Windows 9 Possibly free - i hope that this is a thing..

[deathjester]

Rumors I have seen posted about Win 9.

 

1. Free to Win 7.

2. Scrapped. Free to Win 8.

3. DX 12 will be on Win 7 (this was due to some MS guy in I think Germany running his mouth), when MS refused to even give Win 7 11.1 or 11.2.

4. Free version with intrusive cloud crap and Bing only and possibly advertisements ala skype. 

 

What do I believe above? Possibly 4 and that would only be to get the game developers to jump to DX 11.1/.2/.3 with market share. 

 

As someone else said Apple is a hardware company. Apple can give away their OS for the rest of their existence, it wouldn't hurt them much. Why? Cus they sell you Imovie in the Apple store (which everyone gets) and Garage Band and IPhoto, or they will sell you the package deal of ILife. So the "free OS" just cost you 40 bucks to have the programs, that is the whole reason people like the Mac. Like my family? Loves all those programs. So even though I hackintosh, I paid I think 20 for Snow Leopard to get to the new OS's (that are free), and then bought ILife. Apple still made money off their "free OS" from me and I am not even on Apple hardware.  They also make money from their App Store for anything else I buy. They also come out with a new ILife every few years. 

 

Would I like to see MS make much better first party software like Imovie and go to a free or cheaper model and make money that way? Yeah it would be nice. Do I see them doing that? Prob not.

[iJarbus]

I agree with most of the people here if it is going to be free I think it will be heavily restricted and filled with adds. I'm OK with spending money on an operating system so long as I only have to spend it once, one horrible thought I had is maybe it will be free with a subscription fee to unlock full feature set. I hope that it's at a reasonable price $50 - $100 for a personal license and no subscription fee's, forced Bing or adds.

[GoodBytes]

Old rumor is old. This was already posted here a while back.

I think this is going to be like Win8. Where it will be free to OEMs on 10inch devices or smaller.

[Techhog]

Hopefully...

 

Also, there's the legacy software compatibility that I forgot to mention... I'm playing a bunch of old-ish games regularly...

Ah. That'll be a toss-up.

[Builder]

If it's "free" it will probably be "ad supported". Nothing is really "free". 

Well, except for OS X and Linux and BSD...basically everything besides Windows at this point. It's actually kind of embarrassing that you still have to pay for Windows.

[GoodBytes]

Well, except for OS X and Linux and BSD...basically everything besides Windows at this point. It's actually kind of embarrassing that you still have to pay for Windows.

Except OSX price is in the price of the system.

Apple knows that most people upgrade easily to a new Mac and not keep their system for over 4-5 years, so they rebuy the OSX license in the price of their new system

And Linux and BSD you have no support, if you go free. All you have is a forum level support, and people working at Microsoft, and other software companies, that give their time in supporting Linux. No Microsoft, means no job, means they have no food on the table, and that means massive drop in support for Linux. So, buying Windows, and buying your software support Linux development indirectly.

[Builder]

Except OSX price is in the price of the system.

Apple knows that most people upgrade easily to a new Mac and not keep their system for over 4-5 years, so they rebuy the OSX license in the price of their new system

Actually most people I know keep Macs for a very long time. Also you don't have to buy a Mac to get a copy of OS X because it's actually free. There's no DRM and no licensing fee.

[Briggsy]

Microsoft cut a lot of people out of their operating system teams, even long time employees, so its possible microsoft may have some sort of subscription crap in mind. there are millions who squeal with glee when they get to renew their xbox live Gold membership... It's only going to be so long before Windows has an annual 50 dollar membership fee, as opposed to buying it outright for 2 or 3 times that. honestly, its 6 in one, half dozen in the other for the cost of windows (unless you buy a prebuilt or used pc, then you might get shafted).

[GoodBytes]

Actually most people I know keep Macs for a very long time. Also you don't have to buy a Mac to get a copy of OS X because it's actually free. There's no DRM and no licensing fee.

No DRM? OSX won't install on a PC. You need to do a hack to do so.

[GoodBytes]

Microsoft cut a lot of people out of their operating system teams, even long time employees, so its possible microsoft may have some sort of subscription crap in mind. there are millions who squeal with glee when they get to renew their xbox live Gold membership... It's only going to be so long before Windows has an annual 50 dollar membership fee, as opposed to buying it outright for 2 or 3 times that. honestly, its 6 in one, half dozen in the other for the cost of windows (unless you buy a prebuilt or used pc, then you might get shafted).

Not really.

Microsoft removed many of it's Software Developer in Test. That role is disappearing. People where not fired, they were laid off from their position. Meaning that they have been, if they choose to, relocate another division.

[Builder]

No DRM? OSX won't install on a PC. You need to do a hack to do so.

That's not DRM. DRM would be stopping you from making multiple copies of it. And I realize you need a hack to do so, because it's not licensed for installation on a PC. However this whole idea that you buy it with the price of your Mac is preposterous because the software no longer has value. You can make infinite copies of it, download infinite copies of it, distribute them to your friends with older Macs, etc. They have no control over the number of installations financially speaking anymore.

[yttrium]

Actually most people I know keep Macs for a very long time. Also you don't have to buy a Mac to get a copy of OS X because it's actually free. There's no DRM and no licensing fee.

 

That's wrong.

[Builder]

That's wrong.

Broken link is broken.

[yttrium]

Broken link is broken.

 

Doesn't work for you? Can you not view PDFs?

 

From this page click Operating System, then OS X (Mavericks).

[deathjester]

That's not DRM. DRM would be stopping you from making multiple copies of it. And I realize you need a hack to do so, because it's not licensed for installation on a PC. However this whole idea that you buy it with the price of your Mac is preposterous because the software no longer has value. You can make infinite copies of it, download infinite copies of it, distribute them to your friends with older Macs, etc. They have no control over the number of installations financially speaking anymore.

