Microsoft MSFT -0.77%’s new OS may have a silly name, but it melds the best of Windows 7’s desktop usability and Windows 8’s technological advances and it’sfree to owners of both. And yet there’s one horrible catch for free upgraders which no-one is talking about.
Windows 10 introduces something new and highly unpleasant for its millions of consumers: the complete loss of control.
This revelation comes as Microsoft drip feeds nuggets of information ahead of Windows 10’s July 29th release and it is sure to spark anger and frustration as awareness grows. In a nutshell all upgraders to Windows 10 Home and Windows 10 Pro (whether free or paid) will be forced to install every feature, patch and fix Microsoft throws at them or have their security updates cut off.
Windows 10 Is Coming Soon – Image credit Microsoft
The Tech Behind It
This gets complex quickly, but Windows 10 Home puts users on what Microsoft calls the ‘Current Branch’ (CB) – essentially an upgrade route. Within the CB will be rings (Microsoft hasn’t said what they will be, but Windows 10 beta testers have ‘Fast’ and ‘Slow’ rings) which determine how soon you will get an update.
Windows 10 beta testers users opting to be on the Fast ring get updates immediately giving them the quickest access to the newest features, while Slow ring PCs wait 2-4 weeks before installing updates so any initial bugs from the Fast ring can be ironed out. When Microsoft is ready to release the Slow ring update, however, that’s that: you get the update and there’s no way to stop it.
Interestingly Windows 10 Pro users (primarily businesses and some enthusiasts) are also stuck. They are put on the ‘Current Branch for Business’ (CBB) upgrade route but it only allows for a delay of up to four months from the Slow ring release before updates are then forcibly installed. This can be extended by another four months if Windows Pro users opt to use Microsoft’s ‘Windows Server Update Service’ (WSUS) instead of CBB, but it’s still only a delay.
So what if you still try and hold out? Versions of Windows 10 Home and Windows 10 Pro will be cut off from Microsoft’s security patches leaving it wide open to attack. Security patches are distributed separately from CB, CBB and WSUS and without them that’s effectively a death sentence.
Why would Microsoft do this? Because look more closely and you’ll find something quite shocking: Windows 10 turns us all into guinea pigs…
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