Upgrading from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10

     My mother had a motto: If it's for free, take.  Our bathroom was full of tiny foil packets of shampoo and conditioner.  The dog ate vending machine sized bags of kibble.  Mom was one of those people who got a free lunch at Costco by accepting the offerings of every vendor hawking a product.
     Most of the freebies Mom snatched up weren't worth much.  She would be proud of my recent score - a free upgrade to Windows 10.  Everyone who bought a new computer loaded with Windows 8 and suffered through the experience, is getting this gift from Microsoft.
     My blog entry from October 13, 2014 is all about how much I hate Windows 8.  I have heard some fellow Eight Haters say they won't upgrade now that they are finally comfortable with their operating system.  Maybe they will change their minds when they hear about my upgrade experience.
     Microsoft added a little icon to the Notification Area on my Start Screen at the end of July when they first told me that I qualified for an upgrade.  I would have one year to make the conversion.  I had all sorts of trepidation about the outcome, so I put off the change.  I decided the other night that it was time.  I found out that you don't need any smarts to do the upgrade.  You don't have to prepare your computer in any way.  You don't have to disable your anti-virus protection.  You simply click a couple of times when asked questions, then you sit back and be patient.  The upgrade took about 90 minutes.  Things seemed to halt when the process was 95% completed.  I resisted the urge to touch the computer, and I waited.  Finally, that last 5% rolled in.  After the upgrade, my McAfee did a scan that took several hours.
     So, how has my Windows 10 experience been?  I'm loving that fact that the Start Button is back.  I also appreciate that the Charms Bar is gone.  I hated when that sucker flew in my face every time I moused too close to the edge of the screen.  I don't have a tablet or a Windows phone, so I'm not taking advantage of the option to integrate a bunch of devices.  I also don't care about Cortana, Windows' answer to Apple's Siri.  Mike sometimes talks to Siri on his iPad, and I don't think she's "all that."  However, someday I might get a microphone and strike up a friendship with Cortana.  The option is there.  Number Ten seems to be a nice version of Windows, and I'm happy with it.
     But will the happiness last?  Some people out there are calling the free upgrade a con.  They say Microsoft will support your copy of Windows 10 for only 2-4 years.  Others are saying 5-10 years.  Maybe there is no such thing as a free operating system.  We'll see in 2-4 years.  I'm here to tell you though, there is such a thing as a free lunch.  You get it a few bites at a time at Costco.