 

Compare the price of an 27 inch I5 IMAC with it's rinky dink GPU to a custom build and throw in this monitor (same LG panel as the Imac).

 

http://www.monoprice.com/Product/?pg_no2=4&c_id=114&cp_id=11401&cs_id=1130703&p_id=10509&sortby=&period=1&rating=&seq=1&format=4

 

That is why Apple is a HARDWARE company and not a software company. MS doesn't make a killing off hardware. They make it off software. Even with hardware they make, like the Xbox One they make the money off the monthly fee and games. Surface is about the only thing they make where they make a profit off hardware and to be honest they prob lost money with what they were giving them away for on the last gen on Black Friday. This next gen might make them money though. Apple on the other hand makes a killing off of each PC sold. 

 

You are comparing companies which make money on completely different things. 

[Techhog]

I can't believe that someone would deny that the cost of OS X (and even iOS) is subsidized by hardware. Is this real life?

[Builder]

Doesn't work for you? Can you not view PDFs?

 

From this page click Operating System, then OS X (Mavericks).

What's your point?

 

You are comparing companies which make money on completely different things. 

Yes, but the point is that Apple used to charge more.

[Builder]

I can't believe that someone would deny that the cost of OS X (and even iOS) is subsidized by hardware. Is this real life?

Yes it is real life. I can believe you can't believe it.

[yttrium]

What's your point?

 

That OS X requires you to agree to a license that states that the OS is licensed to you, you did not purchase it, and that you have very few rights.

 

H.

Other Use Restrictions

. The grants set forth in this License do not permit you to, and you

agree not to, install, use or run the Apple Software on any non-Apple-branded computer, or to

enable others to do so. Except as otherwise permitted by the terms of this License or otherwise

licensed by Apple: (i) only one user may use the Apple Software at a time, and (ii) you may not

make the Apple Software available over a network where it could be run or used by multiple

computers at the same time. You may not rent, lease, lend, sell, redistribute or sublicense the

Apple Software.

 

OS X is not free.

[Speedbird]

• only for owners of Windows 8.1 retail copies - no 8, upgrade, and OEM licences

ads

boot time is a minimum of 5 minutes

only Metro apps from the store are allowed - no desktop programs

supports CPU clockspeeds up to 2GHz, RAM up to 2GB, storage up to 250GB (all disks combined)

resolution max is 1024x768

requires an internet connection (always-online DRM)

[deathjester]

What's your point?

 

Yes, but the point is that Apple used to charge more.

 

For the OS? Yeah they used to charge for it. It wasn't a lot though it was like 20 bucks. You are also forgetting that Mac OS updates are way more common than MS OS updates. Most people are still on Win 7, and Mac had (I am trying to remember here). After Snow Leopard (and I think this came out at same time as 7, but it might have been later) there was Lion, Mountain Lion, Mavericks and Yosemite is in beta. Mac seems to have a new OS every year.

 

Like I posted before I use Mac OS via Hackintosh. Apple does not include things like Imovie in the native OS. The native OS comes with like nothing. It comes with Safari (that sucks and most people don't use). Then you put things like Better Touch Tool (or the paid variants which people usually get from the App Store = cha ching), ILife with Imovie and Garage Band and Iphoto stuff which you can buy as a package or a la carte. Then ILife gets a update every few years as well. 

 

Programs like Imovie are the entire reason people go Mac and they aren't included with the OS. In addition most people buy all their programs on the App Store for which Mac also gets a cut. MS is trying to do this, but with things like Steam already entrenched good luck as far as games. It might make MS enough for them to be able to lower the OS price though, if people use the store to buy utilities and stuff.

[Builder]

 

That OS X requires you to agree to a license that states that the OS is licensed to you, you did not purchase it, and that you have very few rights.

 

H.

Other Use Restrictions

. The grants set forth in this License do not permit you to, and you

agree not to, install, use or run the Apple Software on any non-Apple-branded computer, or to

enable others to do so. Except as otherwise permitted by the terms of this License or otherwise

licensed by Apple: (i) only one user may use the Apple Software at a time, and (ii) you may not

make the Apple Software available over a network where it could be run or used by multiple

computers at the same time. You may not rent, lease, lend, sell, redistribute or sublicense the

Apple Software.

 

OS X is not free.

 

I never claimed that you purchased it...

[GoodBytes]

That's not DRM. DRM would be stopping you from making multiple copies of it. And I realize you need a hack to do so, because it's not licensed for installation on a PC. However this whole idea that you buy it with the price of your Mac is preposterous because the software no longer has value. You can make infinite copies of it, download infinite copies of it, distribute them to your friends with older Macs, etc. They have no control over the number of installations financially speaking anymore.

DRM is DRM. Anything that restrict you in anyway beyond license, is a form of DRM.

[yttrium]

I never claimed that you purchased it...

 

You claimed, and I quote,

 

Also you don't have to buy a Mac to get a copy of OS X because it's actually free. There's no DRM and no licensing fee.

[Techhog]

Yes it is real life. I can believe you can't believe it.

HOW THE HELL DO YOU THINK THEY COVER THE COST OF DEVELOPMENT!?!

 

God, I know you're a smart guy, so why do you let stuff like this make you so stupid? It's just... baffling...

 

*sigh* OSX is "free" because Apple can afford to make it free due to hardware sales. They use the profits from Mac and iDevice sales to cover software development costs, which is part of why their margins are twice as high as 90% of the industry. It's common sense. Do you really think that making an OS is free?

 

EDIT: I'm sorry... I just... Ugh, whatever. You win.