It’s been much publicised that Windows 7 and 8 users will be eligible for a free upgrade to Windows 10, but Microsoft has just revealed that the upgrade will even extend to pirated copies of its operating systems.
Terry Mason, Chief of Microsoft Windows, told Reuters, “We are upgrading all qualified PCs, genuine and non-genuine, to Windows 10.”
Though the move, according to Reuters, is aimed predominantly at China, which is flooded with illegal copies of Windows, it is thought that perhaps millions of pirated Windows copies across the globe could be approved for upgrade.
Microsoft’s Windows operating systems have a long history of piracy: Windows XP was the first to require licence key activation, but corporate keys shared online soon quashed that security measure. Ever since, pirates have managed to crack every Windows iteration that has followed. This amnesty on Microsoft’s part is a bold move, but ensures that Windows 10 users will be accessing the software on Microsoft’s terms.
Source: The Verge
If their idea to reduce piracy is to provide quality over time, then good for them. Hope they follow the path Paradox did.
If their idea is to provide in-app purchases as with any shitty android/IOS app and don’t control how much of the OS can be accessed without them, they’re in for a big hit.
The cons outweigh the pros here, specially if the OS can’t be customized as much as Windows 8 or 7 in terms of security policies, the way it handles adds (because i’m pretty DAMN sure they’ll be) or the overall experience. We’ll see.