[jr2]

    http://www.pcworld.com/article/2873214/windows-10-will-be-a-free-upgrade-for-windows-7-and-8-users.html   






EDIT:  p.s., Important detail, must upgrade within the first year.

[Turambar]

Hmm.  Can I get mine less cloud-y, less connected, and less of a service?  I'm actually just looking for an OS to play games on, and it would be nice to have that directx 12

[jr2]

Yeah, you just have to Google how to disable / remove those parts.  Or download a version that's pre-customized like that.  And/or customize your own install disk with something like vLite.

[AdmiralRalwood]

...What.

[The E]

Yeah, you just have to Google how to disable / remove those parts.  Or download a version that's pre-customized like that.  And/or customize your own install disk with something like vLite.

You act as if these things exist for Windows 10, or are sure to exist in the future.

[jr2]

There are... sources.  If you have a legal license, then you shouldn't run into legal issue using a modified version.

For example, google experience edition 2003 dvd october 2011    The Micro XP version can run on a ridiculously underpowered computer.  There are 4 revisions: from Micro XP (kill all teh unnecessary things) Mini XP (k let's be able to run 95% of Windows programs, mmkay?) Slimmed XP (remove excess bloat and trim a few unnecessary services but otherwise standard Windows) and Full XP (let's install all teh things just the way Bill Gates dreamed it should be!

-- all on one DVD.  Also has Server 2003 versions of the above options.  Obviously, you probably only have an XP license so ... just use the XP versions.

Oh, and lots of drivers from DriverPacks.net are included in that as well (all-in-one manufacturer driver source without the extra cruft and installers, just the drivers plz k thx bai).

You can go to DriverPacks.net and make your own standalone disk or use it for slipstreaming your own install disk with drivers.

If you're going to customize XP (remove / tweak), you need nLite, all Windows after that needs vLite.  (EDIT, vLite is now just for Vista, see NTLite below for 7 and above).

EDIT: NTLite is now for 7, 8, 8.1, and 10DP, that has changed.  And, The E, yes, as you can see, it exists for 10. 

[The E]

There are... sources.  If you have a legal license, then you shouldn't run into legal issue using a modified version.

Legal issues, no. Technical issues, who knows? There is no guarantee that things that were safe for remove in previous versions will stay safe to remove in the next. Point is, I am extremely skeptical about third-party tools that promise to slim down windows installs while preserving functionality, and would never use any of them.

For example, google experience edition 2003 dvd october 2011    The Micro XP version can run on a ridiculously underpowered computer.  There are 4 revisions: from Micro XP (kill all teh unnecessary things) Mini XP (k let's be able to run 95% of Windows programs, mmkay?) Slimmed XP (remove excess bloat and trim a few unnecessary services but otherwise standard Windows) and Full XP (let's install all teh things just the way Bill Gates dreamed it should be!

-- all on one DVD.  Also has Server 2003 versions of the above options.  Obviously, you probably only have an XP license so ... just use the XP versions.

Oh, and lots of drivers from DriverPacks.net are included in that as well (all-in-one manufacturer driver source without the extra cruft and installers, just the drivers plz k thx bai).

You can go to DriverPacks.net and make your own standalone disk or use it for slipstreaming your own install disk with drivers.

If you're going to customize XP (remove / tweak), you need nLite, all Windows after that needs vLite.  (EDIT, vLite is now just for Vista, see NTLite below for 7 and above).

All of which is irrelevant to the question of whether or not those or similar options will be available on Windows 10.

EDIT: NTLite is now for 7, 8, 8.1, and 10DP, that has changed.  And, The E, yes, as you can see, it exists for 10. 

Sure, but will it exist for Windows 10 proper? The probability is high, granted, but that doesn't mean it's going to happen. Besides, Turambar's original quibble was about MS' apparent tendency to embed cloud dependencies deeper into the OS, it is entirely possible that they've built components that cannot be removed with such functionality.

[Fury]

I guess I get 3 free copies of Win10. But bigger question is how much I actually end up using Win10, what with SteamOS, Steam Machines and Steam Controller release looking to take place at GDC in March.

Welcome to the beginning of end of Windows in the consumer sector.

[The E]

I guess I get 3 free copies of Win10. But bigger question is how much I actually end up using Win10, what with SteamOS, Steam Machines and Steam Controller release looking to take place at GDC in March.

Welcome to the beginning of end of Windows in the consumer sector.

Wait. Is this "X is the year of the Linux Desktop" again? I mean, we've been there before, and it didn't quite work out.....

[Luis Dias]

I'll let you guys (by "you guys" I mean most of the internet) use it for a couple months before taking a dive at it. You do the betatesting for me

[headdie]

I guess I get 3 free copies of Win10. But bigger question is how much I actually end up using Win10, what with SteamOS, Steam Machines and Steam Controller release looking to take place at GDC in March.

Welcome to the beginning of end of Windows in the consumer sector.

I will reserve judgment until it happens. you are talking a massive shift in consumer thinking towards platforms with at best peripheral awareness at the mass consumer level

[Cyborg17]

I'll let you guys (by "you guys" I mean most of the internet) use it for a couple months before taking a dive at it. You do the betatesting for me

I think this is the perspective of a lot of people.  Question is, who's going to take the leap first?   

