Microsoft's Windows 10 push is effective, damaging, desirable, and deceptive

[JMH]

Offering Windows 10 as a free upgrade to non-enterprise users of Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 was a sensible move on Microsoft's part. Microsoft wants developers to create applications for the Universal Windows Platform and to do that, it has to ensure that there are many people using this platform. The company has told the developer community that it expects 1 billion Windows 10 systems within the first two-to-three years, putting an end to the usual chicken-and-egg situation surrounding new Windows releases: developers never use the latest and greatest features, because there's nobody using the latest-and-greatest operating system; there's no reason to use the latest-and-greatest operating system, because software runs just fine on the current one.

Knowing that few people will actively seek out a new operating system to upgrade their computers, Microsoft offered the Windows 10 upgrade through Windows Update. It also distributed updates that advertised the existence of the Windows 10 update to Windows 7 and 8.1 users. Initially, this merely allowed people to "reserve" their Windows 10 upgrade, but Microsoft has become progressively more aggressive. In the early days, this upgrade was found to be downloading the new operating system even before users opted in, and it was then accused of installing automatically.

Microsoft’s Windows is push is effective, damaging, desirable, and deceptive | Ars Technica

 

[JMH]

Microsoft takes Windows 10 upgrade near nuclear line

Microsoft has not gone for the nuclear option with Windows 10 -- forcing the new operating system on consumers and small businesses now running older editions -- but it has tiptoed close to that line.

Five months ago, Computerworld laid out the steps Microsoft had taken to distribute Windows 10, but noted that it had not yet moved to the next logical phase: not only downloading and initiating the upgrade, but completing it without any explicit user approval.

To recap, Microsoft kicked off the radical distribution strategy in January 2015 when executives announced that Windows 10 would be a free upgrade from Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 for one year after 10's official release.

The Redmond, Wash. company then moved on with a succession of schemes, including letting customers "reserve" a copy of the upgrade; downloading the upgrade bits in the background to those users' machines; and finally, in October 2015, saying it would automatically push the Windows 10 upgrade to all eligible PCs, then initiate the upgrade process.

Microsoft takes Windows 10 upgrade near nuclear line | Computerworld