After numerous readings in other forums and searching the web don’t remember the ULR’s Windows Vista Officially sucks now. Why you ask well instead of activating like you would in XP W2K ect… It will be more of you rent it type ordeal. I don’t want to believe it, I hate to believe it but I think I might just go and buy a Mac now. I hope there is someone who can say this is wrong and this accusation isn’t true. But after hearing this numerous of times I won’t be running out and getting it. Source one was a dell consultant that talked to a friend of mine and was getting the mobo replaced on a laptop. The support asked my friend if he knew about the new OS and was interested in it he said maybe…..Why? The support person said you’ll never own it you’ll be more less renting the OS even if you were to buy a retail DVD of it. Now I for one am good about getting info but really feel for the new guy that might not know and get sucked into this. I thought it was a lie and only dealt with windows media player. But it sounds like it is the whole OS. So I want a real answer on this from MS if I had their email and knew they would respond truthfully I would gladly email them. Mike I have respect for everyone but felt I needed to voice this concern (rumor) too. I am very concern over their new tactics.

This sucks I expected to hear someone reply to this. Oh well silence just means it's true I guess.

There doesn't seem to be any evidence to suggest you will renting the OS on a yearly basis or something like that - you will have to go through product activation and register the software in order to use it just like XP. There will be more big disadvantages to not properly registering and activating the OS - from what I've read. Lets say the copy protection has gotten tighter, but I don't see any evidence that you will be paying monthly or yearly fees to keep the OS going. No one is going to go for that.

It looks like there will be subscription services for Windows Defender (anti-virus, etc) that you can sign up for but it won't be required. This would be similar to products that are already out there from third-parties like Norton Anti-virus.

Well - anything is better than Apple - who charge what? about $150 every year for an 'update' to their OS?

How many times in the last 5 years has microsoft charged for a service pack, or a patch, or even new additions to the OS?

Not once. All their OS updates are always free...

Poor suckers that 'update' their Mac OSX every year for a hefty sum...

Face it - a person who bought Mac OSX on the day it was first released - and still uses it today - while keeping it updated yearly has paid more that $1000 for that operating system.

Suckers

this is true, but for different reasons then u think. when you buy most software you own the license to it. you dont really own the actual program. the EULA is the end user license agreement. you are buying an agreement to run the Windows software on one machine. it is no different when u buy XP

Charlie,
I searched the net and top windows forums but there is no such thing as renting the os.

You can check one article which Compares Vista with XP.

This will give you good idea so that you can select the desired opearting system.

regards

Sumukh