Microsoft to give away Windows 8.1 for free?

**sudodus** · March 7th, 2014

Originally Posted by Morbius1

Microsoft set up a web site so it's users can determine what version of Windows they are using - turns out the average Windows user has no idea: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/w...erating-system

I distinctly remember installing Xubuntu 12.04 on this box. Well, imagine my surprise when I went to the site and was told this:
Attachment 250903
I must have partied too much back in the day. It looks like they put the start menu back where it belongs except it's on the top instead of the bottom. And it doesn't say start it looks more a mouse head. Anyway it works pretty good except I can't seem to install any Windows software on it. Maybe I forgot to register it.

I think you have a pre-release of Windows 12 SP 4 (rather well disguised, but that web page revealed it)

Edit: Or are you still running Xubuntu 8.10

**germanix** · March 7th, 2014

Even if they made Windows "Free", for my taste that would still be too expensive

**kurt18947** · March 7th, 2014

Is this the Netbook/XP strategy act II? License WinXP REALLY cheap to kill alternative OSs?

**nunecas123** · March 8th, 2014

Originally Posted by germanix

Even if they made Windows "Free", for my taste that would still be too expensive

At least on resource consumption

**farrinux** · March 8th, 2014

Seems to me shortly after releasing Win 8.0. A person could get an upgrade for only $35.00. I do not think making it free will make a difference to a lot of people. I wonder how many of those casual users even know or care about the end of support. Most probably do not use the update feature. I know that I have almost completely migrated away from MS products and those programs that only run on it. The more I use Linux the more I like it

**monkeybrain20122** · March 9th, 2014

It is not the same Win8. It is apparently a cheap version built on Bing. I guess kind of like the ChromeOS.http://www.theverge.com/2014/2/28/54...ing-experiment

**mips** · March 10th, 2014

Originally Posted by monkeybrain20122

It is not the same Win8. It is apparently a cheap version built on Bing. I guess kind of like the ChromeOS.http://www.theverge.com/2014/2/28/54...ing-experiment

Trust me within 24hrs of release someone will post on how to strip out the bling component. Ok maybe not 24hrs but you know what I mean.

**monkeybrain20122** · March 11th, 2014

Originally Posted by mips

Trust me within 24hrs of release someone will post on how to strip out the bling component. Ok maybe not 24hrs but you know what I mean.

Well there are cracked Win8 of all versions on torrent sites for a long time. If one is going to get a funny version anyway there is no need to get a bing build and then crack it.

Just to be clear, this is not to suggest that people should download from torrent (and I am sure most people know it already), I am just answering your point. I think people should ditch Windows, the sooner the better.