Windows 12 May Require a Subscription
Windows 12 May Require a Subscription
References to subscription 'edition,' 'type,' and 'status' found in a test build of Windows.
[A]n INI configuration file in the Windows Canary channel, discovered by German website Deskmodder, includes references to a "Subscription Edition," "Subscription Type," and a "subscription status."
I don't believe for one bit that windows will move to a pure subscription based model. They are greedy, but not stupid.
What's more believable is that the base OS will be the same as usual, but if you want fancy AI assistants in your OS, you must subscribe, with the justification being that MS must pay for the servers running the models you're using.
Can anyone confirm that my understanding of the source article is correct?
The "Windows 12 may require a subscription" is coming from the fact that the word "Subscription" exists in a Windows config file somewhere?
That seems like a pretty big leap to me. Not that I don't think it's impossible that Microsoft would do this, but the evidence here seems thin to say the least.
Incredibly unlikely to happen to home versions. MAYBE "pro" could be subscription, but I assume this will be a paid support model instead.
Because Microsoft's market share comes from everyone pirating copies and getting free copies from university. It is the same reason Apple has so many discounts for students and position themselves as "required for art"
Because when those people enter the corporate world? It is easier to support the OS that people sort of know how to use and like.
So yeah, there is almost zero chance of consumer grade windows requiring a subscription. And any outlet that would even entertain the thought mostly shows itself to not understand the market.
I have used Windows for a decade now and keep using it because my workflows and the application support are there. But as someone that uses Linux on my server, has tried out Linux desktops, and uses WSL, I can confidently say that I am gone if they start charging me a subscription. It will be annoying as hell but just like leaving Reddit I am willing to give up some niceties to keep my money and my morals.
Sometimes moneygrubbing shareholders do us a favor by steering companies into implementing terrible policies. If Reddit wouldn't have been so greedy with it's treatment of third-party app developers most of use wouldn't be on Lemmy right now. If Microsoft forces Windows users to pay a subscription I think it sends more people away from closed-source garbage and into the arms of the open source community. I've enjoyed watching Reddit implode, hopefully I get to watch a similar show from our friends at Microsoft.
Linux. Again. Install Linux
Ubuntu Linux Debian Linux Fedora Linux Pop!os linux Arch Linux for all i care
Install Linux, stop accepting this bullshit from Microsoft. ALL of their software sucks, they care more about marketing and pulling money out of your pocket than actually giving quality software.
Open source software blows everything Microsoft out of the water, stop accepting the bullshit
Maybe this isn’t for personal editions.
I’d suspect Microsoft would prefer to move personal editions to being mostly perpetual and OEM licenses, while a subscription service for business/enterprise makes more sense. Windows licensing for business is a nightmare and a per-install subscription model could be much simpler to manage while still offering good breaks under Enterprise Agreements and putting license and support under one annual sku.
ETA: Also, worth remembering that “Windows 365” is a thing and it’s very useful for DaaS. Term-based licensing makes tons of sense for DaaS/Cloud Desktop/VDI environments.
And actually, that could make a lot of sense in a future home/personal market with purpose built thin clients. Or perhaps even a set top box. Maybe, even, the Series S. A small monthly/annual fee to to make your Series S into a full-fledged desktop PC, sounds like a hell of a deal to me.
I have ran GNU/Linux since the early 1990s. Practically since it first existed. Distributions like MuLinux, Yellowdog Linux, Slackware, Debian, etc. This generally has lead to multiple difficulties. Sometimes I had to dual boot to get around said difficulties. Around 2010, I got good enough with WINE, software work arounds and alternatives that I didn't need to dual boot anymore. I did like to play various games still back then, but around 2010 Valve's GNU/Linux support was improving (unless my memory deceives me)
This post has made me feel that for the first time, all that struggle was worth it, heh.
On a side note, there's some sort of dark irony with personal ownership dying under capitalism. I feel like the majority of us hate all these subscriptions models, but we keep playing along .vs. becoming cave hermits.
