Buried in the details of Microsoft’s technical preview for Windows 10 is a bit of a footnote concerning the operating system’s requirements. Windows 10 will have exactly the same requirements as Windows 8.1, which had the same requirements as Windows 8, which stuck to Windows 7 specs, which was the same as Windows Vista. At this point, it’s something we take for granted with future Windows release. As the years roll by, you can’t help wondering what we’re actually giving up in exchange for holding the minimum system spec at a single-core 1GHz, 32-bit chip with just 1GB of RAM.
When Microsoft announced the preview of Windows 10, it emphasised the “opportunity to influence product development decisions through the new Windows Feedback app directly within the product”.
Users can not only give feedback, but also see — and vote on — the feedback of others, giving all of us a chance to assess what users think of Microsoft’s latest offering.
Microsoft is trying to remould Windows away from its radical Windows 8 remake into something more familiar to Windows 7 users. Live tiles used to live only in a separate Start screen but have now been brought into the desktop, in a panel alongside a revived Start menu, and the touch-friendly Store apps now launch in desktop windows.
The way Store apps behave is another tricky area. Currently they open by default in maximised windows, but “modern apps should not all start in full screen in desktop view, some apps (eg, Calculator) should default to a smaller size,” say 30 users. Note, though, that Microsoft seems to have a fix for this already, at least for new apps, since the feedback app is itself a Store app and does not open maximised.
Microsoft’s traditionally cozy relationship with Intel at times has appeared chilly over the last few years, with the former investing in ARM processors and the latter making chips for devices that run Google’s Android and Chrome OS.
But these days, hints of tension between the two companies have mostly disappeared. PC sales have stabilized, keeping Intel and Microsoft’s paths tightly linked. And thanks to new classes of super-efficient Intel chips, the Windows catalogue now includes powerful, ultra-slim 2-in-1s at the high end and a variety of cheap but surprisingly capable PCs and tablets at the low end.
The reversed dynamic raises a question: What’s become of Microsoft’s ambitions for devices that use ARM processors?
Controversy has erupted around Microsoft’s Windows 10 preview. More specifically, questions are being raised about the amount of tracking – and the depth of tracking – that was built into the preview.
The Windows 10 technical preview goes so far as to monitor your typing, potentially crossing the line from instrumentation of alpha-level software into creepy corporate surveillance.
Truth be told, I honestly don’t think anyone but the extreme nutter fringe had, or has, a problem with being tracked in the preview. When you download the preview it is pretty up front about the fact that it will monitor everything it can find to monitor.
The problem is that both Microsoft and the US government have lost the trust of the general populace. Discovering borderline technologies incorporated into Windows 10′s technical preview (like the built-in keylogger of ultimate controversy) simply serves as a catalyst for concerned citizens to ask the questions that have been bothering them for some time.
How much of this instrumentation will be in the release version?
Ironically, businesses will probably have to pay to keep Windows from changing
Microsoft will have no choice but to give consumers free Windows upgrades once it launches Windows 10 and kicks off its fast-fast-fast tempo, an analyst asserted.
“If Microsoft wants consumers to update and keep up to date, it really means that Microsoft is going to have to give those consumers those updates for free. There’s really no other way to do it,” said Michael Silver of Gartner at the research firm’s annual technology conference.
That will affect Microsoft’s bottom line: With Windows 10 expected to be the nameplate for the OS for years longer than the usual three-year cycle between major upgrades — from Windows 7 to Windows 8, say — free means that consumers will never again have to pay to upgrade their PC’s OS.
“They’re going to introduce the concept of a long-term serving update,” said Kleynhans. “They’ll take all of those [consumer speed updates] and roll them into a single release and that will be a stake in the ground. That stake in the ground will stay there for 10 years or so, we expect.”
that slowest temp will also impact how Microsoft profits from its venerable OS: Corporate customers will have to pay for it.
“The ironic thing is that enterprises used to buy Software Assurance and pay a fee to stay current,” Silver said. “Now they’ll pay a fee to stay static.”
At the beginning of the month, just a day after showing off Windows 10 for the first time, Microsoft released the Technical Preview of its new OS. Like the event at which it was announced, the preview release is focused on the features that will appeal to business and enterprise customers, and is missing many of the bits that will target consumers.
One such feature that is absent from the Technical Preview is Windows Media Center, but some users have restored this feature by using the product key that they purchased for use in Windows 8.1. Unfortunately, this has created some issues for these users, which has led Microsoft to caution against doing this.
The Internet Explorer team at Microsoft recently detailed changes to the JavaScript engine coming in Windows 10. A significant change is the addition of a new tier in the Just-in-Time (JIT) compiler. In Windows 10, the Chakra JS engine now includes a second JIT compiler that bridges the gap between slow, interpreted code and fast, optimized code. It uses this middle-tier compiler, called Simple JIT, as a “good enough” layer that can move execution away from the interpreter quicker than the Full JIT can.
In Windows 8, there was an arrangement of two settings applications: the Control Panel for the desktop and the PC Settings app in the Modern UI side. With Windows 10, having the two different applications has started to look even more awkward,
work at Microsoft to unify the settings programs has begun.