Actually really hoping it's not stupid.  A free upgrade on my laptop would be auuusum.

[jr2]

I'm typing this on Win 10 Technical Preview.  I'll update to Consumer Preview when it comes out.  You have the chance to give feedback to MS this way, which should help    Of course I'm dual booting with 7 (triple booting if you count that I also have Linux    For fixing MS overwriting Linux boot code, get EasyBCD free/home). 

Really, guys, you should all have a dual-boot Win 10 partition and use it as much as possible, so that you can send your feedback, if nothing else...   be feedback the change you want to see.   

When 10 is released and I upgrade, I'll probably keep 7 kicking around until I realize I haven't used it in 6 months at which time I'll probably get rid of it to save HD space.

[LHN91]

To go along with the dropped jaws, Microsoft also announced that Windows 10 has the interfaces for Holographics.

Was watching a live blog and when they announced it all the blogger could say was "wat"

Looks to still need some refinement, but still. They've been working on it in secret with NASA and I can't remember the other group for 7 years now and claim it will be out in Windows 10's lifetime.

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/01/hands-on-with-hololens-making-the-virtual-real/

[jr2]

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2873106/windows-10-the-10-most-important-new-consumer-preview-features.html


Cortana, Spartan browser, Holographic, Surface Hub, syncro with phones and tablets running 10, Office apps smartly adjusting UI based on screen size like 10 itself does, integrated capturing of Gameplay videos (+DX12 cuts power usage in half vs DX11), streaming your XBOne games to any Win 10 device on your network + XB Live integration into the XBox app, Continuum UI switching (previously-mentioned smart UI switching based on screen size).

[The E]

DX12 cuts power usage in half vs DX11

Ha, I'll believe that when I see it.

[Klaustrophobia]

This just sends up a massive red flag.  I see a massive expansion of data mining, behavior tracking, targeted ads, and microsoft shovelware and forced accounts for goddamn everything that shouldn't need ANY kind of online/tracked account to use.  Is this the OS that's going to start putting sponsored links in my start menu/desktop?  And I'm on E's side with this one, I think microsoft is going to do absolutely everything they possibly can to make sure we can't get rid of that stuff.

I wonder if it will come with a mandatory always-on kinect.

[Luis Dias]

Really, guys, you should all have a dual-boot Win 10 partition and use it as much as possible, so that you can send your feedback, if nothing else...   be feedback the change you want to see.   

Nah, I'll let you work for Microsoft for free by your own. W7 works perfectly "fine" and I'm in no hurry.

This just sends up a massive red flag.  I see a massive expansion of data mining, behavior tracking, targeted ads, and microsoft shovelware and forced accounts for goddamn everything that shouldn't need ANY kind of online/tracked account to use.  Is this the OS that's going to start putting sponsored links in my start menu/desktop?  And I'm on E's side with this one, I think microsoft is going to do absolutely everything they possibly can to make sure we can't get rid of that stuff.

I wonder if it will come with a mandatory always-on kinect.

In related news, I'm flabbergasted how the nethusiatic tech press is marvelling at the Holo****demo they put out. No, wait, that was sarcasm. I'm totally not. I guess the media just loves to sell this microsoft vaporware **** even though they perfectly know it will probably suck big time like Longhorn did, like Project Natal ended up being. It sells eyeballs, so it's fantastic.

Regarding the adware and data mining, I just have to say this, they have to really really, but really be so ****ing subtle at it that no one but the fringe concerned notices it. Because otherwise, it will be the death knell of Microsoft. Like this article states, ""We want to move from people needing Windows to choosing Windows, to loving Windows. That is our bold goal." [Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said] He's right: love is a problem that Microsoft needs to solve."

There's no faster way to **** on everyone than making everyone's computers into ad machines shoveled into everyone's faces. So I'm perhaps more optimistic than you on that front, but generally pessimistic at the long term prospects. Big Brother is growing up. Soon it will even have an AI brain.

[Nemesis6]

I think one of the first things I'll do if I dare touch this will be to start up Wireshark and see what it sends out, how often it does it, and where to.

[jr2]

Really, guys, you should all have a dual-boot Win 10 partition and use it as much as possible, so that you can send your feedback, if nothing else...   be feedback the change you want to see.   

Nah, I'll let you work for Microsoft for free by your own. W7 works perfectly "fine" and I'm in no hurry.

  And I'll leave it to you to ***** and whine about how MS just can't seem to get the OS right no matter what.    I'm not saying to go out and buy it, I'm saying, give them some feedback while they are still in the process of deciding exactly how this OS will behave and present itself to the user.   Not necessarily bug-reports, if you don't feel comfortable "working" for MS (I think I've submitted a total of... 0 of those so far; this thing just works as far as I've seen).  I'm talking about irritations with the OS.  Give them a piece of your mind.  If they don't get it right, well, toss the partition and be done with it.  Win-win.  Right?

For the record, XP works just dandy as well...