Windows 10 (aka Windows AE)

Win10 either has been or will be released to manufacturers this week.

No great news in this, as we know when Win10 rolls out, but it may be a good datum for future historians. I can see either "Would you believe they released the OS for three whole weeks before the roll out?" or "Would you believe they released the OS only three weeks before the roll out?" And even "Would you believe this was actually a thing back then????"

Rumors and early "buzz" and rumbles indicate that free Windows 10 won't be free.

There's a lot of ambiguity out there, but the gist seems to be you'll pay for updates after two years, either after release or after the "free" period is over, or after two years of operation. Maybe.

Microsoft hasn't said either way.

This may wind up being a deal-breaker.

I can see MS's POV. After all, how many people paid for XP then kept getting upgrades for almost 15 years? Only it's not that many. I had two Win XP machines over the life of the OS, so I bought it twice. XP PCs were sold well after Vista and even Win7 were released.

Still, with Win10 being the "last" Windows, maybe they realized they can't just give it away for machines which may last ten years or more.

Windows Apology Edition, also known as Windows 10, is only 9 days away.

Windows Apology Edition, also known as Windows 10, is only 8 days away.

I read an article with a fond requiem of Windows 8(.1) and didn't feel any need t attack the apologia, even though it contained all the tired tropes about launching "apps," using "gestures," the "advantages" of touch on the desktop, etc.

After all, I won :)

Windows Apology Edition, also known as Windows 10, is only 7 days away.

I got email from MS concerning the upcoming release, but it's merely a link to the FAQ I'd already found when I "reserved" Win10.

Reminds me I need to upgrade the old laptop to the current build, and I also need to let the new laptop catch up on several patch Tuesdays.

Windows Apology Edition, also known as Windows 10, is only 2 days away.

I finally dug out the old laptop and updated to the latest build. At first it wouldn't boot up, so I had to reinstall Win10, which was fine by me. It got stuck once and I had a hard time turning off the laptop, but it installed apparently just right.

I found one way to remove the annoying search box or icon from the left hand side, but it involves disabling Cortana. before doing that, I tried to use the over-hyped "assistant" first. it told me to sign in with an MS account. This was odd, as I' logged into win10 with one, but ok. I signed in, again. Then it told me to switch to an MS account. Fine, whatever the hell that means. then it told me it couldn't because there was already an MS account with that email (ya think!)

It doesn't matter, because that laptop is a backup-backup, pretty much. I just updated to get the free release this week.

I'll try the new Clippy again then, if I remember, or in my new laptop when I decide to install the release version. This will be after a month or two, or more, to give the bugs and misfunctions a chance to come out and be corrected by hasty patches.

Windows Apology Edition, also known as Windows 10, is only 1 day away.

Tomorrow we'll probably get to hear about collapsed servers. Or maybe not. Allegedly bits and pieces of Win10 have been downloading. What that means for a largely inactive laptop, I don't know.

If all else fails, remember there's Start10, and Classic Shell will work on Win10 as well.

Two new rumors:

1) Today those who "reserved" Win10 will begin to get the download files.

I've no idea whether this is true or not, but just in case I'll turn on the new laptop. Might as well get some updates as well.

2) The internet may break tomorrow if too many people try to get Win10 all at once. Hopefully they won't all go to the bathroom at the same time, too ;)

Windows Apology Edition, also known as Windows 10, is out today.

Or so they say.

So far the internet hasn't broken.

I did fire up the laptop for updates yesterday. In the update program, it said I'd be prompted to install Win10 after July 29th. The desktop got updates, too. We'll see what happens.

Windows Apology Edition, also known as Windows 10, is -1 day away!

Oh, wait. No need to count up...

So the internet didn't break (not yet). My home PC did something odd. It told me to re-boot to complete installing updates, which is common, but it didn't let me delay re-boot for any time at all. After restarting, I checked the "reserve Win10" icon on the taskbar, but it was still the same as it had been yesterday. The tech press is mostly raving about it. I've read of just one installation error thus far, which seems to happen when the needed files are either incomplete or corrupted.

I'm still going to wait a few months for the more intrepid users to shake down the OS. Also I want to make a backup/restore thumb drive first. The old laptop, which already has a Win10 preview, I will update, if possible, this weekend. Next will come the Win8(.1) new laptop. I've got nothing in it except Start8 and Office, both of which can be reinstalled easily.