Windows doesn’t have the best reputation for security, but Microsoft has been outlining a series of improvements in the new operating system that it believes will stymie hackers and leave corporate data more secure.
“We’re no longer facing an evolution in security threats but a revolution,” Chris Hallum, senior product manager for Windows told The Register. “The reality is that the systems currently in place don’t offer the fundamental immunity we need to deal with such threats.”
Hallum outlined three key technologies Microsoft will be building into Windows 10 that will be used to add protection
First, support for two-factor authentication is going to be built into the OS as standard and the preferred login setting. Full support for fingerprint recognition is being built into the stack, and there’ll also be support for other biometrics, but Microsoft sees the phone as the primary tool for adding two-factor auth to the system.
Only launch users will be able to turn their iOS, Android or Windows Phone smartphone into an authentication token that clears access via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.
Once users have logged in, Microsoft wants to safeguard the data they are using, and so is adding containerisation technology for each file, ensuring it is sandboxed and encrypted.
Finally, Microsoft is hoping to block whole classes of malware by instituting a code-signing system for software. All apps in the Windows Store will be checked for malware and signed off as safe for use (including 32-bit apps) and the company is also instituting a self-signing system for accredited ISVs to clear their apps, and for corporate IT departments to get home-grown code signed.
Forget the Windows Store. Microsoft is working on a Linux-style package management framework for Windows, and it’s included with Windows 10. It’s being tested with Chocolatey’s existing packages, and allows you to easily install desktop applications and other software.
This is huge news. If you’ve ever used Linux, you’ve probably wanted a package management system for the Windows desktop ever since. Now it’s finally arriving!
OneGet, a Package Management Framework for Windows
This package manager is called OneGet, and is shipping as part of PowerShell. In a blog post titled “My little secret : Windows PowerShell OneGet” over at Technet, Microsoft’s Garret Serack explains
Microsoft’s TechEd Europe conference is under way in Barcelona, and this morning Microsoft corporate VP Joe Belfiore showed new management features in the forthcoming Windows 10.
Users will be able to log into Windows 10 using Azure Active Directory (AD), the cloud-based directory also used by Office 365, and get access to the Windows Store without the need for a personal Microsoft account.
Businesses can deploy their own apps through the store, so Belfiore demonstrated how a user might log into a new PC using Azure AD credentials and have corporate apps install automatically.
The requirement for both Azure AD and Microsoft accounts when working with Windows 8 and Office 365 has been a constant source of annoyance, so this is welcome simplification. It will also now be easier to synchronise on-premises AD with Azure AD, thanks to a new AD Connect tool.
Windows 10 PCs can be managed either by Group Policy (the traditional approach) or by using MDM (Mobile Device Management) tools. Two-factor authorisation, such as log-in protected by a code sent to a mobile phone, is easier to configure in Windows 10. New policies include the ability to specify that only signed applications can run.
Summary: Microsoft is targeting the second half of calendar 2015 as its latest release target for both its next-generation Office client and server applications.
Microsoft today shared some more details about the Windows Store coming as part of Windows 10, which it previously revealed would be unified to work across all types of Windows devices (phones, tablets, and PCs). The company unveiled features specific to businesses and promised that they would arrive in Windows 10 previews released next year.
First up, Microsoft is promising organizations will get access to a new web-based Store portal (signing in will occur using Azure Active Directory identities). IT administrators will be able to browse the app catalog and acquire apps in bulk. Furthermore, it will be possible to assign apps acquired through the portal to people in the organization, who in turn will only need to click on a link to install them.
For media enthusiasts, Windows 10 is shaping up to be a good OS for your next media player as Microsoft has announced that FLAC support will ship with Windows 10. This codec is widely used and will be a welcomed addition to Windows 10.
FLAC stands for ‘Free Lossless Audio Codec’ and can shrink a file to roughly 50-60% of its original size; when decompressed the file goes back to its original state.
This additional codec is not the only new media support coming to Windows 10; Neowin had uncovered that MKV support will also ship with Windows 10 as well.
Microsoft surprised us by upping its Windows product numbering from 8.1 straight to 10, and now it appears it’s planning to make an even greater leap in the version numbering of the Windows kernel itself.
While Windows releases use familiar marketing brands – such as XP, Vista, 7, 8 and now 10 – the underlying operating system and kernel, part of the Windows NT family, has a separate version numbering system.
For example, Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2 both use kernel version 6.3. The most recent public build of Windows 10 Technical Preview, build 9874, uses kernel 6.4.
The last time the Windows kernel was upgraded to a new major version number, believe it or not, was when Windows Vista brought us to version 6.0
Some have speculated, however, that there really is a major kernel change afoot for Windows 10
tub-thumping about Redmond’s new “One Windows” strategy
Windows 10: Microsoft to combine the Windows app store – released a 30-second ad for it
As known in the past, Microsoft intends to combine the Windows app store for Windows 10′s publication.
In the future, Windows, and Windows Phone is no longer your own app stores, but all Windows platforms for applications are available for purchase and download from one universal Windows application store.
Microsoft Windows application store contains over 500 000 applications, so it is closed the rapidly catch up with Google and Apple application store a head start.
