6 ms·

This move makes sense: better to have people running a legitimate copy of your latest OS than a pirated copy of a 15-year-old OS. All the better to try and conv

This move makes sense: better to have people running a legitimate copy of your latest OS than a pirated copy of a 15-year-old OS. All the better to try and convert them to paying customers of Microsoft services.

cordite 12y ago
It looks like it is windows 7 and up, not XP and such.
- jaredmcateer 12y ago
  They are making the free upgrade from Windows 7 and up globally, but this article seems to imply they are going to make an exception for China and make the upgrade free for all Windows users.
  - atlantic 12y ago
    The title does seem to imply that. What the article in fact says is that the free upgrade is being offered globally, but the motivation behind it is to re-engage with Chinese Windows users who have an unlicensed OS.
  - jsight 12y ago
    AFAIK, upgrades are only supported from Windows 7 and up regardless whether the product is paid for.
    - morganvachon 12y ago
      That makes sense, given XP can install and run decently on a machine that would choke on Windows 7, if it would even install. Minimum system requirements are still a thing, and as light and efficient as Windows 10 is, it's not meant for 2001 era technology.
iamben 12y ago
Bill himself said in the 90s - "About 3 million computers get sold every year in China, but people don't pay for the software. Someday they will, though. As long as they are going to steal it, we want them to steal ours. They'll get sort of addicted, and then we'll somehow figure out how to collect sometime in the next decade."
- omh 12y ago
  Interestingly, that quote is from almost 17 years ago and they don't quite seem to have figured out how to "collect" yet.
  - mariusmg 12y ago
    No rush, it's not like MS is running out of money :)
    - melling 12y ago
      And they've prevented hundreds of millions of people from going with a different OS, thus eliminating potential threats.
      - higherpurpose 12y ago
        Unfortunately. I think if the Chinese government forced/encouraged everyone to go Linux a long time ago, instead of having to pirate Windows, the Linux ecosystem of programs would be much richer, too. And OEMs wouldn't release 99% of their machines with Windows on them by default. This way we would've had competition on the desktop and in the browser market way before Android and iOS started appearing on tablets.
        ttty 12y ago
        Only if linux would work out of the box, no driver issues, no need to change files with root... more user friendly.. They decided to make linux for the tech people
userbinator 12y ago
The subsequent versions of Windows are far more locked-down/limited with respect to user control and customisation than XP, which is likely why it lasted for so long.
- JBiserkov 12y ago
  How do you mean?

cordite 12y ago

It looks like it is windows 7 and up, not XP and such.

jaredmcateer 12y ago
They are making the free upgrade from Windows 7 and up globally, but this article seems to imply they are going to make an exception for China and make the upgrade free for all Windows users.
- atlantic 12y ago
  The title does seem to imply that. What the article in fact says is that the free upgrade is being offered globally, but the motivation behind it is to re-engage with Chinese Windows users who have an unlicensed OS.
- jsight 12y ago
  AFAIK, upgrades are only supported from Windows 7 and up regardless whether the product is paid for.
  - morganvachon 12y ago
    That makes sense, given XP can install and run decently on a machine that would choke on Windows 7, if it would even install. Minimum system requirements are still a thing, and as light and efficient as Windows 10 is, it's not meant for 2001 era technology.

iamben 12y ago

Bill himself said in the 90s - "About 3 million computers get sold every year in China, but people don't pay for the software. Someday they will, though. As long as they are going to steal it, we want them to steal ours. They'll get sort of addicted, and then we'll somehow figure out how to collect sometime in the next decade."

omh 12y ago
Interestingly, that quote is from almost 17 years ago and they don't quite seem to have figured out how to "collect" yet.
- mariusmg 12y ago
  No rush, it's not like MS is running out of money :)
  - melling 12y ago
    And they've prevented hundreds of millions of people from going with a different OS, thus eliminating potential threats.
    - higherpurpose 12y ago
      Unfortunately. I think if the Chinese government forced/encouraged everyone to go Linux a long time ago, instead of having to pirate Windows, the Linux ecosystem of programs would be much richer, too. And OEMs wouldn't release 99% of their machines with Windows on them by default. This way we would've had competition on the desktop and in the browser market way before Android and iOS started appearing on tablets.
      - ttty 12y ago
        Only if linux would work out of the box, no driver issues, no need to change files with root... more user friendly.. They decided to make linux for the tech people

userbinator 12y ago

The subsequent versions of Windows are far more locked-down/limited with respect to user control and customisation than XP, which is likely why it lasted for so long.

JBiserkov 12y ago
How do you mean?