Windows 10 has a "Limited time free upgrade." What's the time limit? Profitability of the upgrades needed to use Windows 10?

Microsoft has indicated that current users of Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 can upgrade to Windows 10 at no cost – but only for a limited time – one year from the release of Windows 10 on July 29, 2015

Are you still using the older version of Windows? Then that may be the same thing I received before. Apparently they offer free Windows 10 upgrade until late 2015.

I’ve upgrade to Windows 10 and I’m quite comfortable with it. I don’t regret having installed it.

Yeah, jury still out on this one. Got the same offer thing this afternoon. I just think back on what a PITA it was adjusting to 8.0 and how 8.1 helped out a little because it let me go back to using what I was comfortable with.

I’m not upgrading to anything. I have not so fond memories of 8.0. When I buy a new computer, I’ll deal with whatever the new ones have in them and choosing that way.

Amazing @jca ^^^ you and I agree on something,I feel the same way.
I have a net book running W7 and when it dies I will probably get another net book with W10,so I guess I will always dabble in windows but my heart belongs to Mac. although playing with that tablet I bought I kinda like android as well.

The expiration date for the free upgrade that I have seen several times is July 26, 2016. Thus those who are still on the fence about upgrading (myself included) have roughly ten months to decide.

And, @sahID, the other freebie users are working out the bugs in the meantime?

While it’s free until July 2016 to most who use Win7 or newer, I don’t see much benefit to upgrading while seeing a lot of downsides; enough that I will likely go to Linux once Win7 support ends. In fact, I see Win7 being the next WinXP in that I see Microsoft being forced to choose between extending support for Win7 by a few years or losing market share.

It should be worth noting that the privacy issues of Win10 are so bad that some sites are inaccessible to those running Win10.

Let us know if upgrading to 1o becomes a positive, @jerv?
I’ll not go to Linux, but I’m all about procrastinating.

Well, with many Linux distros being idiot-proof to install and skinning themselves in a way that looks like WinXP, Win7, or OS X combined with WINE getting incrementally better over time, I think that it’s unwise for Microsoft to get too uppity. The main issue with Linux is xenophobia, and that is how Microsoft got the market share they have; people are too scared of new things to expand their horizons and/or too scared of altering their computer from factory condition to even replace Internet Explorer with an actual web browser.

Given the choice between an OS that makes me pay for it by giving away all my personal information and an OS that makes me pay for it by spending an hour to download it, tell it my name, time zone, and language (if you know those three things, you can install most OSs), I think I will go for one that has months-long public testing before declaring their OS “stable” over the one that puts quality, performance, privacy, and security ahead of profit or PR.

Of course, unless you take steps to prevent it, Win7/8/8.1 PCs will download Win10 without the user’s knowledge or consent anyways, so you may be upgrading whether you like it or not. Given the system requirements, you may be replacing your computer outright (again, like it or not) in order to actually run Win10.

That said, Win7 still does what I want and need, so I’m not in a hurry to go to Debian or Mint myself.