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But at least you don't pay chrome, with windows instead you need to pay a license to use it.
need is an interesting word to use here
Using windows without a license is illegal.
This is like saying you don't need to have a driving license to drive a car because the car doesn't complain about it.
Windows licensing doesn't have enforcement. If there weren't police plenty of people would drive without a license.
Edit:
Commenting on c/Piracy doesn't exclude I pay for software, indeed I payed for 3 windows licenses two with the costs of my 2 laptop and one I payed my self in my custom built pc. (And I'm only counting windows 10 licenses because the count would be much higher if I counted windows xp,vista,7 and 8) and that was my only and one comment on every piracy related community.
Edit: the same people force you to have a windows license and a driving license, but one get checked more than the other that's it.
illegal doesn't stop a lot of people from doing a lot of things
Illegal or not, most of the people out there never installed their os, because they buy a device with an os preinstalled and indirectly they buy the license for windows.
Debatable, considering all that's stopping you from using it for free is a watermark and lack of personalization options.
Plus, I'm using the Windows 10 Education key my college gave me, and my Windows 7 Home key from way back in the day would work too, as well as the Windows 8 key that came with my Surface Pro 3. The cost feels like a formality tbh.
It's illegal to do soo, not that much debatable.
Yes a formality that you pay every time you buy a pc with windows pleinstalled and it's an asshole to refund.
While I agree with your general point, how is it illegal? If I download the ISO from windows, install and keep using it without activation? They aren't blocking me from using it and I haven't circumvented any prevention they have in place. What's illegal here?
If they make it easy for you doesn't mean it's legal.
It's illegal to use windows without a license. As even stated in the license you agree before installing the os, this one, on section 5 Authorized Software and Activation.