A while ago, the gaming company OnLive made an intriguing offer to iPad and Android tablets owners: a virtualized Windows 7, complete with Microsoft Office 2010.

Now, according to Brian Madden, a tech writer focused on virtual desktops, OnLive was "convinced" by Microsoft to comply with the licensing issue and to adapt the offer following Microsoft's guidelines.

The basic OnLive service was free but for a monthly fee of $5, users could get an upgrade. However, OnLive didn't have the proper licensing from Microsoft.

Under these circumstances, the competitors who offered similar virtual desktop services but for higher prices, demanded that the company should play by the rules and get the proper license for the software.

OnLive fans have noticed that the company doesn't offer a hosted Windows 7 instance anymore, but one based on Windows Server 2008 R2.

Brian Madden writes that "Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7 are fundamentally the same OS, anyway, and it's possible to configure the Windows Server desktop to look and feel like a Windows 7 desktop."

This means that no fundamental changes will affect the users.

Source: BrianMadden