Fuck that noise
A subscription really would push me to linux. I already prefer it at work anyway.
I don't even want windows 11. What makes them think I'm gonna actively buy and pay a subscription for Windows 12. Linux exists and I will absolutely buy a computer, wipe it and put a Linux distro on it. Microsoft is way too invested in this subscription nonsense.
Hmm, I’ll be running Windows 10 after EOL then. I won’t pay for Adobe subscriptions, I won’t pay for ANY monthly subscriptions. I will license lifetime software with 1 year of updates but that software works after the update phase has passed.
And Windows 12 will become business use only.
edit, i only see this being the case for an enterprise version tied to azure ad. There will still be a retail version.
What will be the Windows equivalent to "drink verification can?"
I'm only on windows because it's easier for my setup and game support. The second that becomes costly or annoying is when I nuke my C drive and reinstall Mint. I used to use it as my daily before I started gaming heavily, I can easily go back.
Looks like M$ really got to like Linux! It does everything to promote it! :D
autokms is gonna get a lot more popular if microsoft do this
Guess it's time for templeOS then?
I’m just so sick of it. God I miss the early 2000s era of just about everything.
I'm somewhat amused by the fact that lots of people are suggesting Linux as an alternative but can't agree on which flavor to use as the alternative.
Don't get me wrong, I think Linux is awesome, but this is the problem. You're never going to get the saturation necessary to bring average consumers over in significant numbers until they have a clear choice.
I mean, how the hell wouldn't it? What's more surprising to me is that they didn't do this with 11. Everyone is totally used to this model at this point and while we all hate it, it's become the accepted way of living for most tech products now. If you are a big corporation and can get away with making customers rent your product instead of buy it, you are going to make so much more money. Of course they will choose this.
I would definitely pay a subscription for windows 12 if hell froze over and it was the only operating system on Earth. I have very little experience with Linux, limited entirely to my steam deck, and it certainly hasn't been awful. It isn't what most of us are used to but it's not like it's completely insane and unusable.
Bye bye Windows, bye bye
I would assume that the subscription they found is similar to existing subscription models for enterprise like E5, which includes Windows 11. I doubt this will get to the consumer level.
Windows was kind of cool until Windows XP (Windows 2000 was also really good), because at the time you felt like you had software where you could see that lots of engineering went into it, and most importantly that you could feel you owned (EULA-aside obviously): you pay once for the license and it's done, the OS is immediately usable. Recent Windows versions went through enshittification and Microsoft now harasses you from time to time to join their online services. Even on the first boot you immediately get harassed to create a Microsoft account and allow them to use your data, and you need to say no many times. Microsoft still makes you feel like you aren't done paying.
It's frankly hilarious how Microsoft is killing its own product. Windows went from something that used to be good and felt like a real software engineering product (Windows 2000 and XP) to something now that feels like a sketchy malware-infused phone app.
Hello Linux my old friend..........
Ha! They can blow me all the way to my full Linux conversion at that point.
How to lose marketshare speedrun?
I have been using computers since before there was an internet. I have used DOS and now Windows 10. Is there a good place to learn about Linux with a GUI and which one I should purchase? I'm so tired of M$.
Edit: I am primarily a PC gamer that uses Steam and this is what has kept me from using another OS in the past.
I L O L from Linux.
Subscriptions need to fuck off. I made a stand a few months ago. I will not subscribe to anything at all unless i'm getting INSANE value.
Cancelled streaming, random apps, patreon etc. I now have usenet and backblaze b2 for about £3 a month each. Saving me a fortune 🏴☠️🦜
I'm probably going to get flammed for this, so let me just say I'm already a Linux user.
We need to cool our jets here. Windows 12 isn't even confirmed yet, and there's no proof that it will require a subscription. That being said, a subscription service isn't necessarily a bad thing if it will allow users to have access to features they need, or replace other existing subscription services like xbox game pass, cloud storage, media, etc...