Windows 8.1 in the new, modern UI for applications designed to play a smaller part of the page, but your Windows Phone and Windows RT app store is everything.
Microsoft is making it slightly less attractive to develop for Windows with the announcement that developers would no longer get 80% of sales commissions after earning $25,000 through the Windows Store.
Microsoft also officially announced last week something we’ve known all along, that the Windows Phone Store and Windows Store would be unified with the release of Windows 10.
I’m excited to share this next chapter in our Windows 10 blog series, focused on enhancements we are making to the Windows Store – all of which are designed to help organizations acquire, create and deliver apps the way they want. This is a logical follow-up to our post on manageability choices in Windows 10. We believe that our Store investments, when combined with manageability innovations, will result in a Windows Store that is ready to meet the evolving needs of organizations of all sizes.
One unified app store across devices, one great experience
First, as we talked about in September, with Windows 10 we will deliver one Windows Store for all Windows devices. This unified Store will offer tremendous benefits for commercial software developers, enabling them to offer universal Windows apps that can be used across phone, tablet and PC form factors. For organizations, the unified Store will also offer a new web-based Store portal that will allow IT administrators to browse the app catalog and acquire apps in bulk.
Last week at Microsoft’s TechEd conference in Europe we talked about the enterprise capabilities in Windows 10, starting with Joe Belfiore’s keynote presentation and continuing into a variety of breakout sessions where we could dig deeper into a number of areas such as security, deployment and manageability.
When it comes to Windows manageability, we’re proud of the capabilities that are built into Windows. But as your organization’s needs continue to evolve in this increasingly mobile-first world, we need to evolve the Windows management features as well so that they continue to offer the best capabilities, regardless of your scenario.
Microsoft previously announced that Windows 10, its next operating system, will contain a single app store that will work across device classes. Don’t make the Lord of the Rings joke.
The company also previously promised that organizations will be able to curate their own app experience for their users. Today, it announced that a “Web-based” store will be an option for companies that want control what apps their employees, say, can install. Apps that are assigned to a user will be up for installation with a single “click.”
This is a play towards the heart of large, enterprise customers. Offer IT folk new tools, and you might get their attention.
If you buy your own computer, this won’t impact you, but it could make Windows 10 more appetizing to large enterprise customers that shunned Windows 8. Microsoft is currently rolling out updates to its first Windows 10 preview, aimed at large clients. A consumer preview is expected to land in January.
Microsoft is planning to detail the consumer features of Windows 10 at an event in January. While Microsoft will be present at the Consumer Electronics Show in early January, sources familiar with the company’s plans tell The Verge that Microsoft will hold a separate press event in late January to unveil the consumer preview of Windows 10. Microsoft previously promised “early 2015″ for a discussion on consumer features, and it appears the company is on track.
Microsoft will take to deliver the new Windows 10 operating system to the consumer preview version in January 2015. Microsoft will hold a separate press conference, and the launch will not happen Vegas CES fair.
Windows 10 beta testers have been in use for some time. Most likely, the final version of the operating system to be completed until later next year.
According to rumors, Windows 10 will next year version of the ARM processors. This same platform is available for both x86-based microcontroller with the mobile phones and tablets.
Cortana can do pretty much everything the Windows Phone version can. This includes reminders, call people with skype, check my location/maps, play/pause music, launch apps, check the weather and more. Right now, Cortana doesn’t have a personality in Windows 10, meaning she doesn’t answer questions like “Who are you”, however we have it on good authority that she will have this ability by the time she rolls out to the public.
Microsoft will conduct a big, consumer-focussed, reveal of Windows 10′s progress in January, and not long afterwards will “move conversation” to the new operating system’s features for enterprise users.
Microsoft Australia representatives today told The Reg that sysadmins and business users should therefore pay close attention to the build of Windows 10 that emerges in January, and make sure to offer feedback, because it may be the last available opportunity to influence its final form. A feature freeze is coming, we were told, ahead of a big update for developers at the time of the Build conference in late May.
Hardware tuned to Windows 10 will then emerge around October 2015.
USERS OF THE WINDOWS 10 Technical Preview have been advised to uninstall Microsoft Office before applying this month’s Patch Tuesday security updates, then to reinstall it.
Testers have been warned since the announcement and release of the Preview to expect complications and irregularities with the operating system as it is in no way considered finished.
It is rather an opportunity for people to feed back on its development before consumer release in the second half of 2015.
Microsoft is yet to announce any consumer features which will be available in Windows 10, but thanks to a leak earlier today, we’ve got our hands on what appears to be an early build of what Microsoft is planning to reveal to consumers in January. The new build includes Cortana, an updated UI and many improved apps. So let’s dig in.
MICROSOFT HAS SENT invitations to an event on 21 January to unveil the “next chapter” of Windows 10.
The event is expected to reveal the Consumer Preview of Windows 10, and is to be streamed live, unlike the clandestine secrecy of the Technical Preview event in which we learned that Microsoft’s marketing department has a blind spot for the number nine.
Taking place on campus at Microsoft’s Redmond HQ, a variety of senior company bods will be there, including CEO Satya Nadella, suggesting that this is seen as the official launch of the successor to the much-maligned Windows 8.
