We’ve recently had a great period for OS releases. Windows is due out any day now, and it’s been in public beta for a long while, and OS X Snow Leopard has just been released with some nice, though minor, new features. All this new eye candy has led me to think again about the future of Windows.

I have to say that I love Windows 7. I’m not sure the user interface changes have gone far enough, but it’s lovely to use, fast, and very reliable, but it’s not the most important part of my machine.

Now, I’m not in any way involved with MS. No one up there (at Redmond that is) is reading a word I type. This is why I can safely say, without any fear of being bashed by a Windows logo wearing coder, that no one gives a hoot about the operating system. It’s true. Most people using a Windows based PC have Windows because it was installed on their machine when they brought it. They use applications which they run on their computer, but the concept of an operating system, and the importance that changes to it make to their day to day usage are lost on most people. We often ask people what version of Windows they are using only to commonly hear “I don’t know…” or “err 2007??”.

Now, this lack of understanding of what an operating is or does hampers the uptake of new versions of Windows. People don’t see why they should pay out for a new version when their day to day applications, which they use to do their work and to interact with people, will remain the same.

The solution? Give Windows away for free.

It’s not as daft as it sounds. Businesses would still pay for the business flavours of Windows, and the Microsoft applications (Office for example) would still be premium products. Giving Windows away would, in an instant, change the dynamics of an industry in which Linux, an open source free operating system, is an ever increasing player. End users would be more likely to upgrade the OS as new versions came out, making machines in general more secure and reducing attack and infection vectors thus lowering the number of machines under botnet control.

Neither can it hurt in the war against Apple, with Windows machines becoming that smidge cheaper nor, for once, making a Windows upgrade cheaper than an OS X upgrade.

In general Microsoft need to really reconsider their pricing in the light of fierce competition from Apple and Google and a front-page-stopping reduction in their flag ship product would certainly be a good start.

If you think this is bonkers, let me know in a comment. If you think this is clearly a stroke of genius, then also let me know.