[citation][nom]jtt283[/nom]Since many of the machines I build these days are for family members, I could see picking up one of these. I'm anticipating one or two builds coming up.[/citation]
How exactly does Windows 7 Upgrade make you prove you own a qualifying product at a minimum. To round out the scenario lets say you were starting with an unformatted hard drive.
[citation][nom]COLGeek[/nom]If MS wanted to move more products, they would lower the cost for all flavors of Win 7. Full blown Ultimate should cost no more than $69.99US, with the prices for "lesser versions" tiered downward from there. The Starter and Home Basic should be free.[/citation]
What level of support would you suggest they're obligated to provide for a free OS?
I find it funny how Gamers and Home power users like talking about how they use Pro/Ultimate (and Enterprise, too). The ONLY feature I see beyond the home version that someone may make regular use of (for a while) is XP mode in Pro. Beyond that are there really that many multi-lingual families with Domain servers in their homes working hi-level jobs where they need to protect their work with bit-locker cuz their employer is so bleeding edge and sprung for Ultimate on day one? I think the probability of that scenario drops sharply if you work outside Redmond, Washington. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with flashing a higher end version for bragging rights. My super got Pro on a student discount and thought he was all cool but didn't know what XP mode was.
I'm not callous to the financial impact of buying an operating system. I do think there should be some sort of "diminished support" license for us who can provide our own tech support that isn't restrictive like OEM. But for those who intend to call about every little thing, better Microsoft than me. Read the disclaimer on an OEM package about how you're supposed to provide phone support at a minimum. We all know what those conversations can be like.