The Windows 10 Technical Preview launched earlier this year has been a big hit with over a million downloads in the first week.
Microsoft says Windows Insider program members shouldn’t be upset that no more Windows 10 Preview builds are coming this year, because the build that’s expected to arrive in late January will be awesome – literally.
According to a blog post by Microsoft engineering manager Gabe Aul, Redmond devs are so excited about that upcoming build that they’ve dubbed its internal build branch “FBL_AWESOME.”
Windows XP and Vista users will have to move to Windows 10 in the hard way
The older version of Windows, users can not upgrade their computers with Windows 10 time-phased.
Microsoft Windows XP and Windows Vista users will have to install Windows 10 from scratch. In practice, this means that over the years accumulated programs, settings and files lost during the installation process. This is not only a bad thing.
Clean installation, clean Windows
Windows Vista is often accused of heavy operating system. In part, this is even true, although the service pack 2 after the release of the operating system increased significantly.
Windows 10 requires at least one gigahertz processor clock speed of the bustling city, depending on the version one or two gigabytes of RAM, and a DirectX 9-compatible graphics card or display of the circuit. These are the absolute minimum requirements for the melt, but the user experience can only be achieved multi-core processors, as well as at least four GBs of RAM.
Each time there’s a new version of Windows, Microsoft bills it as “the best Windows yet.”
History teaches us that each time Microsoft tries to really stretch itself and push the development envelope on Windows, it backfires.
Windows 8 was the most recent stumble in Microsoft’s journey, with Redmond throwing itself wholeheartedly into a touch-tablet system and throwing out the desktop.
The Microsoft cadre building Windows 8 deliberately pushed aside dissenting voices and the cultural legacy of Windows. In so doing, Microsoft got stuck with one of the least wanted versions of Windows in its history. Before that, Windows Vista was the pariah.
Windows Vista was intended as another landmark effort
In both cases, Microsoft failed to win consumers and business users. On the latter, businesses have been staying in away in droves and Microsoft’s share of the PC and tablet market on Windows 8 is only just a little over 10 per cent.
In both cases it has been Windows 7 that has saved Microsoft’s bacon.
Also, the painful switching between separate Metro and desktop worlds has been greatly reduced and the familiar Start Button is back, including Metro icons.
The word is balance: there is a continuum mode, something that will let Windows and the user flip between desktop and tablet rather than forcing everybody onto a tablets death march with a loaded rifle jabbing you in the small of the back. Charms remain for those who like to swipe their way between apps.
So, sanity returns to the world of Windows? Not quite.
Since the first – supposedly “enterprise” focused – Windows 10 technology preview last year, there have been rumours around more consumer-friendly features.
One is on integration with Microsoft’s digital assistant Cortana, the rival to Apple’s Siri and Google’s Now, which made its debut on the unwanted Windows Phone.
Cortana on the phone is used for voice-activated calls and searches, mapping, location and to launch apps.
Also reported is a new Windows browser, codenamed Spartan, which may or may not integrate with Cortana and work with digital inking for stylus input.
Spartan is reportedly not an automatic alternative to Internet Explorer, but rather an app that can be downloaded from the Microsoft app store.
It seems, though, that these glamorous features intended as tinsel to sell the idea that Windows 10 is a big breakthrough and distract from the Windows 8 pullback.
The truth, however, is Microsoft can’t afford to foist another Windows Vista or Windows 8 on its world because this time around there’s no alternative.
Microsoft has now stopped retailers and PC makers from selling and installing Windows 7.
Safe, desktoppy, with a step into tablets as and when it’s needed: Windows 10 looks like the future for all concerned, just not tech fashion zealots.
For all that, Windows 8 was a bust, failing to lure shoppers away from Apple or Android tablets or get enterprises upgrading from Windows XP and 7.
Microsoft’s touch operating system has just over 10 per cent market share.
Windows 10 is described my Microsoft as the “next chapter” and there’s “single core” that’ll work on a variety of devices, including phones.
The PC market has stabilised from freefall and Gartner expects sales of Windows will grow faster than iOS.
It sounds like the end of Microsoft’s experiment with Windows 8, and the release of Windows 10 this year has come at just the right time. Just don’t expect big, juicy margins Microsoft.
Today’s tablet market is characterised by price consciousness, and with connection to internet services as standard.
To that end, Acer, Asus, Toshiba and Hewlett-Packard last year hit the market with laptops running Windows 8 with Bing, the version of Windows with Bing set as the standard search engine but that (significantly) is available at low-to-no license fee.
The idea is for OEMs to hit the market with cheap devices.
Rather than making money from the license fee, Microsoft’s goal is to cash in on services – bundling things like Office 365 for free for the first year and charged thereafter, when you forget to cancel.
Microsoft demonstrated several applications for Windows 10 at a live event today, highlighting the operating system’s cross-device compatibility and ease of use in new areas of technology such as holographics.
“We’re preparing for a world where there are more devices than people,” Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said. “It’s not mobility of any single device but the mobility of experience across devices.”
