Starkers, Microsoft had revenue around 100 billion last year.  I'm pretty sure they're quite happy with sales of Windows 10.  They can pretty much take a shit on a disk and make money off it.

You could do pretty much anything you wanted to with the firmware, but this would be Intel or AMD purposefully preventing customers from using Windows 7 on their hardware, and they can't retroactively break working systems because that would, once again, leave them completely screwed legally.  So at best, without being corn holed for billions, they can restrict future products from working with Windows 7, in which case they'd artificially restrict their own hardware market and lose billions in revenue.

Priceless.

I have Windows 10 on my machine. I absolutely love it. 

And that's the scenario suggested in the article I read.....  supposedly at the behest of MS to make modern hardware and 'modern' software more compatible, to eliminate older OSes for security reasons.

As to whether they artificially restrict their own markets, well I suppose that depends on how successful MS is in 'persuading' Win 7 holdouts to 'downgrade' to 10.  If the majority of Win 7 users are 'forced' to use Win 10 then there would be little to no real impact on sales.

Now this does surprise me... kona actually loving a new OS.  Well there's a turn out for the books. 

There's hope for you yet....

not trying to be a putz here but I didn't think they were selling it but giving it away, sales = $0.00?

They are only giving it away to current users of Windows 7 and 8, and that offer only lasts until this Summer(ish). Anyone else, including those needing it for a new computer, would need to purchase it.

edit: *This coming Summer for the northern hemisphere! - This coming Winter for the southern hemisphere.

Nope!  None! 

And don't say I need my head read.  My last shrink is now himself an inmate at my last institution.  Yeah, I say "last" because I was deemed fit to be discharged.

I think it was more a case of wresting control of the asylum back from the lunatic. 

My issue with Windows 10 is that it requires the internet to be always on. I can't do that.

What?  My laptop wasn't connected to the internet and worked just fine, not sure why you think it would have to be connected all the time.

No, it doesn't.

No OS 'requires' it....

Actually, that should be frightening.  How does a processor "support" an OS?  By putting an intentional hook in the firmware that only the OS can use, and refusing to boot with an OS that doesn't grok the hook. 

Intel and MS have been warning us for years that they will install a back door at the hardware level that allows primarily IP owners to vet an installation and the NSA or the equivalent to get into your system. All with the best intentions, of course.

Piracy aside, Hillary will seem prescient once "the gubbmint and industry too"* widely adopt the new kluge.  Even the Iranians ain't stupid.

* Gratuitous Frank Zappa rip.

same here.  direct x 12 can't be that vital... if game designers are smart.

They could dump it entirely and stick to other platforms, but that's about it.  Even DX11 is horribly out of date for modern processing architecture.  It simply doesn't work for anything with unpredictable loading requirements.  Things like shooters and RPG's could limp along for quite a while without noticing it, but the mechanical limitations crippled strategy games years ago.

If you take Frogboy's word for it, DX12 is completely vital. Do some searching, you will see quite a few posts and articles/interviews he has made about the subject.