Andreas Kohlbach wrote:

But that won't change Windows users. They will take it.

You don't seem to have thought this through.

1) Microsoft cannot afford to start putting a rental OS
on OEM computers. This will free the OEMs to put a
fully functional unconstrained OS on the machine instead.
A hardware manufacturer cannot ship a product with
a rental OS on it. That would be "bonkers".

2) Microsoft cannot change the terms of any existing product.
The supported life of Windows 7 or Windows 8, will last
to the end of the stated date in the Life Cycle table.
If they do not live up to their end of the contract,
there will be a class action suit.

3) For the people who "upgraded" from Windows 7, they still
have their original OS. The OS doesn't need updates.

4) For people who make a backup copy of Windows 10 *today*
*this very minute* and store this in a safe place, when
the time comes, that can be restored (with the network
cable pulled), and then there is a relatively simple
procedure to stop updates from Microsoft. I have a VM
frozen at 16299 right now, testing this. A second step
(one I haven't carried out yet), is to install a third party
AV to take the place of Windows Defender, as WD depends
on Windows Update. Replacing with some other AV, should
reduce the nuisance factor of WD.

There are plenty of options available to stay within
the ecosystem.

Whatever Microsoft screws up, means profit for Google.

Canonical is not a player (even if it goes IPO, they
don't "get it"). Google on the other hand, has the
skill set to be a competitor.

Paul