Microsoft has previously shown Windows 10 for devices larger than 8 inches; the company showed the OS on smaller form factors such as the Lumia 1520. Joe Belfiore, who runs Microsoft’s Windows phone, tablet, and PC design teams, highlighted multiple features available for smaller devices in the next three to five months. Windows 10 is under development with the following features:
Universal applications including Word, Power Point, Outlook, and Excel
Support for wireless printing
Cortana with multiple language and impression capabilities
More integrated IP-based messaging services
Auto-creation of photo albums
Microsoft has integrated DirectX 12 into Windows 10 to improve gaming and entertainment across form factors. Xbox team head Phil Spencer said DirectX 12 will improve performance of CPU-bound games up to 50% while cutting power consumption in half. To take advantage of this improved performance, an Xbox app will be available on all Windows 10 devices and Xbox One games will stream on any PC or phone later this year.
Players can capture, edit, and share gaming moments with Game DVR, and play new games with friends across devices, a release stated. Microsoft partnered with Unity, a large game engineering company, and Lionhead Studios to demonstrate several gaming possibilities.
Microsoft built a new browser to accommodate the growing capabilities of Windows. Codenamed Project Spartan, the browser is a more interactive version of existing browsers tailored to touch devices.
We’ve just spent a few minutes with a build of Windows 10 on a few different computers, including a Microsoft Surface Pro 3. It’s snappy and fast in a way that some doubters don’t believe Windows can be — but more importantly, everything feels faster because there are just fewer concepts to juggle in your head when you are navigating around.
Microsoft has essentially made the distinction between desktop apps and “Modern” apps (or whatever we’re calling them these days) invisible to the end user. You can switch between them seamlessly and manage them either snapped to half or full screen or windowed. Basically, everything is just a window, and it’s great.
That “everything is just a window” philosophy has other effects — notably in a feature called “Continuum.” When you disconnect a keyboard (or flip a convertible device into tablet mode), Windows prompts you to switch to tablet mode, where you are able to fat-finger windows instead of using precise mouse movements. The exact way it will work will vary from OEM to OEM
Microsoft will be providing some Windows users with free upgrades to the newest version of the operating system, Windows 10, the company announced today.
“I’m very excited to announce that for the first year after Windows 10 is available, we will be making available a free upgrade to Windows 10 to all devices running Windows 8.1,” said Terry Myerson, executive vice president of Microsoft’s Operating Systems group, kicking off a series of news announcements at a press event.
A free Windows 10 upgrade is coming to all devices running Windows Phone 8.1. And for the first year after Windows 10 is available, Microsoft will provide a free upgrade to all customers still running Windows 7, Myerson said.
After unveiling its new Project Spartan browser for Windows 10 yesterday, Microsoft today offered more details. The company confirmed that Windows 10 will also include Internet Explorer for enterprise sites, though it didn’t say how exactly this will work.
Spartan comes with a new rendering engine, which doesn’t rely on the versioned document modes the company has historically used. It also provides compatibility with the millions of existing enterprise websites specifically designed for Internet Explorer by loading the IE11 engine when needed. In this way, the browser uses the new rendering engine for modern websites and the old one for legacy purposes.
The wording seems to imply that enterprise customers will be able to obtain a copy of Windows 10 that specifically comes with Internet Explorer, something we saw a hint of yesterday.
At its Windows 10 event yesterday, Microsoft unveiled the touch-optimized version of Office. Today, the company offered more details about that version, and then snuck in another announcement: The next desktop version is under development, it is called Office 2016, and it will be generally available “in the second half of 2015.”
Microsoft used its Lumia Conversations blog today to give some of the details for the upcoming software update for Windows Phone, which will be moved to Windows 10.
Though Chris Weber did not address all devices, he did specifically mention the new low end Lumia 435, and that their goal is “for the majority of the Lumia phones running Windows Phone 8 and 8.1 to join the Windows ecosystem” so there should be no issues with any Lumia device getting upgraded.
Phone OEMs, they should be safe too but of course that may depend on each OEM and wireless carriers updating the devices, which is not always the case.
Microsoft has confirmed today that Windows RT will not be upgraded to Windows 10. The official statement from the company is that Surface Pro will be updated to Windows 10, and “we are working on an update for Surface (RT and Surface 2), which will have some of the functionality of Windows 10.” For anyone who purchased either the Surface RT, or the Surface 2, this is a fairly poor message, especially considering the Surface 2 was still for sale not very long ago.
Windows RT was certainly a marketing failure, and arrived at the wrong time and for the wrong reasons.
There were advantages to Windows RT of course, with little chance of malware finding its way onto the system, but the Windows Store ecosystem still lags behind iOS and Android as far as the number of tablet apps available.
MICROSOFT HAS denied any suggestions that its iPad storage facility, the Surface, is not going to get a Windows 10 upgrade.
There had been some suggestion after the Wednesday launch, in which the tablet range was only given a limited exposure, that Windows 10 would not be rolling out on the Surface.
However a spokesman for Microsoft confirmed to The INQUIRER: “Surface Pro 3 and the entire Surface Pro lineup will update to Windows 10. We are working on an update for Surface [Windows RT], which will have some of the functionality of Windows 10. More information to come.”
DirectX 12 is actually enabled in this Windows 10 release, though unfortunately we’ll need to wait for graphics drivers and apps that support it, to take advantage of DX 12 features and performance enhancements.
