Microsoft’s got their work cut out for them. With a flopped operating system – by flopped, I mean not widely accepted nor comparably commercially-successful, not that it sucks – and the expectations of Windows 7 being of titanic proportions (it’s revolutionary, and it’s to be done in the next couple of years), Microsoft is going to have to completely blow us away, or lose customers by the flocks.

I’m not going to lie, I thought modular Windows was the best way to go. The article Ars Technica published really shook me up. All hope is not lost, however – Ars Technica assumed just one tiny thing that would make modular Windows suck: people would have to pay for it.

Free is the future of business, as Wired has stated. However, the only way I could see Microsoft actually implementing “free” would be giving away Windows and then charging subscriptions as Ars Technica had already suggested.

Thus, you might think I took it a bit out of context, but I think that it’s clear there are tons of other methods for companies like Microsoft to earn their money. The first one that struck my mind would be…

Advertising in Windows

It still might suck to some – but not as much as paying per module. Charge for that little banner at the corner of Windows 7, just like Microsoft charges for the little banner already implemented in Windows Live Messenger. It’s not going to be pretty, but everyone’s going to get used to it.

Just how much are they going to earn? Not enough – if the banner was as small or as un-intrusive as Windows Live Messenger’s. How about sticking one on the boot screen – it’s a pretty boring fifteen seconds without something to read, anyway. Or having Windows Sidebar’s gadgets flash around with bells and whistles? I’m sure that advertisers would be clawing by the dozens to try to get an advertisement on a certain region’s computers.

This also negates the possibility of pirating Windows. No more piracy – because you can really get the full-out version of Windows 7 for free. No CD-keys, no Microsoft “genuine” software crap. Sounds good, right?

The Solution:

Pay. You’ve got the power to turn off those damn bells and whistles, pay a hundred dollars just like you ordinarily would have for Windows 7. No more bells, no more whistles.

Charge the Developers

Make applying for developing a module for Windows go under two categories – the first for companies that will pay Microsoft a (possibly huge) premium and get free advertising banner boxed in their own application. The advertising banner thus introduces a medium for the developers to earn their own money.

The second category goes for freeware applications – which will be dominant in the sense that they are free, but still don’t have any advertisements on them. The freeware developer would then receive the credit he deserves, and probably a lot of donations too (even if it’s for something as simple as a school project).

Different Types of Modules

By now, you might’ve realized that I don’t see modules the same you might – I see every single application out there as a module. That might not be what Microsoft is up to, but I still think it’s an idea definitely worth thinking through. It’s going to be hard, and it’s going to be tough, and it’s definitely got the makings to stir up controversy, but it’s still an idea for free Windows that might not suck.

Actually, in retrospect, this all does sound kind of…dreary. Everything is controlled by Microsoft, as opposed to freedom that modules should be bringing. And people can dispel all that with just a $100 fee – is that enough to offset the revenue that advertising could bring in?

After all, it’s just an idea

The real world is leading the virtual world by example, and the virtual world could learn a few useful lessons. This banner/billboard idea is nothing new, but I think is still great solution for users that can’t afford (or don’t want to pay for) Windows and don’t mind advertising.

…err, the idea might not be too kind to developers though, it sounds kind of restricting.