I don't need this. What I need is a legal way to acquire Windows 10 Long Term Support Branch. Basically Windows 10 without all the crap. No metro, and no feature updates whatsoever, just security updates, and supported for 10 years. Sort of like a Windows version of RHEL, if you will.
Now that is something that I want.
To play a numbers game, I'd pay $500 for that if it came with HyperV and the possibility of creating VMs for development with no extra licensing cost. Maaybe $700.
Well $539/yr is not quite the same as $500 for life. Plus, MSDN software should only be used for development, using it e.g. as a workstation would technically be a violation, albeit one that is unenforceable. And yes, I am aware that if you install it in the first year, it will continue to work long after your MSDN license has expired.
My interest is not in "getting it", or "keeping it working", but rather doing everything 100% legally, not through loopholes. Otherwise I might just as well get a Windows 10 LTSB MSDN license key for $25 from people who illegally sell MSDN keys on reddit.
However, I am pleasantly surprised that there is a MSDN tier that only costs $539/yr instead of the $10000/yr (!) it used to cost. Also, apparently now MSDN is available for anyone, previously you had to enter into some kind of business contract with Microsoft, it wasn't available to individuals.
Nah you don't need to renew it. You pay $1200 upfront and it comes with a bunch of license keys, each allowing multiple activations, that you get to keep even if you do not renew the subscription. Renewal is only if you want a key for future versions of windows (Windows 11?), which there won't be according to Microsoft. The catch is that the license prevents you from using it as a main/production machine, it's for dev, testing and demo only.
In your link the "Software for dev/test" is blank for cloud subscriptions. It comes with TFS licenses but I do not believe it comes with Windows licenses, even for the period of the subscription.
Signed, same for me. I sure as hell won't upgrade my Win7 machine until I can have a Win10 that doesn't load me up with ads (I paid for the OS, no need to annoy me), phones home or installs applications I did not explicitly request and consent!
LTSB actually comes with the settings app, though I don't want to use the settings app anyway. For the record, I am using LTSB, I just wish there was an easier way of getting it.
It comes with all the libraries just as regular Windows versions do, e.g. metro libraries are included. If you are so inclined you could even provision Windows Store on it (caveats apply).
But doesn't come with metro programs, with the exception of the settings app. E.g. the photo viewer is the one from Windows 7, not the Metro one. No Windows Store (unless you go out of your way to install it, etc).
Now that is something that I want.
To play a numbers game, I'd pay $500 for that if it came with HyperV and the possibility of creating VMs for development with no extra licensing cost. Maaybe $700.