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150 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
Lost Opportunity? Windows 10 Has the Same Minimum PC Requirements As Vista
http://tech.slashdot.org/story/14/10/02/1724236/lost-opportunity-windows-10-has-the-same-minimum-pc-requirements-as-vista
Buried in the details of Microsoft’s technical preview for Windows 10 is a bit of a footnote concerning the operating system’s requirements. Windows 10 will have exactly the same requirements as Windows 8.1, which had the same requirements as Windows 8, which stuck to Windows 7 specs, which was the same as Windows Vista. At this point, it’s something we take for granted with future Windows release. As the years roll by, you can’t help wondering what we’re actually giving up in exchange for holding the minimum system spec at a single-core 1GHz, 32-bit chip with just 1GB of RAM.
Lost Opportunity? Windows 10 Has The Same Minimum PC Requirements That Have Existed Since 2006
Read more: http://hothardware.com/News/A-Lost-Opportunity-Windows-10-Will-Keep-Same-Minimum-PC-Requirements-Weve-Had-Since-2006-/#ixzz3F1HgBpxn
Tomi Engdahl says:
Live from Microsoft’s Windows 10 event
http://live.theverge.com/microsoft-windows-9-event-live-blog/
“It wouldn’t be right to call it Windows 9.”
“That new Windows is Windows 10.”
It’s Windows 10, no joke. Windows 10!
“Windows 10 will run on the broadest types of devices ever.”
“One store, one way for applications to be discovered, purchased, and updated across all of these devices.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Windows 10 feedback: ‘Microsoft, please do a deal with Google to use its browser’
Users quick to have their say in Redmond’s early feedback app
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/10/08/early_windows_10_feedback_for_microsoft/
When Microsoft announced the preview of Windows 10, it emphasised the “opportunity to influence product development decisions through the new Windows Feedback app directly within the product”.
Users can not only give feedback, but also see — and vote on — the feedback of others, giving all of us a chance to assess what users think of Microsoft’s latest offering.
Microsoft is trying to remould Windows away from its radical Windows 8 remake into something more familiar to Windows 7 users. Live tiles used to live only in a separate Start screen but have now been brought into the desktop, in a panel alongside a revived Start menu, and the touch-friendly Store apps now launch in desktop windows.
The way Store apps behave is another tricky area. Currently they open by default in maximised windows, but “modern apps should not all start in full screen in desktop view, some apps (eg, Calculator) should default to a smaller size,” say 30 users. Note, though, that Microsoft seems to have a fix for this already, at least for new apps, since the feedback app is itself a Store app and does not open maximised.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Windows 10 On ARM: 7 Observations
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1324262&
Microsoft’s traditionally cozy relationship with Intel at times has appeared chilly over the last few years, with the former investing in ARM processors and the latter making chips for devices that run Google’s Android and Chrome OS.
But these days, hints of tension between the two companies have mostly disappeared. PC sales have stabilized, keeping Intel and Microsoft’s paths tightly linked. And thanks to new classes of super-efficient Intel chips, the Windows catalogue now includes powerful, ultra-slim 2-in-1s at the high end and a variety of cheap but surprisingly capable PCs and tablets at the low end.
The reversed dynamic raises a question: What’s become of Microsoft’s ambitions for devices that use ARM processors?
Tomi Engdahl says:
Windows 10: Forget Cloudobile, put Security and Privacy First
But – dammit – It would be insane to say ‘don’t collect, because NSA’
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/10/14/windows_10_privacy_controversy_sysadmin_blog/
Controversy has erupted around Microsoft’s Windows 10 preview. More specifically, questions are being raised about the amount of tracking – and the depth of tracking – that was built into the preview.
The Windows 10 technical preview goes so far as to monitor your typing, potentially crossing the line from instrumentation of alpha-level software into creepy corporate surveillance.
Truth be told, I honestly don’t think anyone but the extreme nutter fringe had, or has, a problem with being tracked in the preview. When you download the preview it is pretty up front about the fact that it will monitor everything it can find to monitor.
The problem is that both Microsoft and the US government have lost the trust of the general populace. Discovering borderline technologies incorporated into Windows 10′s technical preview (like the built-in keylogger of ultimate controversy) simply serves as a catalyst for concerned citizens to ask the questions that have been bothering them for some time.
How much of this instrumentation will be in the release version?
Tomi Engdahl says:
Free at last: After Windows 10, consumers won’t pay for updates or upgrades
http://www.computerworld.com/article/2825116/free-at-last-after-windows-10-consumers-wont-pay-for-updates-or-upgrades.html
Ironically, businesses will probably have to pay to keep Windows from changing
Microsoft will have no choice but to give consumers free Windows upgrades once it launches Windows 10 and kicks off its fast-fast-fast tempo, an analyst asserted.
“If Microsoft wants consumers to update and keep up to date, it really means that Microsoft is going to have to give those consumers those updates for free. There’s really no other way to do it,” said Michael Silver of Gartner at the research firm’s annual technology conference.
That will affect Microsoft’s bottom line: With Windows 10 expected to be the nameplate for the OS for years longer than the usual three-year cycle between major upgrades — from Windows 7 to Windows 8, say — free means that consumers will never again have to pay to upgrade their PC’s OS.
