Upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for only $39.99!

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@commodorejohn

It is shocking that 40% of Windows users are using a ten year old OS with no support.

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The problem is that Microsoft has refused to fork Windows.  Apple realised the desktop and tablet top were different environments and forked OS X into iOS.  Microsoft seems to think people using a tablet are interested in running desktop software and vice versa.  Standard Windows programs are shi'ite on a tablet, and tablet apps are painful on a desktop.  

Metro should not be on a desktop and the castrated desktop should not be on tablets.  Two OSs off of one source.

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I've replaced all my Windows installations with Windows 8, I like it.

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I don't have Windows RT, only pro, but I suspect Windows RT (what's on the Surface) will be locked down.  You can only run ARM metro apps on it, so none of the intel stuff will work anyway, so I suspect they'll use the opportunity to lock you into the Microsoft store....

How about the "control" of this new windows? control of contents, privacy...

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Yes, the RT ARM based devices such as surface can be locked because, well nothing but Metro Apps will run on the RT tablets anyway.  I suspect there is no legacy desktop on the Surface, because it would be useless, it only makes sense on the intel version.

Speaking of which, anyone care to guess what percentage of early Surface buyers realise they can't actually run anything but (the currently 200+) metro apps?  That they'll never be able to run those old Windows programs?  My guess is it's less than half, judging by the fud that's out there right now....

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The average user doesn't want or need general purpose computing, they want to post to facebook, skype (a Microsoft company), watch videos, see their photos, they don't give a darn if the thing is locked down, in fact they are happier because they never really understood virus protection anyway.

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Once again, Windows RT (on the Surface) is locked down, Windows 8 (on everything else) is not.

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Because "Metro" apps are going to suck the lifeblood out of all other apps.  Why develop for Windows 7 and below and when you can get tablets and desktops with Windows 8 development.

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Window RT forces you to use the store (Surface), Windows  8 does not and never will...

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Windows is the property of Microsoft, they draw the borders, they set the limits and you live within them, it's always been that way.  If you don't like limited closed operating systems use Linux or BSD, but calling Windows open doesn't make it so.

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Here's a cheat sheet for Microsoft Windows.

http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/25/a-windows-8-cheat-sheet/?ref=personaltechemail&nl=technology&emc=edit_ct_20121025

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As I said the most annoying thing is the the old Windows 7 desktop, minus the Windows "start" ball, keeps popping up.  It's just jarring as hell, couldn't they just make a way to turn it off?

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Noting coud be as jarring as running old windows programs, they don't fit at all in the tiled world interface....

The desktop environment won't really affect what apps will run. Worst case, an app may look a bit like it doesn't fit in, if it's written for say KDE, but running on Gnome instead. Kinda like running some old windows apps in a newer version.

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The market has consistently rejected open operating systems.  Linux, BSD, etc have failed to gather more than a small fraction of desktops.  People like closed systems, end of story.  Even Android, which is a Unix distro and open source has locked down the OS.

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And Linux is Unix based, Linus' original intention was to create a free open source Unix and used his name combined with Unix to name it.  We can all be glad he didn't call it Torvaldix...

Android is Linux based, not Unix based.

Well yes, counting is difficult and becoming more difficult, is an ARM tablet a computer?  An intel tablet a computer.  What kind of OS are Windows RT, iOS and Android?  The language has yet to catch up with the reality.

And while Linux only makes up about 1% of the market, that still places it at number three behind Windows and OSX (unless you want to throw in Phone OS' like ios).

I don't expect ChromeOS to compete, but who knows?

As far as ChromeOS goes, the first really big product to use it has just been introduced.

http://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/devices/

Since Android has done quite well, its not unreasonable to expect other alternative OS' to gain a foothold.

Hey, you guys are encouraging development for AmigaOS. What the market share for that (and, yeah, it probably is larger then the one for MorphOS).

I'm not as interested in commercial success as I am in overall ease of use and utility.

The only thing commercial success helps bring is developers and software.