Windows 9 preview is almost here, as Microsoft will unveil the first public build of the upcoming operating system in just a few days, but we have already heard quite a lot of details about this product thanks to people who are more or less familiar with the development plans.

The software giant has remained completely tight-lipped on the Windows 9 work until now, with the exception of Microsoft’s France President, who confirmed that the preview would be unveiled next week, but someone else from within the company now comes with a few more exciting tidbits of information.

Windows 9 would be free for Windows 8 users, Microsoft Indonesia President Andreas Diantoro reportedly said during a recent event, which comes as a confirmation that the company is working to boost early uptake of the new OS as much as possible from the very beginning.

Still not confirmed by Microsoft

The news comes via local publication detik.com, which writes that Diantoro talked about Microsoft’s Windows 9 plan during a recent event at Hotel Mulia in Jakarta. The conference took place on Thursday, the source notes, and Diantoro confirmed that a Windows 9 preview build would be coming next week.

What’s also interesting is that Microsoft is also preparing a built-in update system that would allow Windows 8 users to automatically update to Windows 9, without the need for a clean installation.

Apps and settings, however, might be lost, but again, there’s no confirmation from Microsoft on this.

Here’s what Diantoro said, thanks to an approximate translation with Google Translate:

“It’s easy, when Windows 9 will be released, users who are using Windows 8 just have to update via their device. Then Windows 9 will be installed automatically.”

Not the first time when Windows 9 is said to come for free

This isn’t the first time when some sources suggest that Windows 9 might be offered with a freeware license, but it’s definitely the first confirmation that we get from someone for within the company.

Previous reports on the matter indicated that Windows 9 might become completely free for a wider array of users, including Windows 8 and Window 7 customers, but there were also some voices indicating that Microsoft could go as far as making this release free of charge even for XP adopters.

While there’s no doubt that a free license is really great news for Windows 9, keep in mind that Microsoft hasn’t yet confirmed this, and it’s pretty odd to hear it first from its Indonesian branch, especially when dealing with such an important change.

As a result, don’t take it for granted, but there’s definitely hope that Windows 9 could be free, so next week’s event will clearly keep many people with an eye on Microsoft news.