Windows 10 to instal or not to instal, that is the question

Today Microsoft are giving away Windows 10 to those who already have Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 users. It is free for one year.  After which it is going to cost you real greens. However, the golden question really is should you or should you not change over. Personally I feel my fingers itching to get this because it is free, but I'm not going to rush to press the download button.  For a start I would be upgrading not clean installing which is a worry.  A rule of thumb for any sane person is never to buy anything which is new for there are always problems which need to be ironed out.  Although in this case it is free, in the long run it may not actually be as free as it seems to be.  I personally love to use a basic operating system for a few years four or five years at least.  Although Microsoft would have given Window's 10 to Beta testers you still have to be reserved.

Windows 7 is a good operating system, I use it all the time and use three different versions, professional, home and enterprise.  It is easy enough to go from one to another and in many respects it has been built with familiarity in mind.  Even if you had gone from windows 3.11 to Windows 7 you would catch on pretty quickly.  Whereas Windows 8 which I never owned but had seen in use on other peoples computers was never impressive.  Especially after giving it time and finding what the reviews were like, it became a highly unlikely option to ever update to this system.  So it goes with caution in mind should you upgrade to Windows 10?  Here are a list of reason why you might or might not change over:

• It's newly developed software so will have bugs. However, it is probably the most beta tested operating system ever so there will be fewer bugs as well.

• You would be one of the first to download it and therefore a cool dude who would be leading the pack. Yet I can't think there is also a little bit of stupidity in people who act in this way, like those who wait outside shops just so they can be the first to buy a new product. It's crazy.

• The software is new and therefore independent third parties have not had time to upgrade patches or new releases to be compatible.  It is necessary to think about your peripherals, printers, scanners, cameras etc.  In a worst case scenario they may not work at all.

• It is not known if you can uninstal Windows 10, or if you do install it whether it would leave your hard-disk in such an untidy way an uninstall is going to make things worse.

• What's the catch? There is always a catch as the saying goes there is no such thing as a free lunch, what are Microsoft going to get out of this are we all going to become the equivalent of Windows 10  heroine junkies, will there be a critical update in 18 months time where you have to put your hand in your pocket? Or worse a denial from Microsoft such a fault in the system doesn't exist but third parties are willing to provide the solution.

• At some point Microsoft will cease to support other Windows versions. However this is inevitable the only hope is when the date comes it is easier to convert to a different operating system because you had left it so long.

• Is Windows 10 safe, how secure is it going to be?  Well of big unknowns this could be one of the biggest. Have you heard the joke about making something idiot proof then along comes a 24 karat idiot who shows it is not idiot proof.

• Will it become like Windows 8 a useless piece of bloat ware which after a couple of years use makes your computer/tablet unusable?

OK these may well be depressive or fearful thoughts of what could happen, but whether you like it or not lightening does strike in the same place twice.

Well I can't help myself, I will not being going to install Windows 10, not immediately but will keep an eye on it and see what happens in about 7 or 8 months time. Keep an eye on youtube videos and on reviews and wait for the problems to arise.  Then make a more educated and weighted decision over whether to change or not change.