Microsoft revives Windows 7 Family Pack discount

[bill]

This is a good deal if you want to upgrade multiple machines to Windows 7.

Microsoft revives Windows 7 Family Pack discount [computerworld.com]

Microsoft today said it will revive last year's multi-license Windows 7 Family Pack in early October for U.S. customers.

The Family Pack gives consumers three upgrade licenses from Windows XP or Vista to Windows 7 Home Premium. The $150 price tag is the same Microsoft put on the package last year when it offered the deal for several weeks after the Oct 22, 2009, launch of the new operating system.

This year's offer will likely be short-lived, too: Microsoft spokesman Ashley Brown said it would run "while supplies last," the same phrase the company used in 2009.

[Brett_Tabke]

Ummm, don't you already get to install win7 3 times with every box?

[bill]

These are three upgrade licenses. You would use this on your XP or Vista machines.

[JAB Creations]

Vista was a severe critical-strike to Windows, 7 was the finishing blow, and if the rumors about 8 uploading your files from your PC to the cloud and then erasing them from your hard drive are true then it's the biggest possible insult to PC users ever and Microsoft's nail in fragmenting their OS market share. I'll be sticking with XP until I find a Linux distro that doesn't require wasting time in the console every five seconds as production is more important then tinkering with things that should have been automated long long ago.

Brett, this family pack allows three separate simultaneous installs whereas the Windows license states that a single copy can only be used on one computer and must be removed from the previous. OEM license basically ties the copy to the motherboard and Microsoft does not have to allow you to transfer it to a new computer/motherboard even if it's the same socket.

- John

[Sylver]

Vista was a severe critical-strike to Windows, 7 was the finishing blow, and if the rumors about 8 uploading your files from your PC to the cloud and then erasing them from your hard drive are true then it's the biggest possible insult to PC users ever and Microsoft's nail in fragmenting their OS market share.

Windows 7 is the best-selling OS ever and is also pretty darn good. According to netmarketshare, within less than a year, Windows 7 gained 15% of the market share. Ms OSes lost 1pp in market share overall down to 91.34% over the last year. Mac lost 0.27% and Linux lost 0.11%. The gainer was mostly iOS, which grew its market share from 0.44% all the way up to 1.13%. In other words, Ms hasn't lost any market share worth mentioning on desktop PCs.

You might want to re-assess your choice of adjectives. If you start talking about "critical strikes" for this kind of performance, you are gonna run out of vocabulary if they ever lose a couple percents.

As for the rumors regarding Windows 8, it sounds like bull, it smells like bull and based on the accuracy of the rest of your post...

[graeme_p]

until I find a Linux distro that doesn't require wasting time in the console every five seconds as production is more important then tinkering with things that should have been automated long long ago

I have found several. If Linux takes more effort to admin that Windows either you or your distro is doing something wrong. The tasks that take longer should be offset by the ones that are faster (software installation, security).

@Sylver. Statcounter shows Linux currently up on the same period last year. I think all that proves is that webstats are a pretty lousy was of counting market share.

Also, MS gains market share in the wake of their biggest launch in a decade. Sales were held back a bit by the slow up-take of Vista. The longer term trend is probably not so good - my guess is that Apple (whose products I do not particularly like, btw) are probably doing best thanks mobile devices.

[J_RaD]

Vista was a severe critical-strike to Windows, 7 was the finishing blow, and if the rumors about 8 uploading your files from your PC to the cloud and then erasing them from your hard drive are true then it's the biggest possible insult to PC users ever and Microsoft's nail in fragmenting their OS market share.

huh what? please post a link to the source you got this misinformation from.

[mrguy]

Vista was a severe critical-strike to Windows, 7 was the finishing blow, and if the rumors about 8 uploading your files from your PC to the cloud and then erasing them from your hard drive are true then it's the biggest possible insult to PC users ever and Microsoft's nail in fragmenting their OS market share.

That's pretty funny... Win 7 is the best release of Windows to date. As far as reading rumors and posting them as fact, you better put on your tin foil hat to keep the evil msn out of your pc.

Uhh, what do you think Google is doing now? There the ones who are pushing the cloud louder than ever. Sure it has it's uses, but putting a critical operating system in a cloud environment puts your business at risk and not many IT folks are willing to do that. I wouldn't.

No business I know who depends on their programs and systems are going to be placing them in any cloud. I think MSN has worked long enough with business to realize this.

Google on the other hand just thinks they know every thing and people will fall right into line with their thinking.