Microsoft will not charge single end users who do not have a corporate license.

[hym 358]

Taking a page from other software distributors.

 

With the release of Windows 10, Microsoft is ending the packaging of the operating system on a periodic basis and going to a system that simply updates the platform on an ongoing basis.  This is similar to what Ubuntu users get, for example, as on-going updates come in over the Internet.  Major version changes occur in Ubuntu, for example, every six months, but there is no "sea change" in the way it operates.

 

This system will provide much more immediacy as user needs and hardware advances make new or revised packages necessary.  Instead of a whole release, which is not supposed to ever happen, users will simply receive updates.

 

The article is silent about whether there will be an ongoing charge for this service, but if they are smart, Microsoft will not charge single end users who do not have a corporate license.

 

Microsoft has been talking about moving its staple products like Windows and Office into "software as a service" products for quite some time now.  The question isn't whether there is going to be a licensing fee, but rather, how it is structured.

[AkemiAzula 280]

Makes sense to have a constant fee with eternal updates than paying a lump figure for a mortal release really. I'm sure MS will be smart enough to charge a realistic amount.

[QuantumChicken 89]

If Micro$uck is going that route, I will definitely support them then. I just want my MIDI mapper back though.

[LexusInfernus 908]

This system will provide much more immediacy as user needs and hardware advances make new or revised packages necessary.  Instead of a whole release, which is not supposed to ever happen, users will simply receive updates.

 

The article is silent about whether there will be an ongoing charge for this service, but if they are smart, Microsoft will not charge single end users who do not have a corporate license.

Isn't this essentially what Apple has been doing? They don't charge for their updates do they? 

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Since I am not an Apple user, I don't know.  Ubuntu updates are most certainly free.  If you download one of their six-monthly ISO disks they will ask for a donation but they don't insist.

 

MS has stated that most of their revenue these days comes from hardware sales.  Shades of the good old days when hardware was very expensive and the software was just handed over.

[Sabretooth78 808]

The last two releases of OS X have been free (and frankly, they would have had no right charging for them).  The two prior to that were $19 and $29, respectively IIRC.  The beginning of the "free era" also coincides with their apparent adoption of a one-year vs. two-year+ release cycle and the corresponding drop in quality that begets.  For instance, ask the NAM team why they don't stick to a schedule.  Another symptom of the company's loss of rudder in 2011.  But I digress, back to Windows.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

What will be interesting here will be whether there will be an annual/semi-annual charge to individual users, or whether there will be a price tag on major updates. 

 

Because of the very integrated nature of Windows, one wonders about optional MS-supplied applications (yes, I still spell it right out, "apps" are for smart phones).  There is some serious competition out there for applications like Office, and even developer tools such as Visual Studio, and many of them are free and supported by the on-line community.

 

While I don't see MS getting out of the applications business entirely, I can see them spinning off anything that is not directly related to operating system maintenance.  The old incestuous attitude that used to exist between Windows and, for example, Office or IE now seems rather passé.  It is a good chance for the Redmond group to unload the applications burden and concentrate on very high qualify in the operating system while shutting out hackers.

[Duke87 1,070]

 

Microsoft has been talking about moving its staple products like Windows and Office into "software as a service" products for quite some time now.  The question isn't whether there is going to be a licensing fee, but rather, how it is structured.

 

Perhaps the more pressing question is - if I stop paying my annual fee, do I simply stop receiving updates, or does my computer get bricked because I'm no longer allowed to use the OS at all?

 

This is the difference between something the average person can shrug at and and something that will massively impact computing as we know it.

[mrsmartman 200]

^ The update should be free to focus on OEM sales.

 

Windows will be the cost leader in terms of strategy.

 

Resources will hopefully be channeled to other products.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

 

 

Microsoft has been talking about moving its staple products like Windows and Office into "software as a service" products for quite some time now.  The question isn't whether there is going to be a licensing fee, but rather, how it is structured.

 

Perhaps the more pressing question is - if I stop paying my annual fee, do I simply stop receiving updates, or does my computer get bricked because I'm no longer allowed to use the OS at all?

 

This is the difference between something the average person can shrug at and and something that will massively impact computing as we know it.

 

Should one decide to discontinue paying tribute to Microsoft, there are alternatives.  Most Linux distributions are free to individuals.  There is no point in paying scot to Microsoft if you have no specific need for their products.