I've seen some people saying that there's no way Microsoft is this stupid. Some really, really, really obviously bad choices (see: Wizards of the Coast's OGL debacle) have been made because MBAs got greedy and convinced themselves it would be fine. I find it hard to believe that Microsoft would fuck up this badly, but it's not out of the spectrum of possibility. What I think is more likely is that this is one of those 'leaks' where they're testing the public reaction, like when Wizards leaked the changes to the OGL via journalists. Hopefully (or not, if you're a Linux fan) Microsoft plays it smarter than Wizards, because Wizards saw the immense public backlash, gave the sorriest corporate half apology ever, and then proceeded to double down, and it blew up in their face big time.
I mean, Windows has been basically free(as in beer, of course) for some time now. I don't think this will gravely affect personal users. I don't think they're stupid enough to actually expect personal users to understand SUBSCRIPTION OS. Maybe Enterprise edition gets the subscriptions model for the support?
Either way, Windows sucks. Surface laptops are real great though.
They are doing the same with Windows that they did with Office. Win12 will come as either one time purchase or subscription based but over the course of 10 years they'll push harder and harder on getting people into the subscription version. Once it has enough uptake, and it will get there, they will then start pushing the "Why run it on local hardware when you can put it in our cloud and access it from anywhere?".
They're already doing the Virtual Desktop thing in both M365 and Azure now so it'll be a pretty easy transition when comes.
It's Linux time then.
Honestly OneDrive is actually very good as far as cloud storage platforms go. It just works. I paid for a subscription for a few years.
But starting around the 1000th time Microsoft tried to install even more bloatware I started looking for alternatives. For the low low price of "spend a few minutes learning about Tailscale" and buying a few extra hard drives, I've got 24TB of storage. My most important stuff gets encrypted locally and backed up to B2. I use Immich to manage my photos, so now I dropped my Google Drive subscription as well. Still on the fence about Nextcloud's office suites but LibreOffice works great.
The only reason I still use Win11 is because gaming on Linux still has some issues with the games I play.
My desktop PC kicked the bucket after 10 years a few months back and I ended up using my Steam Deck as my primary computer for about a month. In that time I learned that Linux isn't so bad.
If forced to either pay a subscription for Windows or switch to Linux the choice seems simple for me at this point.
I don't really know how your gonna sell people on this exactly. Like people will just stop buying laptops. The average person just buys a laptop at walmart in the desired size, from any brand. They don't even really think about windows. I just don't really see this working for anyone. What will end up happening is Chromebooks will overtake the laptop market if microsoft goes all in on this.
At this rate I'm gonna be on 10 for forever
Windows is nothing but a nightmare. It's privacy invasive, uses too much resources, breaks 24 7, has a boring UI, limited customization, more susceptible to viruses than any other OS, etc...
People should just switch over to Linux IMO.
I would happily subscribe to an operating system for a fair price, as long as it's stable, compatible, has timely security updates and - and I highly doubt MS will do this one - without any bloat-, nag- or crapware. Make your default browser a browser, not a spying shopping coupon Bing AI mess. Let me choose the search engine the start menu uses (or use none at all), stop telling me to sign into OneDrive every chance you get, fuck off with your widgets, etc.
If I pay, you have no business trying to fuck me over, Microsoft.
Ahoy Mateys 🏴☠️
yep i guessed it end of windows 11 will begin growing of linux
Lmao!
I'll just use the pirated versions with the malware ripped off of it, thank you. Tiny11 is a beauty to run already.
Please do this microchumps
So basically, finally Linux time? I actually like Windows but I ain't putting up with that shit.
Microsoft would be as stupid as your typical League of Legends player for going down that route. Doing this would be an own-goal and would give Linux market share instantly.
I donate to Gentoo every once in a while so I don't have to live this life.
Look at reactOS for a redo of golden-age windows.
I dare them to try
Wondering how will F2P games with anti-cheat react to the news. Knowing that much of their player base may jump ship to Linux to avoid the subscription fees, will they relent and start using less invasive anti-cheat programs, or will they try to adapt specific versions of Wine / Proton to work in rooted mode?
