When I was a kid, we used the phrase “Ollie, Ollie, in come free,” or a variation of that, while playing games like hide-and-seek, capture the flag, and kick the can. The expression indicated that players who were hiding could come out into the open without losing the game, that the position of the sides in a game had changed (for example, which side is in the field and which side is at bat), or that players who were out could come in without penalty. Some speculate that the saying is a corruption of the German phrase, “Alle, alle auch sind frei,” which translates to, “Everyone, everyone is also free.” Brings back long-forgotten memories, doesn't it?
Recently, Microsoft decided that it wants its customers to upgrade to Windows 10 and, everyone, all is free — the update comes at no cost. You can and very well may get the new operating system downloaded onto your computer, even if you don’t want it. To be fair, the company isn’t installing the operating system; they will just put it on your drive, where it will sit until you install it.
That may be okay for individuals, but what about for businesses that really don’t want it because they have programs built around a different operating system? They could have their operations come to a screeching halt and even lose business.
Microsoft is treating Windows 10 as a type of security update that it regularly pushes to users and has reclassified the new operating system as recommended instead of optional . If you automatically install important updates, then you will get Windows 10. While you can avoid this by turning off automatic updates in your Windows Update settings, it isn’t recommended because you might miss important security fixes.
You may wonder whether the most-used operating system in the world should get to decide what’s best for us — its customers, not its subjects or employees. On the other side of that argument is the notion that it is better for everyone to speak the same “language.” Consider where computers would be if we had the Tower of Babel — with many worldwide operating systems not able to communicate — instead of the Tower of Windows connecting all of us. It’s just that I don’t like being coerced into making the move — even if it is free.
You can follow that train of thought to the point at which Microsoft has complete control over when you have to change to other products, and then decides what it will and will not give you in future releases (oh, wait, they’re doing that now). Soon after, the company will decide how much money it wants to make by charging for anything it wants while crushing any competition. At what point does it become a ruling nation with its own rules? Can’t you just see the headlines stating, “The prime minister of Microsoft, in a statement released today, said, ‘Ollie, Ollie, in come free?’”
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