“They’re going to introduce the concept of a long-term serving update,” said Kleynhans. “They’ll take all of those [consumer speed updates] and roll them into a single release and that will be a stake in the ground. That stake in the ground will stay there for 10 years or so, we expect.”
that slowest temp will also impact how Microsoft profits from its venerable OS: Corporate customers will have to pay for it.
“The ironic thing is that enterprises used to buy Software Assurance and pay a fee to stay current,” Silver said. “Now they’ll pay a fee to stay static.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Windows 10: If you’re using the Technical Preview, don’t install Media Center
http://www.neowin.net/news/windows-10-if-youre-using-the-technical-preview-dont-install-media-center
At the beginning of the month, just a day after showing off Windows 10 for the first time, Microsoft released the Technical Preview of its new OS. Like the event at which it was announced, the preview release is focused on the features that will appeal to business and enterprise customers, and is missing many of the bits that will target consumers.
One such feature that is absent from the Technical Preview is Windows Media Center, but some users have restored this feature by using the product key that they purchased for use in Windows 8.1. Unfortunately, this has created some issues for these users, which has led Microsoft to caution against doing this.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft’s JavaScript Engine Gets Two-Tiered Compilation
http://developers.slashdot.org/story/14/10/16/1311219/microsofts-javascript-engine-gets-two-tiered-compilation
The Internet Explorer team at Microsoft recently detailed changes to the JavaScript engine coming in Windows 10. A significant change is the addition of a new tier in the Just-in-Time (JIT) compiler. In Windows 10, the Chakra JS engine now includes a second JIT compiler that bridges the gap between slow, interpreted code and fast, optimized code. It uses this middle-tier compiler, called Simple JIT, as a “good enough” layer that can move execution away from the interpreter quicker than the Full JIT can.
Announcing key advances to JavaScript performance in Windows 10 Technical Preview
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/ie/archive/2014/10/09/announcing-key-advances-to-javascript-performance-in-windows-10-technical-preview.aspx
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Classic Control Panel In Windows May Be Gone
http://tech.slashdot.org/story/14/10/22/1852249/the-classic-control-panel-in-windows-may-be-gone
In Windows 8, there was an arrangement of two settings applications: the Control Panel for the desktop and the PC Settings app in the Modern UI side. With Windows 10, having the two different applications has started to look even more awkward,
work at Microsoft to unify the settings programs has begun.
Is Microsoft moving away from the traditional Control Panel in Windows 10?
http://www.neowin.net/news/is-microsoft-moving-away-from-the-traditional-control-panel-in-windows-10
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft promises Windows 10 will mean two-factor auth for all
Sneak peek at security features Redmond’s baking into new OS
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/10/22/microsoft_promises_windows_10_will_mean_twofactor_for_all/
Windows doesn’t have the best reputation for security, but Microsoft has been outlining a series of improvements in the new operating system that it believes will stymie hackers and leave corporate data more secure.
“We’re no longer facing an evolution in security threats but a revolution,” Chris Hallum, senior product manager for Windows told The Register. “The reality is that the systems currently in place don’t offer the fundamental immunity we need to deal with such threats.”
Hallum outlined three key technologies Microsoft will be building into Windows 10 that will be used to add protection
First, support for two-factor authentication is going to be built into the OS as standard and the preferred login setting. Full support for fingerprint recognition is being built into the stack, and there’ll also be support for other biometrics, but Microsoft sees the phone as the primary tool for adding two-factor auth to the system.
Only launch users will be able to turn their iOS, Android or Windows Phone smartphone into an authentication token that clears access via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.
Once users have logged in, Microsoft wants to safeguard the data they are using, and so is adding containerisation technology for each file, ensuring it is sandboxed and encrypted.
Finally, Microsoft is hoping to block whole classes of malware by instituting a code-signing system for software. All apps in the Windows Store will be checked for malware and signed off as safe for use (including 32-bit apps) and the company is also instituting a self-signing system for accredited ISVs to clear their apps, and for corporate IT departments to get home-grown code signed.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Windows 10 Includes a Linux-Style Package Manager Named “OneGet”
http://www.howtogeek.com/200334/windows-10-includes-a-linux-style-package-manager-named-oneget/
Forget the Windows Store. Microsoft is working on a Linux-style package management framework for Windows, and it’s included with Windows 10. It’s being tested with Chocolatey’s existing packages, and allows you to easily install desktop applications and other software.
This is huge news. If you’ve ever used Linux, you’ve probably wanted a package management system for the Windows desktop ever since. Now it’s finally arriving!
OneGet, a Package Management Framework for Windows
This package manager is called OneGet, and is shipping as part of PowerShell. In a blog post titled “My little secret : Windows PowerShell OneGet” over at Technet, Microsoft’s Garret Serack explains
My little secret : Windows PowerShell OneGet
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/garretts/archive/2014/04/01/my-little-secret-windows-powershell-oneget.aspx
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft shows off shiny new Win 10 PCs, compute-tastic Azure
Joe Belfiore presents auto-provisioning biz boxes
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/10/28/microsoft_shows_off_autoenrolling_windows_10_pcs_hpc_from_azure_batch_processing/
Microsoft’s TechEd Europe conference is under way in Barcelona, and this morning Microsoft corporate VP Joe Belfiore showed new management features in the forthcoming Windows 10.
