What Will You Do If Windows 12 Isn't Free?

It's almost as if they just want to kill Windows off completely. There will bound to be some sort of workaround, just as there is for local accounts in Windows 11.

In the meantime, I'm sticking with Windows 10 until my next hardware upgrade, which will inevitably need Windows 11 to support Intel's new processors.
 
i used to pay £70-90 or so for sage accounts, which lasted me about 3/4 years before i'd need to purchase a new program at simliar cost.

then they went subscription only, and no choice to use the old programs, and all of a sudden i'm paying £36 per month, for absolutely no extra benefit.

i can see why companies see this idea and want to copy.

windows will be much easier to pirate so i can imagine many users would go that route if they go sub and make it more than a simple £30-£40 per year cost. if they go this way, they need to drop the number and just become Windows
 
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Depends what hardware i have and what the restrictions/requirements are. I remember when MS said Windows 10 was going to be the last one, so i'll not be putting any stock into assuming any version from this point will be the end, because there will always be "insert reason" to justify milking people into an upgrade. I will worry about whether i want or need Windows as and when, or start looking at alternatives if it feels like a better option (the landscape of choice is greater now than it's ever been).

I started on Win95 (the pain) and have always upgraded behind everyone else and it's been pretty easy going so far, let other people suffer the kinks (i don't need bleeding edge, it just needs to do what i need it for).
 
I'm still on win 10, i wouldn't want my OS to be a subscription. I'd stick with 11 until the very last minute i could, then pirate 12 or use linux. Doubt 12 will be a sub though, no windows have ever been subscriptions.
 
SpellowHouse said:
I noticed with alarm some of the posts around suggesting that Windows 12 may not be free.

This is one...

www.neowin.net

Microsoft might want to be making Windows 12 a subscription OS, suggests leak

Microsoft might just be planning to make the next generation of Windows a cloud-based, subscription service. While we have already had evidence of the former, fresh new leak hints at the latter too.
www.neowin.net www.neowin.net

Personally, I have no intention of paying a subscription for Windows, in whatever form it arrives in. I will resist as long as I can!

What about you?
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I'll be using windows 12 if it's not free
 
I can't see Windows going 100% subscription anytime soon, that's not to say they won't have subscription options as there's been rumours floating around that there'd be a Windows 365 type of version since the early days of Windows 10.

My guess is they'll start out with IoT or something similar to Windows S, something meant for low cost OEM devices where the customer who bought it gets given the option to upgrade for a nominal amount to unlock new features. They'll probably take the boiling frog apologue approach, much like they have with slowly making it harder to not to use a MS account, it will start out in versions few people care about for such a low price it will seem perfectly reasonable.

Then probably a decade or more later there won't be a version of Windows without subscriptions and we'll be paying £200+ a year wondering how we got here.
 
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JonRGV250 said:
Why do you think it should be free?
Click to expand...

The same reason android is totally free. They should make their money indirectly through the extras you then purchase through their store or their apps they make.

For instance I pay £75 per year or whatever the cost is for word/excel etc.

Iirc I haven't paid for windows since win8, every upgrade has been free since then from Microsoft and they know why
 
As long as basic features aren't locked behind subscription then I'll probably still use 12. While I have been enjoying Linux (Steam Deck docked especially pushed me ahead) there's still a few things that don't work properly, mostly games with anti cheats. However, if it really is bad then I hope it's a wake up call for game developers to properly support Linux.
 
I use Ubuntu for 90% of things anyway, occasionally booting into Windows for certain games but that's getting rarer and rarer (and is partly because I've not got around to setting my Discord account up yet on my Ubuntu boot, rather than compatibility). I'll never pay for Windows again unless it comes for free with a laptop or similar.
 
I'll just pull out the ethernet cable. I haven't played multiplayer for so long now despite enjoying some in the past, so can just play offline connecting to the internet on Win10 to download new game.

As with any subscription software now, i just find the free alternative or use an old version. I'm just not that invested to care about handing over cash to these companies.

It just seems to me that some operating systems are getting less customisable and more directing in their designs. I really am losing interest, but thankfully i don't use any for work.
 
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