Fair enough. Give me a clean windows without ads, auto installs from the store, telemetry and other data theft, Cortana/copilot/clippy, onedrive, edge, teams, Microsoft account and nag screens and I will gladly pay 1€ per month. Otherwise, Linux it is.
Fck them. Fck all subscription models. I ended every subscriptions which I was forced into apart from proton ecosystem which is worth 10$ monthly to me. Either I own it or go fck yourself.
There ins no fcking way I'd pay monthly subscription for social networks.. 🤣
BWahahahahaaaaaa! Ahhhh shoot that’s funny.
That’s the most Microsoft thing ever.
Too sad that there is not the Office suite for Linux because it's really powerful
(I do use Open and LibreOffice at work. Personally they are mostly worse in comparison.)Besides that I don't have a high dependance except for games. And looking at my SteamDeck it's not a high dependency.
If Steam can solve the anticheat and maybe even releases SteamOS as a desktop distro it would be very tempting to switch if I can't get anything else than a subscription or a free key.I want to see MICROSOFT burning along with streaming services, not only for the subscriptions they want to offer, but because they think they can do what ever they want, and that we will say yes and hand them the money! (harsh I know) What they want to achieve with subscription idea? profit monthly ? make more money than before? Yet people can install linux, but in our side as linux users, we have to provide safe interaction in linux environment to new uers.
Microsoft can suck the juices out of my ass and thank me for it.
So there is already a thing with Windows 11 where you can, as part of a Microsoft 365 subscription, upgrade your Windows 11 machine from Pro to Enterprise.
The idea of having the base OS be a subscription is really just a stones throw away.
... but the Pro -> Ent activation process is really a PITA and often randomly PC's will revert back to Pro after they've been ugpraded, so I guess we'll have fun with that.
Hopefully this is just some business related version and not for standard consumers
We need to support true open hardware or less ACPI-WIndows first one. MS can do whatever they want with their OS BUT it should not mess with hardware.
I expected Framework to be a FOSS first laptop but eventually, it just became a wintel derivative.
I hope so the Linux adoption can grow up
You can already purchase Windows through a subscription. Windows Business and Windows Enterprise are 365 subscription based editions.
IF there is going the be a subscription based windows version, it's most likely going the be the cloud version of Windows 11
At which point I guess I get a steamdeck? The only reason I have a windows box at all is for gaming.
already on linux. The only reason i ever load windows is my capture card doesn't work with linux yet (so like 2 times a month) this is how windows dies
If it ends being true, Linux will grow exponentially, but again, Microsoft and other companies will collect more money from people with limited knowledge and/or lack of time to search for other options. Ugh.
at this point is there even a reason to use windows? I genuinely want to know from windows users, why are you still on this operating system?
for many years (since windows 8.1) I switched to using only linux (and at times macos), and I have never regretted my decision; what keeps you using this hellish platform?
Ok and I'll just crack it like I do with every other windows version.
Once I paid $250 for Windows pro and a month later my licence key stopped working, and Microsoft didn't do shit.
I even bought it directly from them!
Never paid money for Windows since.
They should make everything subscription corporations cant have enough money.
Aha-a-haha-hahahaHa!!!! Oh lord, that's so dumb.
Id rather be a femboy then use subscription windows
Please don't make me go back to Linux. Linux has become an unusable clusterfuck of bugs, poorly implemented trash, and garbage over the last several years and after using it since the late 90s through a few years back when it was good, I've recently decided to free myself from it because I couldn't take it any more. I've accepted that Windows is the only OS that has itself together these days (fuck Apple and its trash, overpriced, hardware-tied OS, fuck the extremely limited ChromeOS, fuck NODRIVERS *BSD, and especially goddamn fuck horrible user interface crappy system mobile OSes), so if Microsoft makes some shit moves to make their OS unusable, I'm just going to throw all the computers in the trash and go live in the wilderness in a shack chopping wood.
Guaranteed this is just some enterprise-level shit someone found and decided to publish for clickbait, though, so I'm not too worried. Too.