witch one is windows 8?

@Not_A_Brony  

 
I can’t agree with you more the Desktop will have its place, for Professionals, and Gamers.  
But, for those that want to surf that Internet thingy they’ve heard about so much lately, there likely going to use a Tablet.
 
But, the Surface is NOT in my opinion the Device best suited to that task, and certainly not for what MicroSoft want for it. For what they’d want for a Surface, I’d just assume get a MacBook first.

@Ichijoe  
Open standards, yes! I mentioned DX12 because it’s most likely what will receive the most support in the future, but it would be wonderful if open standards were adopted in more areas. I have a lot of respect for companies which release high-quality open standards even when they could have profited from licensing.
 
And yeah, a lot of work can be done on a smartphone or hybrid tablet nowadays. Easier to support, too, hence MS pushing the Surface so hard. Despite that, I think there’ll always be a place for desktops (and desktop-like interfaces) among non-professional users even if the consumer base becomes more marginalized.

Really as great as DirectX might be… Is it really any better then straght up OpenGL? ‘Cause I don’t think so. And, Linux can run OGL just fine. The only problem is as you’ve said. Market share they still have some for now. But Lets face the facts, not everyone here is a ‘Gamer’, and the PC is itself little more then a Legacy Device, heald in check by such gamers. I could run ma C2D 2Ghz Dual Core, and get on with my bussnes today, the same way I always had in the last 10 or so years I’ve had it. I’m turning it over in my head whether or not to bump it up to 4 Cores to improve completed times under Linux. But that’s it. Outside of learning how to do some coding, I do most of this yeaa on my Phablet now.
 
A) Because its Greener (On or moreover IN my pocket)  
B) Because its more convenient then having to schlep my butt over to the PC, and have to chill while it loads up.

@Ichijoe  
I have to agree; the last major thing current Windows has going for it among non-casual users is market share. The only features in Win 10 which are really appealing to me are virtual desktops and DX12. I want to think there’s a possibility some aspects of those will be backported…

Only MicroSoft could be as delusional to sell Windows (A Computer Operating System mind you), as a Service, that you’ll pay anually for. Mores a pitty that Windows 7, has to get capped in the knee to push this agenda though.

One is crap, and the other would sell your Grandmother up the Primrose Path.  
I’d say stick to Windows 7, but everything I love about Win X, hay been more or less back ported in Win 7.  
The fact that they are no longer disclosing exactly how ther ‘updates’ are out there, to pown you. Either, by forcing you to update to the much beloved (huge exaggeration) Win X.  
Or, accept the same slimy underhanded Telemetry Data slurp as one would find in Windows X.
 
So when I can no longer trust Win 7 to keep my Data private (from them!), then by that proxy, I have lost ma faith in them (MicroSoft), and have since switched to Cinnamon Mint.