MS has begun a Massive Change in Corp Direction..

Microsoft has just begun a massive change in corporate direction, seeking to better prepare itself for the future. Terry Myerson, director of Windows the past five years, is moving on to opportunities outside the company. The Windows Group he headed will now be divided into hardware and software sub-groups handled by different teams.

Mary-Jo Foley, reporting at ZDNet, suggests that the motives behind this massive reorganization lie in seeking to duplicate with Windows what's being done with Microsoft Office, turning that packaged software product into a paid cloud based subscription service that people contract for on a monthly or yearly basis. Applying a similar approach to Windows 10 and its associated products, Microsoft hopes to generate even greater subscription service revenue in the years ahead.

Interesting though this change may be, it would seem that for many desktop PC users, people like you and me, having to contract with Microsoft on a monthly or yearly basis to use their 'Windows 10 Service in the cloud' is something that won't sit well.

Users who cut their computing teeth on an old school traditional DIY approach, in which PC truly meant "Personal Computer," already find themselves chafing at the rigidity, intrusiveness, restrictions and personal insecurities that Microsoft introduced to desktop computing with Windows 10.

Taking that heavy handed corporate approach to the extreme with "Windows 10 as a cloud based subscription service" should see countless numbers walk away from Windows and move to better, safer, cost-free, non-restrictive, fully capable OS options with desktop Linux.

Once this change to cloud based 'Windows as a Service' computing is fully implemented, for anyone in the group who needs help in making the move to PC computing freedom with Linux on their own desktop, we're here -- for you..

In the meantime, continue riding safely!..

More of the same persona. Know before you go. Sort of like trail riding.

Well put. Once Microsoft transitions Windows 10 from the OS product they started with and market today to the cloud based 'Service' they intend it to become, people need to know exactly what they're getting into before signing up for that trail ride.

Microsoft will market this massive transition as some sort of 'great leap forward' OS wise, and millions will buy their hype. But once on board, paid up and headed down that corporate controlled trail with its 'fees' and Microsoft branded hardware expenses, turning back to personal computing freedom will be a fading distant memory, an option no longer realistically in reach for the majority who get sucked in.

Kinda like buying into an esoteric philosophy or a cultish religion -- tempting to get on board with, but difficult or impossible to get loose from once the hidden hooks have been set..

Lots of software packages are migrating to subscription based models. I deal with it now with stuff for work.

I try to avoid any/all outside services, if possible. For computing, I rely on the simplest and most self contained platform available. As for cloud services, I wouldn't put any data out there. I do my own backups and storage. Except for photos via SmugMug. No internet, no photos. If SmugMug is down, no photos. Trade offs like always.

Use the minimum PC platform to get the job done. Keep as much "in house" as possible. This works for me but won't for others tethered to larger networks required by an employer, for example. Smart phones and mobile devices offer some clear productivity perks. In a competitive market place those not on board with current technology lag behind. It may also look bad in the eyes of customers. Luckily I'm not facing those circumstances.

There's a lot of meaning to the expression, "Less is more." And keep it simple. For now, I comfortably remain on the cutting edge of obsolete technology.

The cloud thing is becoming a bigger issue. My employer has a "no cloud" policy which has hamstrung us on a couple of occasions when there's stuff out there that would make our life easier, but we're forced to recreate it because we can't access it on the cloud.

As for home.... KISS, definitely.

Back at Exxon, we had an IBM 360/370-168 mainframe in house. Everyone in the company had 3278 terminals coaxed down to that system. Giving all of us text based dumb terminals. Centralized computing back in the day which got the job done. In some ways it seems with the internet, clouds and servers we're recreating this model. Access devices, however, aren't dumb but very sophisticated PCs in their own right. What's next?