And all those folks chanting the "you can turn off a lot of that stuff" mantra - IMHO are being very naive (and sine they likely don't care about the privacy issues - they don't really care about the naivety anyways).

Anyone's that been around the web any length of time has basically learned that things that default on that you turn off, from time to time, "somehow" get switched back on - and you often don't even know it.

So you have to keep checking and checking - babysitting the thing all the time.

And don't be surprised when some "automatic update" turns things on (and even changes your "privacy policy" - erm "updates the terms" - to have you agree with it - even though you didn't - because you already agreed to allow them to make such changes to the policy when you installed it).

The whole "generates a unique advertising idea" also stinks. Anyone remember when Verizon recentlygot in trouble for basically the exact same thing? Well that's because they didn't ask. MS is "asking" in the 45 pages of policies you agree to - so you are giving them permission.

The new shineys are simply not worth it, if you care about the issue. Have fun with it.

The majority of the tracking/metrics features present in Windows 10 have existed since Windows 8 (poor reporting from some sites has made it sound like all of this is new). There are a couple of additions for new features like Cortana and Wi-Fi sharing but it is mostly the same old setup. One or two features have even existed since Vista.

I'm glad that I opted out from M$ products after WinXP...
Seriously, why do people just swallow this sh**?
Not even "out of convenience" is a proper argument anymore since it isn't convenient at all.

Aww, shit, I wasn't sure about upgrading, since I have a laptop with some rather annoying hardware things that I've been worried about, but I wasn't sure when the whole free upgrade thing ended so I figured I'd reserve it and now I'm downloading it. I can hold off on actually installing it for a bit, right?

So boys and girls, I used my Google-fu (well actually it wasn't really needed as it's among the first results):
Win 10 upgrade FAQ
TL;DR the most important stuff:

Q. What if I bought a retail license that was purchased online or in a store - does the system upgraded to the free Windows 10 upgrade remain licensed as a retail license?
A. YES.

Q. If I purchased my copy of Windows 7 or 8/8.1 as a retail license from either a brick-and-mortar store or an online store, then I upgrade to Windows 10, can I transfer that upgrade to a new computer under the retail licensing?
A. YES

Q. I have Windows 8.1 with embedded key . If I upgrade to Windows 10 will that key be changed and no longer work for Windows 8.1 ?
A. NO. If your system has an embedded key, then it is most likely an OEM system with an OEM license of Windows 8.1. You will be able to upgrade to Windows 10 for free and the system will be a valid install of Windows 10 and activated. Note that this is just for that machine.

Q. Still me with the OEM and Windows 8.1 with the embedded key. What if I upgrade now, and let’s say 16 months from now I want to go back to Windows 8.1 --can I do that? And then back to windows 10 a few months after that? Can I go back and forth whenever I want long as its on the same PC ?
A. YES, YES and YES, although I can’t imagine any usage scenario where you’d actually want to keep flipping back and forth between two operating systems like that.
To the first YES: the ability to simply revert your upgrade from 8.1 to Windows 10 is for just 30 days. After that you can revert back but it will require a reinstall of 8.1.
To the second YES: If you do the Windows 10 upgrade in the first 12 months it will be free for the lifetime of that device so you will be able to install Windows 10 after that on that system.

I guess "for the lifetime of that device" means "until you change any part of your hardware like a new GFX-card" or more RAM.

RAM will not play a role. GFX Card will most likely not affect it. Motherboard probably will, in which case you may have to contact customer support for assistance with activating again.

Great FAQ! Thanks a lot for linking and quoting.

Given what's said, I see absolutely no reason not to take Microsoft on the upgrade offer and get valid 10 licenses for all my devices. Since I don't have to install them and my old Windows 7/8 licenses will continue to work, and the 10 licenses will remain retail where relevant, having the ability to switch to 10 in the future is a bonus that has no negatives that I can see.

By the way, I love the last question and answer:

Q. Can Microsoft ever make its messaging completely clear?

A. NO

Windows has never had activation problems changing just a graphics card or RAM. You change too much though, you do need to reactivate. Given the rest of the context, if the original Windows license was retail, you should be able to reactivate the Windows 10 copy without problem.

This mostly concerns OEM versions. Retail versions remain retail.

By the way I tried to install Windows 10 on my old Fujitsu P1510D. Had a hell of a time trying to even get the upgrade to run (USB boot issues), ended up running it from the unactivated Windows 7 I tried to install on it once, and then it let me know that it can't install with only 512MB of RAM. Looks like I downgraded it back at some point from 1GB, but I have no idea where that 1GB of RAM is. Bummer. I'm really curious if 10 would even run on it (given 1GB).

Edit: Back to the FAQ, it's still not clear to me how retail copies would work. As I understand currently the upgrade doesn't provide keys for Windows 10, so how would the installation work if moved to another PC?

The Windows 10 upgrade eligibility is apparently being handled by associating it with your Microsoft account. Users have reported successfully doing a clean install of Windows 10 without a key after going through the in-place upgrade from a prior version but I haven't tried that myself yet.

My guess is that your old Windows retail key would work on Windows 10 as long as you've made the upgrade.
What if you don't want/have a MS account?

Some more on the 'user agreement' and what it means for your personal data:

https://edri.org/microsofts-new-small-print-how-your-personal-data-abused/

Because it is a pure bullshit done by retarded online idiots who call themselves journalists to get more ad hits?