As someone who has actually never paid for a Windows key even though I started with Win 98, and I before this Win 10 installation have never genuinely activated any them, I quite easily understand why they don’t do it that way any more. I also do remember back when Windows 7 was going through this exact same thing how trivially easy it was to get those updates without paying - so easy in fact that most people assumed MS did it on purpose just so that people would rather pirate them than run an unpatched installation for three years.
A key, exactly like they did it for decades? Same way they verified you paid forbthat copy of Windows?
JohnEdwa@sopuli.xyz 1 month ago
HertzDentalBar@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 month ago
It’s not an assumption, it’s the reality. They made it easy so they could obtain marketshare, same shit every company does before they bend you over.
artyom@piefed.social 1 month ago
Don't you need a Windows account to buy a key?
FauxLiving@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Back in the days of Dinosaurs and AOL CDs, you could just go to Best Buy and buy a CD with the Windows software and a key was printed on a scratch-off panel.
You could even just buy a key electronically from some grey market websites.
swelter_spark@reddthat.com 1 month ago
It was still like that up until Windows 8, at least.
artyom@piefed.social 1 month ago
Right, well, its not 2003 anymore
isVeryLoud@lemmy.ca 1 month ago
What’s your point? Is it now somehow no longer doable to purchase product keys in store due to some higher decree?
Kolanaki@pawb.social 1 month ago
I mean… I have valid keys for various Windows versions I never paid for 🤷♂️