Windows Windows 7 Pricing - Is It Reasonable?

Sadly you are missing a lot of points:
Now, please NOTE, this is not about bashing an OS. I am saying here basically what you loose from paying a cheaper price (or free).

OSX:
-> OSX provide 0 support for an old version as soon as a new one is released (as I explained better previously)
-> OSX provide 0 legacy support. Your software doesn't work.. to bad, buy the new one (if any), or forget about it.
-> A large part of the OS is paid in the Mac hardware
-> 30$ is the upgrade license
-> Few options and flexibility

Linux
-> Linux provide 0 support. They are no one to call and get technical help, or able to get service for enterprise solution.
-> In a business environment Linux is a hell to setup compared to Windows (accounts on Domain, with active directory folder redirection, and syncing)
-> Poor software library. Sure it has a web browser, image editor, multimedia software... excellent for a basic need, but anything else.... well it's harder to find solution.
-> Drivers are lacking, and support for them is very low in the desktop/laptop space.
-> xWindows options for Linux aren't intuitive as Windows or MacOS, and for many solution, (and this is try for software available), have too much options, where everything useful is buried by useless options (kinda like the Wii game library.. has a lot of gem, but most of the game are shovelware). The problem is that it shows that it's developers that worked on it, to please other developers and power users, they are not doing research on interface design, see what's important the most with telemetry data, nor have actual designers. Plus they don't seam to care much... they follow a "if it works it's good enough" Since the early 2000's, xWindows environment has improved a lot, and provided a lot of features and improve usability, but it's still far behind, and they never improved font rendering.. a bit problem in xWindows solutions. But what's to complain.. it's free! Like seriously, i am not being sarcastic here.


And of course, Windows... well you pay a lot of money for it... a lot. I don't need to get into it, we all know Windows.

 

All you say is true, but I have never called M$ for support or ever needed to for my home pc. Most support for home pc's are usually handled by the OEM. As for AD integration etc. how many people need/have AD at home?
Software Assurance takes care of the business side but I think they need to revisit pricing from a home user point of view.

Apologies if it came across the I was bashing the OS. Trust me I'm a big big m$/Windows fanboy. Windows has been part of my profession for most of my life!
Just pointing out that there are other options for the tech savvy home user.

 

YOU don't. I did with Win7, to know how to do a clean install with my upgrade license on a new HDD... I had to jump to tier 2 of their service, because the tier1 is for basic stuff, and assume your not knowledge in computers. Microsoft was quick to help me out, and told me all the instructions step by step, including what to do in the registry, to have the OS act as if detected the previous OS.
Yu might say, well look on the web.. it's hard to get info 1 day before the official release of Win7 because you per-ordered it. Yea they are bits and peaces on forums, but lucky I did not do them, as most of them are either wrong or starting to ask people to replace dll files in the system directory (OS crack, malware, virus, or breaks something (like 99% of OS cracks)?)

Plus, support extends to troubleshooting/bug pages, and even have the auto-fix tool software available. Including the automatic trouble shooter and repair in Windows 7 when something stop working.

And let's not forget something.. and this is very expensive: Security bug fixes. Every week or so, we get a bunch of Windows update since day 1, and well after the next and the next after that OS is released. This is insane! Not only it costs a lot of money to fix bugs and issue for such long time, but also security hole fixing, including malware removal check on popular attacks.

And it doesn't stop there:
There is also developer support, including MSDN documentation, and support forums.

In addition, support is extended to backward compatibility with software:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPnehDhGa14
To support almost all software since day1, is a huge step. Many would simply say: Screw it, who uses them, it's so old, time for them to switch. Why? Because now, our (developers) life is SOOOOO much easier in term of programming and optimization. But nope.
And already Microosft took a HUGE hit but dropping support of 16-bit applications in the 64-bit version OS. Who knew that people still use DOS programs and DOS games up to this day! And this include many on this forum! Honestly, I never expected that myself as I am sure Microsoft.


Plus, Microsoft (unlike Apple), does "give back" to people a small nice extra bit of free software.
Microsoft Seurity Essential, Live Essential are really nice and known.. but also even has problems like WebMatrix which is like Dreamweaver light, BUT very good, and has his share of strength surpassing Dreamweaver, and well free, ISO to USB tool to make an USB key bootable and extract an ISO on it, Windows Media Player Firefox plug-in, a wide variety of software under Microsoft System Internal website, Microsoft Mathematics (nice advance graphic calculator), Mathematics add-on for Office, and many more.

Support is big word for Microsoft, and they do an excellent job at it.
And you actually do get A LOT. Something that even Linux doesn't give. I already played part in Linux forums, and I get squashed and indirectly insulted by unhelpful jerks, and told me to get a Mac, because I am having trouble with a device, and god forbid I don't know all the magic command line in the terminal, and know where each file is to hack to make it work.

I don't tell people like my parents: "Just change the DWORD "RMI2cValidatedPortMask" to 1 in the registry". They would be like, what?!

Sorry for not being clear, I was talking about the price increase to the Professional edition.

No, that is extra support service. That is great when you either:
-> Have a very complicated setup, and really need to get experts in Windows OS to help you set everything up.
-> Small company that don't have an experience or any IT team to setup a computer network on domain with accounts and maintenance.

What I'll agree is that Vista pricing and edition, as I mentioned before, was a bit over the top. Win7 pricing is just right. Its' not the 10-20$ less on every edition that will make the OS feel cheaper.

Tech Savvy, yes.. but sadly there isn't "Windows 7 Tech Savvy edition - Command Line Only!)
But seriously, Tech savvy people have OEM versions., which is much cheaper.

Yes they are other options, such as Linux for tech savvy people, and I don't think games will do anything to change the current state drastically. Again the problem with Linux, is that while this OS and community did MAJOR improvement since ~1998'ish, Especially in the recent years, especially the excellent work the Ubuntu team did. But in my opinion, it still FAR FAR behind than Windows, in term of usability, to attack people to the OS, and make it a valuable alternative for home users. Right now, Linux is still focused on Servers, which is excellent, and I hope they continue, but they also need to really focus on the home side of things. Having animation on windows in xWindows environment, simply doesn't cut it. The old days, Linux had a big plus by being lighter and more efficient and better designed compared to Windows.. but today, with more powerful computers, and HUGE optimization on Windows, and improvement in all sides, including security, and support for low-powered systems, they kinda lost that point.

 

After the mess that was Vista, I think Microsoft should have paid users to get on the Windows 7 bandwagon, not the other way around.

 

That's a silly and ignorant attitude. Just because some people "need" those extra features, doesn't mean you should base your opinion on windows pricing around that edition.

 

+1 to that. The main problem with the Linux community is they like the fact its like that. They like having to go into the command line and they like the fact its not user friendly so they don't see it as a problem. tbh although they harp on about how people should ditch windows and change to linux but they would hate it if people did.

 

ThankS, but I think people should ditch windows and change to linux.

 

The way I look at it is to cost it out over the life time of the PC, say two years.
So ~£80 over two years, ~£40 a year, less than 80p per week.....pretty good value for something that I use every day, several hours per day.

 

knobbish statement really

 

Agreed