You've got until July next year iirc so I wouldn't say there is a desperate rush just right now.

I'll probably wait until the very last second, I want to read the conclusive reviews and give it time to bed in before dealing with all the [LIFTED]. There's absolutely nothing broken with 7.

Yes, still 11 months to decide.

I upgrade my old notebook (2010 Sony Vaio, Core i7 with 8GB RAM). I also upgraded my wife's Core i3 Sony (also 2010). Both run it fine. A big improvement over Windows 7, but only small fine tuning compared to Windows 8, some things are better than 8, some not so good, but overall better, at least on a notebook / desktop than 7 and 8. Not so sure about how it will be on my tablet, but I have to wait for the AV software to be updated before I can upgrade.

I'm loving Windows 10 so far.

I still prefer 8.1 but it might just be getting used to a change in working

Windows 10 gives businesses a year to apply updates | TechRadar
http://www.techradar.com/news/software/ ... es-1302557

Could this be due to the WinXP hangers-on that have forced MS to keep updating those desktops past the commercial End of Life that the OS recieved?

Mark

Partly. The problem is that most XP users can't upgrade, because the software is so poorly written that it won't run on anything other than Win16 (16-bit libraries) or web sites so poorly written that they only work on IE6. This is partly MS's fault, in that they corrupted web standards in the late nineties and early two thousands, which have proven to have more holes in them than a sieve. So the technologies have gradually been dropped off the face of Windows, so that it is more secure, but some companies still rely on this age old software and won't invest in modernising it or replacing it.

The hope is, partly, that if companies are now forced to keep their PCs safe, they will also be forced to keep their applications safe and current as well - or at least they will invest in new software knowing that it will need to be more future proof. Windows has a poor reputation for security, the problem is, Windows is a lot more secure than it has ever been, but it is suffering from the legacy of old cruft in Windows and old versions. As long as that cruft and those old versions are still in use, Windows won't be perceived to be any better.

Then there are the costs. If they have to support older versions, they need additional resources to code for them and keep them running - that either means stretching their staff thinner, so less time is spent on building new software and more time is spent repairing the old cruft, or they need extra, dedicated staff to look after the older versions. Either way, those staff are losing the company bucket fulls of money.

Google and Apple don't have that problem, so they don't waste money on old versions of the operating systems. With Google, if you aren't on the latest version of ChromeOS you are on your own and with Android, you pretty much only get support for the current version and version -1. OS X and iOS are similar. My old iMac hasn't received any updates from Apple for 18 months, but the Windows that is installed on it will still get support through to 2020 (due to a lack of Apple drivers, I can't upgrade to a newer version of Windows on my iMac, in fact, I am looking at installing Linux on it now)...

To be competitive, Microsoft needs to try and reduce the amount of maintenance it needs to do, or rather the number of diverse versions they need to support. If they can make a rolling, single version of Windows going forward, that is always "current" or unsupported, then they are wasting less money on older versions. They have a fiduciary responsibility to the share holders to maximise income. Spending money keeping products that generate no revenue going is not helping them fulfil that responsibility.

With Windows 10, things see a little different. The version will be a rolling, always current version. They lose money on upgrade, but that accounted for single digit percent income anyway, most private users waited until they bought a new machine until they upgraded. Only enthusiasts and those that needed a newer version for a new piece of software tended to upgrade. Mid and large sized companies don't use retail Windows anyway, they have the Enterprise version and that is licensed separately, usually with a Software Assurance bundle, which ensures that they keep current, but they have to pay for each year, essentially leasing the software. That and new PC sales are where the majority of Windows revenue comes from. With Windows Bing, the latter has dropped off a bit, as it is free for low powered or small screened devices.

Windows 10 is slowly migrating away form needing to be paid for to the Apple and Google model of "giving" the operating system away, but app sales through the official store generate a steady income, plus subscriptions for extra services on top of Windows (OneDrive, Office 365, Groove (formerly XBox Music) etc.). But until they can get rid of Windows 7 and 8 from the playing field, let alone XP and Vista, they can't become economically fitter. This will be a slow transition, which will probably drag on for nearly another decade or so, until Windows 8.1 goes out of extended support.

On the other hand, it is amazing, people complain about Windows getting updates and upgrades, yet if their smartphone doesn't get upgraded regularly they are bellyaching about being left behind and the "hell stew" of disparate versions out in the market that aren't supported...Which way do you want it, people?

So on the face of it and upgrade makes sense for everybody, including me.

Why am I hearing I've only got until the end of the month to upgrade?

Who from?

It might be around that you've 30 days to roll back to your previous OS.

Dave, regarding updating of machines, I totally get why you'd want a faster, battery-saving phone OS compared to a laptop you maybe only use when you have to. Plus phones pretty much 'just work' in comparison.

Aah can't see myself downgrading back to 8.1 though I will have to get a way to play mech commander. Would play on 8 but it's a no no on 10

Is Win10 spying on every image you look at?

Mark

I really hope that gets investigated further, cos currently it makes the stuff Sony got pilloried for in the past look like a laugh.

I found this a little worrying

Setting>Update & Security>Widows update>Advanced options>choose how updates are delivered

“When this is turned on ( it is by default ), your PC may also send parts of previously downloaded windows updates and apps to PC’s on your local network ( not too much of an issue ) , or PC’s on the internet ( that’s what’s selected by default ) , depending on what’s selected below.”

So you are by default sending windows updates out over your BB connection to other PC's anywhere on the net.