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The Real Reason Windows is Free - And what that costs you! - Dave's Garage

Ever wondered why Windows 10 was given away for free? Join Dave Plummer, a retired Microsoft engineer from the MS-DOS and Windows 95 era, as he dives into the real reasons behind Microsoft’s bold move. From declining PC sales and Windows 8’s backlash to the rise of free macOS and Linux, discover how market pressures and Satya Nadella’s vision transformed Windows into a service. Uncover the hidden costs—telemetry, ads, and a shift to subscriptions—and what it means for you. Don’t miss this deep dive into Microsoft’s strategy! Subscribe for more tech insights from Dave’s Garage!

2 comments

  • Apple and Linux, together, pose zero competition to Windows.

    The install base among businesses demonstrates this - Apple and Linux may as well not exist. Doesn't mean MS ignores them, hell, they gave Apple an influx of cash in the 90's so they wouldn't fail - this way they could say they weren't a monopoly despite Apple being no threat even then. And they keep an eye on Linux, but know it's such a discontinuous world it's really no concern.

    And Linux? Show me an SMB that dares to run it instead of Windows. Yes, it can be done, but, because of support availability, it really doesn't cost any less than Windows (despite Windows licensing), and you still have the issues of user inexperience, lack of industry-specific app support, plus the risk of needing something that's Windows-only in the coming years.

    Also, what do you do when an accounting firm/tax consultant is only familiar with Windows and Windows apps?

    Or, you change IT support vendors, and you need to find one with extensive Linux experience, who then has to figure out what the previous guy did (since we know documentation is the last thing people do). I have friends in the SMB space, and whenever they get a new client that has any Linux, it's always a mess - each environment is different because that's how that evangelist thought Linux should be done. You just don't get that with Windows - you get a little, but Windows is so standardized that it's much less effort to move it to a properly-structured configuration.

    And we know why Windows is free for consumers - tracking, same as apps on phones. We don't need a video to tell us this.