This is a message I sent to Woody, who thought I should post it in this forum. It’s an idea of mine and thought I would put it out in the wild and maybe it might catch on 🙂 Let me know what you think.
Hey Woody, first I want to say thank-you for the work you do here. It has really helped me and my extended family dealing with the machinations of Microsoft and I really appreciate it.
Looking at all the issues people are having with Windows 10, WaaS, telemetry forced updates, ugly UIs, etc, etc… I had an idea on how Microsoft could fix all this and it has to do with the differing versions of Windows. Essentially there needs to be great disparity with them.
Windows 10 Home – Not a lot needs to change with this, I understand that Microsoft wants a base of users to “beta” test for Corporate users but one things needs to change. Windows 10 Home needs to be FREE, not just secretly letting anyone upgrade from a previous Windows version but absolutely free and marketed as such. It never needs an activation code, it’s never locked to a specific hardware. You can download it from their website with clear indications it’s free and always will be (and the installer always works lol). Sure you can pick it up in the store but it’ll only be $9.99 or $14.99 in order to cover off the cost of the packaging, the USB it comes on, transportation and a small profit for the store to hold it on their shelves. With this you get the same choices as now for privacy, unable to uninstall apps like the store and Cortana, and you get advertising, because it is free and always will be. The Education version is then absorbed into the Home edition, since its free and that’s what educators and students want.
Windows 10 Pro – What needs to change here is substantial. First its not free, you pay the $199.99 or whatever they deem appropriate but then you get what you pay for. What your paying for is freedom of choice. You can completely control all telemetry, updates, UI settings (including easily and fundamentally making and changing it to suit your needs and desires), what apps are installed, what features are active or not and easily accessible means to switch on or off all advertisements. You are “paying” for the right to be a professional user and you will be given readily available access to do whatever you want with it.
Windows 10 Enterprise – see the changes made in Windows 10 Pro but adjusted for the corporate environment.
The fundamental issue that people have with how Microsoft is directing their development of Windows boils down to choice. Microsoft has it in their heads that they know best and everyone shall adapt to their point of view and that will be the end of it…because…they know best…for everyone lol.
I certainly hope you didn’t see this as a rant, I just wanted to let someone in the know (having contacts and such) to get this idea out in the wild and maybe, just maybe it will catch on lol. Because I know if I sent this to Microsoft, even to the CEO himself. It would just get ignored and deleted.
I’ve been meaning to write this to you for a bit and it’s good to get it off my shoulders lol. I hope at the least you found it entertaining or maybe even interesting.
Rock
