Updates will be automatic and compulsory for Windows 10

From inception, Microsoft has talked about Windows 10 as being a service that gets continually updated rather than a piece of software that is installed and left as is.

Apparently, Microsoft is making that view mandatory, reports say. The software maker is requiring that consumers installing Windows 10 agree to take any Microsoft updates automatically. A Microsoft representative confirmed last Thursday that such language is part of the official terms and conditions that accompany the operating system, which starts shipping July 29.

“The license terms for Windows 10 require Automatic Updates be enabled as a part of keeping our customers secure and delivering Windows as a service,” the company said in a statement according to Re/code. Business users will have the option to turn off such automatic updates to allow IT departments time to test updates before installing them.

In the past, consumers had the option to download and install upgrades automatically, but could also choose to do so manually. With Windows 10, sources say users will have limited say on when the automatically downloaded updates are installed and no option to block them.

According to some reports, the move risks some backlash for Microsoft, but it offers a number of benefits. Historically, Microsoft has had to spend considerable time and money supporting older versions of its operating system as well as taking the reputation hit that came from security flaws that had been fixed in later versions.

Sources say Microsoft also found that customers were judging the company based on less-than-current versions of its software.