Microsoft has reaffirmed that Windows Insiders who clean installed the Windows 10 Preview can upgrade and activate the Windows 10 RTM for free, regardless of whether they have a Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 license. This announcement was made on Friday, and on Saturday was silently changed to remove any mention of being activated unless you upgraded from Windows 7 or Windows 8.1. This caused confusion, but Gabe Aul has again reaffirmed that Insiders who clean installed the Windows 10 Preview will receive Windows 10 for free, and activated.

Among the information Microsoft revealed at today’s Windows 10 event is the good news many were waiting to hear: Windows 10 will be a free upgrade for customers running Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows Phone 8.1. That said, there are some caveats to this deal, not the least of which—as I understand it—is that those who agree to this upgrade must also agree to let their PCs and devices be kept up-to-date by Microsoft going forward.The notion here is “Windows as a service,” one that will in effect make version numbers much less important going forward. Technically, this should work a lot like Office 365, and with the same exclusions for businesses. Indeed, businesses are free (ahem) to continue moving forward with existing licensing schemes and controlling updates if they prefer.

Today, I’m excited to share the availability date for Windows 10. In fact, I thought I’d let Cortana, the world’s most personal digital assistant, share the news. You can ask Cortana for the answer! You can ask Cortana for the answer, or if you don’t have a Windows phone or a PC running the Windows 10 Insider Preview handy – you can hear it for yourself here: