What is everyone’s thoughts here on Windows Cloud, being a locked down version of Windows? Love it, hate it, frightened by it?
My initial thoughts from hearing about Windows Cloud;
I think it will be a free version of Windows, for everyone. People will have to pay to upgrade to a home or pro version. It will be apart of Microsoft’s new business model.
I also think Windows Cloud could be the groundwork, for how future versions of Windows are. Where we install all apps, from the store. I think this is both a negative and positive thing.
I think Windows Cloud will be a version for lower end devices. It would be absurd to have it on a $1500 gaming computer, that you can’t download Steam.
8578
<blockquote><em><a href="#41757">In reply to </a><a href="../../../../users/rtodd_us">rtodd_us</a><a href="#41757">:</a></em></blockquote>
<p>Can’t IT already use Windows’ Group Policy to limit what programs one can run? </p>
8578
<blockquote><em><a href="#41841">In reply to </a><a href="../../../../users/rtodd_us">rtodd_us</a><a href="#41841">:</a></em></blockquote>
<p>Seems like a pretty basic task for an IT group.</p>
8578
<p>The OEM cost of full Windows Home doesn’t make up a significant percentage of the cost of even an inexpensive computer. So even if Windows Cloud is free to OEMs it probably won’t make the purchase price much lower. Upgrading from Cloud to full Windows would probably be more expensive than buying full Windows in the first place. Unless a customer was suckered into buying a Windows Cloud computer thinking it was "real" Windows, wouldn’t they already know if they wanted to run legacy apps or not at the time of purchase?</p>
<p>If they wanted to address the education market selling the idea that it was simpler and less prone to abuse, wouldn’t it be better to not support UWP so that kids aren’t downloading non-educational apps from the Store? (Similarly I would argue that Google adding Android apps to Chromebooks makes them less desirable to education for the same reasons).</p>
<p>I also think it’s a mistake to use the word "Windows" as part of the name. That creates the expectation that it will run the Windows programs that have existed for nearly 30 years.</p>
8578
<blockquote><em><a href="#41891">In reply to </a><a href="../../../../users/hrlngrv">hrlngrv</a><a href="#41891">:</a></em></blockquote>
<p>When talking to knowledgeable people I use terms like "legacy", Win32 and UWP. Most Windows users don’t know or care about these terms, but they’ll notice when the programs they’ve used for years won’t run. I still don’t see how a customer who doesn’t care about "legacy" programs will suddenly care about them in the future and upgrade. Unless, as I said, they were fooled into buying the wrong version.</p>