Windows 10 software licensing and activation

In the 20-year history (from Windows 95 to Windows 10) of Microsoft Windows, there was no version of it that was offered free of charge, except for Windows 10. And that is because, in its first year of the launch (from August, 2015, to July, 2016), Microsoft offered a free upgrade to Windows 10 for all users who owned a PC running a genuine copy of Windows 7, and 8/8.1. The nice aspect of this unusual offer from Microsoft was that following such an upgrade, Windows 10 was activated and, just like that, the user already had a new licensed OS on his computer. That itself highlights the question of what a software license is? A software license is a legal agreement between an end user and the owner of the software that governs the use and redistribution of its software. Another aspect associated with the software license is software activation, which represents a process that ensures that the end user is using a genuine software copy. Back to Windows...