4 ms·

> To do what ? Is it not obvious? It's the same purpose as XCode Cloud and Ubuntu Pro and Office 365; force users to pay recurring fees for basic functionality

• dingnuts 3y ago
  The "basic functionality" that an OS provides requires constant maintenance from the vendor. You're welcome to use Windows XP if you want, and then you can enjoy not having new device drivers for modern hardware or patches to protect against new attack vectors. Or is Microsoft supposed to patch security vulnerabilities forever, after your one time purchase? I don't like subscriptions for everything but don't act as though an OS, which must receive continuous updates -- continuous labor from the vendor -- in order to remain secure and thus be usable as an Internet appliance, which is its primary purpose today, is not already a subscription service even if it is not priced as one.
  • smoldesu 3y ago
    Constant maintenance does not entail running an OS on their servers and RDPing into it. I have a capable machine, I can service it myself. If Microsoft wants to EOL OSes after a one-time purchase, that is their prerogative. There is a distinct difference in expectation between subscription OSes and LTS releases, though. That's why Microsoft can value a Windows license at hundreds of dollars. OS vendors have a continued interest in supporting my hardware so they can exploit me as a customer. If Microsoft makes too hasty of a move, they know they'll just push their users onto competing platforms that don't charge for 5+ years of support. Stuff like MacOS, ChromeOS or even Linux.