[EyeofMobius 27]

I'd be whole hog on Linux except that I am a gamer and like to play much of the new hotness that comes out. I tried going with Ubuntu and really liked it but in the end I was straight up unable to play a number of games I consider critical in my library. I look forward to the day that Linux is par or better from a gamer's standpoint.

 

If MS goes to a subscription fee then I will be one of those who can no longer afford to use it. I consider myself to be part of a privileged middle-class but this is because I am able to cover my bills, buy games and eat take out food once in awhile.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

The wine interface is getting better and better.  Also, the number of stupid companies who ignore the 15% of the market by not producing native mode games for MAC and Linux seems to be getting smaller as many of them are turning to Android, which really isn't all that different   as far as writing code goes.  Most Android systems can and do use the GNU compilers, and a makefile for one computer is easily set up for conditional compiles for others as well, even Windows.

 

The trick is to stop using DirectX and go to OpenGL with the GTK package.

[Ocram's Razr 964]

The PC gaming market is not 15% linux. Among those who are most devoted to PC gaming, at least 90% use windows for gaming. The business, educational, browsing, and other low-end computers have a mixture of Windows and Linux with high end "creative" business, student, and artist demand for computers has the highest demand for Mac (at one point almost 50/50 mac and windows).

--Ocram

[mrsmartman 200]

Bill Gates - The Captain of Microsoft

 

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

And I am the Queen of the May.  Gates has nothing to do with the day to day operation of Microsoft any more and has effectively retired.  Let us not glorify those who merely made money foisting a rather poor operating system onto an unsuspecting public.  CPM was better than DOS, but didn't know how to market.  Marketing know-how is what it took, not a superior product.

[mrsmartman 200]

Steve Ballmer - Microsoft's Weapon in Marketing

 

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Better, but why bother posting pictures of people who are dead from the neck up?

[Sabretooth78 808]

Ballmer Peak

 

[Snugies 91]

I am now a huge fan of Microsoft just because of those smashing good pictures of the mircrosoft execs. Anyone who can make photos like that deserves my business...Now is that Mr. Smartman or Mrs. Martman? Cause if its Mrs. Martman could you please stop walking around the street in your bathrobe at 3a.m.?

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Just remember that the plural of fan is fen.

[mrsmartman 200]

Paul Allen - The Man Behind Microsoft

 

[Xenocity 343]

The last two releases of OS X have been free (and frankly, they would have had no right charging for them).  The two prior to that were $19 and $29, respectively IIRC.  The beginning of the "free era" also coincides with their apparent adoption of a one-year vs. two-year+ release cycle and the corresponding drop in quality that begets.  For instance, ask the NAM team why they don't stick to a schedule.  Another symptom of the company's loss of rudder in 2011.  But I digress, back to Windows.

Apple makes most of it's profits selling hardware, services and pro software such as Final Cut Pro and File Maker (which is subsidiary of Apple).

Apple made very little profit, if any selling OS X upgrades, iWorks and iLife software. 

This is why they are all free, oh it also boost hardware sales by increasing value to consumers. 

 

The wine interface is getting better and better.  Also, the number of stupid companies who ignore the 15% of the market by not producing native mode games for MAC and Linux seems to be getting smaller as many of them are turning to Android, which really isn't all that different   as far as writing code goes.  Most Android systems can and do use the GNU compilers, and a makefile for one computer is easily set up for conditional compiles for others as well, even Windows.

 

The trick is to stop using DirectX and go to OpenGL with the GTK package.

Actually OS X commands ~10% of PC sales in North America and ~7 in the EU and Japan. 

Overall OS X commands ~5-7% of global market share, with Linux coming in at sub 2%. 

 

The reason why most companies ignore OS X, Linux and the rest of the OSs (yes there are more than three) is supposedly due the lack of sales for games on those OSs. 

Mac and Linux users don't buy enough games to warrant the extra development costs, thus leaving EA and smaller companies as the main supporters.

(Same is said about Android users, though actually data shows they pirate everything to hell and back)

 

With that said those dissing Ballmer need to realize Bill Gates was fighting him for control of the company when Gates was still working Head Software Architect (where he retained most of the CEO powers). 

Bill Gates stepped down on June 27th 2008, giving Ballmer full control of the company, though Windows 8 was already well into development under Gates orders. 

