I’m wondering what MS will do…

Personally, I will stay with Windows. 

So what happens if you choose not to subscribe ? Your PC  stops loading Windows ??

That's the question, Andy. 

If you're lucky you'll be able to roll back to W7. If not, "Welcome to Linux" or MacOS, because W7 will not be supported after 2020, if I remember correctly.

Well, if I didn't want 10 for free why would I fork out ducats to purchase it later?

I'll stick with Win7 for as long as possible and cross that other bridge when I have to.

I would stay with Windows, but the version would depend on the ongoing costs. 

I would certainly NOT pay $84 a year to run Win10 on any of my PCs, so if they go with that model, I would revert the ones I could, and see about Win8x for the others. 

I'd rather pay a $100 one-time fee for Win8.1 from Newegg, than "rent" an OS for a monthly rate from MS.

Just watch out for the involuntary "Voluntary" upgrades.

I really don't think Microsoft could force people who upgraded to Windows 10 for free to pay a fee to continue to use it. That would seem highly irresponsible, if not totally illegal to me. 

Oh LightStar, no one give crap away for free, there is always a catch.  That's the catch, all W10 users will eventually pay.  Its called Greed.

I rolled back to Windows 7 after trying Win 10. I was having some strong issues with Microsoft over a  product key and Windows CD that I bought legitimately online from a reputable company. I felt like I was being extorted by Microsoft. What is being described in this thread sounds like extortion to me. I'll stick with my Windows 7. It works great and I don't miss Win 10 one little bit. If enough people do this, I think Microsoft would have to rethink their approach if they want Win 10 to be anywhere near successful.     -- Ace --

It rubs the Win10 on its skin or else it gets the hose again...

As of today:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows

bottom of page:

* Windows Offer Details

Yes, free! This upgrade offer is for a full version of Windows 10, not a trial.

______________________________________________

I expect no surprises on existing installations,  Who knows what pricing models MS or anyone else may choose to use in the future.

The Microsoft business model is to sell Windows pre-installed on new computers. That's how they charge consumers for Windows.

I have a hard time seeing that regular consumers would pay a subscription fee for something that comes pre-installed and is necessary for operation. What if you buy a computer for someone else: Should you hand that person a payment plan?

No pre-installed OS comes with a subscription. Apple, Google and Microsoft all charge for software by tying it to hardware.

If Apple and Google can't do it, I don't think Microsoft can do it either. Think about this: Not even Apple can force their users to pay a subscription for software. Instead they make hardware "obsolete" by deteriorating software performance.

Windows is competing with Android/ChromeOS, MacOS/iOS and to a lesser extent Linux. Windows can not become "the OS that you have to pay for". It's bad marketing. Microsoft realizes this and bets on data-collection/ads instead.

For consumers I don't think Windows subscription will happen unless Apple and Google also move to subscription software.

There is a big difference between OS (necessary software) subscription and other optional software subscriptions (MS Office, Adobe Creative Cloud, Stardock Object Desktop etc.)

I didn't say it was a trial. I'm asking what happens at the end of the year? 

"Yes, free! This upgrade offer is for a full version of Windows 10, not a trial. 3GB download required; internet access fees may apply. To take advantage of this free offer, you must upgrade to Windows 10 within one year of availability. Once you upgrade, you have Windows 10 for free on that device."

Right...but what about updates...patches, etc. Will you get them, or, will you have to subscribe to get them?

I'm not saying you will or won't have to subscribe...just wondering.

If you do have to subscribe, then what will you do?

My personal favorite on the net has always been "download for free!"...LOL Personally I could care less if/when they stop supporting W7...wouldn't matter to me one bit...it will still work as well as it does right now. I still have a pc with XP on it as well, and when those die...well I'll probably check out with them.

MS will most definitely find a way to make you pay...that's what it's always been about...and they are really good at sucking you all in and making you pay...because you know you just gotta have it.

Well, as my primary OS is Windows 7, and I also have 8.1, I am not too concerned about Windows 10, I only boot to it to do a Windows 10 sub-style in SkinStudio 10 anyway. I really don't think they are going to force subscription fees on people who have upgraded for free though, that would totally put Microsoft out of business. Just my opinion.

It depends entirely on how much they charge, just like everything else.  If it's what I would consider reasonable, I'll probably buy it.  I'm not fundamentally against paying for software.  Otherwise in my case I guess there would be Win7 for what patch period remains for it, which I would probably choose over an unpatched Win10.  I really have no interest in Linux, it seems like more of a hobby than I'm looking for at this point.

I really don't expect it to be an issue though.  At some point they may choose to charge for a service pack (e.g., Win3.1), and if they do I'll cross that bridge when I come to it, and again it would all depend on price/options.

Honestly I'm not at all convinced or concerned that there is some horrible master plan for Win10.  Remember all the speculation regarding the $40 or whatever upgrade offer for Win8?  And after that they didn't even charge for 8.1.  I think it it far more likely that many of the speculative writers on those various sites are just trying to generate traffic.

Yup! 

nothing will happen at the end of the (freebie upgrade) year. they need big install base to sell the other rubbish / collect data, etc.

most people get their windows via oem installs on new machines, does anyone really see windows going kaput after 1 year if they don't pony up? no. that'll never happen.

win10 being win10 means devices gets lifetime upgrade for free. though of course definition of that is yet to be defined. you can reasonably see free upgrades (on that device) for maybe 5 years until ms deems certain hardware requirement is needed or some such for a particular upgrade.

enterprise gets subscriptions just like it always has. don't confuse that and consumer stuff. smb might get screwed though.

The offer is for a year, not the 'free'.

Never was.

Simple English....

If you wanted Win 10 as your OS you could get it for nothing.

If you didn't get it in that first year you miss the chance to get it for nothing.

After that first year you pay to get it...just like all other previous OS releases.

End of story.

Other than.... MS will/is probably offering alternative subscription models for appropriate clients.

Don't get tripped up by semantics.  "free for first year" does not mean you then have to pay after you already have it.

It means you have to pay IF you DON'T already have it...;)

Jafo is correct, you can take off the Tin foil hat.  That being said it's very likely that a future Windows home releases will have a subscription model.  It's a subscription economy we're living in.

I dl'd Linux' latest release. Mint 18 with cinnamon. Since unloading 8.1 I got plenty of room for another OS. Just another toy to play with. 

If they don't have any plans to force a subscriber model on us then why don't they say so explicitly?  They know enough of the community is asking these questions.  They've already preempted our right to not upgrade in the future and their tactics, until most recently, were more than just a little questionable.  I mean waking up with Win 10 on your machine and then preventable driver issues galore (because they are not doing the testing they were before - all of us are defacto Microsoft employees).  

It makes one pause.

Does anyone know Elon Musk?  Maybe someone like him would dump a billion into the Linux of our dreams.  

backs out of the room slowly... 

surely that'll be him describing some sort of concept, and then other people dumping the money?

1 thing about linux... it just ain't consumer friendly enough as long as people looking up how to do stuff is given command line answers.

as for mint.. simple things like always keeping numlock on (upon login) requires a separate app instead of being baked into the os settings.. or upgrading from 17->18 not done via gui... just meh.