Comment on Windows: we noticed that you kept the useless search bar disabled since 2015, so we sent an update that re-enabled it without your permission

• grue@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  Nah, failure to enforce consumer protection and anti-trust law is why they do this shit in the first place. It doesn’t matter if you paid for it or not; even when you do pay, they exploit you anyway because they can.

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  • captainlezbian@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    Yeah cars are one of the most expensive things you’re likely to buy, pull subscription bullshit, and spy on you like crazy, sometimes including your sex life. I pay about a gaming pc of cash upfront for my phone and still get spied on and advertised to by its os.

    And yeah I bought windows a year or so ago because I bought a new motherboard and needed an os and didn’t know linux was this good now. About a hundred bucks and it comes with all this bullshit that drove me to linux

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• sadreality@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  Just to clarify. If you bought a device. The maker aka you paid a fee.

  Person above either using water market version or pirated it but more likely got it pre installed

  Either they don't understand windows economics with that stupid "comment"

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  • Hyperreality@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    Windows 10 was a free upgrade from 7/8. 7/8 was a free upgrade from XP. I mean, XP was installed on something, but I certainly haven't paid for windows in decades.

    Apparently it's still a thing:

    https://www.techspot.com/news/100334-microsoft-closes-windows-7-11-free-upgrade-loophole.html

    And if you think about it, why would I pay for windows, given it's loaded with spyware? I'm already paying to use it with my data. No different than using google software.

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    • TheFerrango@lemmy.basedcount.com ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

      Windows 7 and Windows 8 were definitely not free upgrades

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      • Hyperreality@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

        No?

        I seem to remember there being a free upgrade for the visually impaired. I'm a wanker and wear glasses, so I ticked the box and started downloading. Apparently others also used this as a loophole.

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    • sadreality@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

      If you think that "private customers" have not paid for it... There is not much to discuss here chief

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• narc0tic_bird@lemm.ee ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  They do it because of greed and the everlasting thirst of large companies to grow bigger and bigger.

  They literally gave Windows 10 and 11 away for free if you had Windows 7 or 8.

  Many if not most people pay for Windows in the form of licensing costs included in the price of a device, mainly laptops. Most laptops come with Windows preinstalled, and Microsoft earns with every laptop sold with Windows preinstalled. People building their own PC and getting an OEM key for cheap off of eBay or pasting a one-liner into PowerShell are the minority.

  Do you really expect people to go out of their way to purchase a retail Windows license when they already have a perfectly valid and activated version of Windows preinstalled on their device?

  And now that Windows 10/11 is a nice mix of adware, bloatware, nagware and spyware, do you really think it’s worth $199 (for the “Pro” version)?

  It’s a business model Microsoft deliberately chose. Guess what? They were doing just fine before doing what they do now, despite of a few “software pirates”.

  I’d happily pay even a subscription fee for Windows if Microsoft didn’t try to shove their crap down my throat every chance they get.

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  • captainlezbian@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    I wouldn’t pay a subscription fee for windows without the bullshit, but that’s partly due to the value of their competition. Without the bullshit though I’d likely be ok with buying a new version every major pc upgrade or if the new edition offered a serious value improvement. Otherwise I’d hold on until such a situation. The move from 10 to 11 was whatever until I got the ads. I’d also probably consider linux every time I have to pay to upgrade. But their bullshit converted me to give it a second chance and I won’t go back. Linux happens to stand on its own merit now.

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• dustyData@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  It’s never morally wrong to steal from a mega corporation.

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