 

Though Bill Gates still used his power on the Board, to dictate decisions to Ballmer.

 

When Bill Gates convinced Ballmer to seal the deal to buy the whole Nokia, then betrayed Ballmer by secretly meeting board to block it, caused Ballmer to leave.

This is why the board only agreed to buy the hardware division of Nokia. 

 

Since Ballmer retired in 2014, he hasn't talked to Bill Gates since, ending their friendship of 30+ years. 

It's all in the interview from 2014. 

 

After hiring the new CEO, Bill Gates has now used up all his "chips" with the board, leaving him relatively powerless. 

 

Also Microsoft corrected their statement and said Windows 10 just has their full focus and they haven't started development on the successor yet, but their will be a successor.

http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/05/windows-10-to-be-the-last-version-of-windows-until-the-next-version/

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

So?  There will have to come a time when the decor of the system is such that it merits at least an upgrade moniker like Windows 10.1. 

 

I rather like the Ubuntu policy of numbering their releases by YY.MM (Year.Month).  Canonical has kept an "every six months" schedule for several years now, upgrading in April and October.  I am currently running Ubuntu 15.04 which is an intermediate release.  They also hold on to Long Term Service releases which are maintained for three years.  The current one of those is 14.04.2 LTS, which carries support until April of 2017. 

 

People who are not afraid of running what could be called a release candidate can run the current release.  However, if you need solid support on a known base, you run the LTS release.

 

Now, we'll have to see what Microsoft does.  My feeling is that the "next" release will probably come with a whole new nomenclature.

[Xenocity 343]

Windows naming convention has always been wonky. 

 

We've literally gone from Windows 1-3.x to Windows 9x to Windows 2000 and ME, to Windows Legacy Fundamentals and XP to Vista to Windows 7 to 8.x to Windows 10

 

Though Apple has had the best and most linear naming convention in OS history: We went from OS 1 - 9 to OS X 10 to OS X 10.x

iOS went from iOS 1 to iOS 8 and counting. 

 

As long as technology keeps accelerating there will always be room for OS upgrades. 

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Operating systems are simply programs that operate the hardware.  As long as new hardware is being produced, expect new versions of operating systems to appear.  Moore's conjecture operates in the hardware side and causes the software side to run like the red queen to even stay in the same place.  One of the serious sufferers in this caucus race is quality assurance. 

 

"Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, won't you join the dance?" -- Lewis Carroll.

[mrsmartman 200]

Satya Nadella - Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft



Satya Nadella is Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft. Before being named CEO on February 4, 2014, Nadella held leadership roles in both enterprise and consumer businesses across the company.

After joining Microsoft in 1992, Nadella quickly became known within the company as a leader who could span a breadth of technologies and businesses to transform some of Microsoft’s biggest product offerings.

Prior to his role as CEO, Nadella was executive vice president of Microsoft’s Cloud and Enterprise group, one of the company’s fastest-growing and most profitable businesses. While Nadella was there, the group’s revenue increased by 22 percent, and its profits by 33 percent. Previously, Nadella led R&D for the Online Services Division, guiding the development of one of the largest cloud infrastructures in the world, to support products including Bing, Xbox and Office.
Before joining Microsoft, Nadella was a member of the technology staff at Sun Microsystems.

As Microsoft’s third CEO (succeeding Steve Ballmer and Bill Gates), Satya Nadella brings a relentless drive for innovation and a spirit of collaboration to the role. He says he joined Microsoft 22 years ago because he saw how clearly Microsoft empowers people to do magical things and ultimately make the world a better place. Many companies, he explains, “aspire to change the world. But very few have all the elements required: talent, resources and perseverance. Microsoft has proven that it has all three in abundance.”

Originally from Hyderabad, India, where he was born on August 19, 1967, Nadella now lives in Bellevue, Wash. He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Mangalore University, a master’s degree in computer science from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Chicago. Nadella is married and has three children. In his spare time, he loves to read poetry and follows cricket, a sport he played in school as a child.

[mrsmartman 200]

Bill Gates - Technology Advisor of Microsoft
 

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Bill Gates, the father of DOS.

[Sabretooth78 808]

I certainly hope you're pulling these images off the web as a bit of a gag and don't instead have a repository of them on your PC.