Users will be able to log into Windows 10 using Azure Active Directory (AD), the cloud-based directory also used by Office 365, and get access to the Windows Store without the need for a personal Microsoft account.
Businesses can deploy their own apps through the store, so Belfiore demonstrated how a user might log into a new PC using Azure AD credentials and have corporate apps install automatically.
The requirement for both Azure AD and Microsoft accounts when working with Windows 8 and Office 365 has been a constant source of annoyance, so this is welcome simplification. It will also now be easier to synchronise on-premises AD with Azure AD, thanks to a new AD Connect tool.
Windows 10 PCs can be managed either by Group Policy (the traditional approach) or by using MDM (Mobile Device Management) tools. Two-factor authorisation, such as log-in protected by a code sent to a mobile phone, is easier to configure in Windows 10. New policies include the ability to specify that only signed applications can run.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft’s latest target release date for Office 16: Second half 2015
http://www.zdnet.com/microsofts-latest-target-release-date-for-office-16-second-half-2015-7000035155/
Summary: Microsoft is targeting the second half of calendar 2015 as its latest release target for both its next-generation Office client and server applications.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Windows 10 Build 9879 has many changes:
New build available to the Windows Insider Program
http://blogs.windows.com/bloggingwindows/2014/11/12/new-build-available-to-the-windows-insider-program/
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Windows 10 store will let businesses buy apps in bulk and offer private sections for their own apps
http://venturebeat.com/2014/11/20/the-windows-10-store-will-let-businesses-buy-apps-in-bulk-and-offer-private-sections-for-their-own-apps/
Microsoft today shared some more details about the Windows Store coming as part of Windows 10, which it previously revealed would be unified to work across all types of Windows devices (phones, tablets, and PCs). The company unveiled features specific to businesses and promised that they would arrive in Windows 10 previews released next year.
First up, Microsoft is promising organizations will get access to a new web-based Store portal (signing in will occur using Azure Active Directory identities). IT administrators will be able to browse the app catalog and acquire apps in bulk. Furthermore, it will be possible to assign apps acquired through the portal to people in the organization, who in turn will only need to click on a link to install them.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Windows 10 will support FLAC natively
http://www.neowin.net/news/windows-10-will-support-flac-natively
For media enthusiasts, Windows 10 is shaping up to be a good OS for your next media player as Microsoft has announced that FLAC support will ship with Windows 10. This codec is widely used and will be a welcomed addition to Windows 10.
FLAC stands for ‘Free Lossless Audio Codec’ and can shrink a file to roughly 50-60% of its original size; when decompressed the file goes back to its original state.
This additional codec is not the only new media support coming to Windows 10; Neowin had uncovered that MKV support will also ship with Windows 10 as well.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Leaked screenshots show next Windows kernel to be a perfect 10
Not since Vista has this happened
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/11/22/windows_kernel_version_10/
Microsoft surprised us by upping its Windows product numbering from 8.1 straight to 10, and now it appears it’s planning to make an even greater leap in the version numbering of the Windows kernel itself.
While Windows releases use familiar marketing brands – such as XP, Vista, 7, 8 and now 10 – the underlying operating system and kernel, part of the Windows NT family, has a separate version numbering system.
For example, Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2 both use kernel version 6.3. The most recent public build of Windows 10 Technical Preview, build 9874, uses kernel 6.4.
The last time the Windows kernel was upgraded to a new major version number, believe it or not, was when Windows Vista brought us to version 6.0
Some have speculated, however, that there really is a major kernel change afoot for Windows 10
tub-thumping about Redmond’s new “One Windows” strategy
Tomi Engdahl says:
Windows 10: Microsoft to combine the Windows app store – released a 30-second ad for it
As known in the past, Microsoft intends to combine the Windows app store for Windows 10′s publication.
In the future, Windows, and Windows Phone is no longer your own app stores, but all Windows platforms for applications are available for purchase and download from one universal Windows application store.
Microsoft Windows application store contains over 500 000 applications, so it is closed the rapidly catch up with Google and Apple application store a head start.
Windows 8.1 in the new, modern UI for applications designed to play a smaller part of the page, but your Windows Phone and Windows RT app store is everything.
Source: http://www.mbnet.fi/artikkeli/tietokoneet/windows_10_microsoft_yhdistaa_windows_sovelluskaupan_julkaisi_30_sekunnin_mainoksen
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft’s new 30 second ad promotes a unified Windows Store for all Windows devices
http://www.neowin.net/news/microsofts-new-30-second-ad-promotes-a-unified-windows-store-for-all-windows-devices
Microsoft is making it slightly less attractive to develop for Windows with the announcement that developers would no longer get 80% of sales commissions after earning $25,000 through the Windows Store.
Microsoft also officially announced last week something we’ve known all along, that the Windows Phone Store and Windows Store would be unified with the release of Windows 10.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Windows 10: A Store That’s Ready for Business
http://blogs.windows.com/business/2014/11/20/windows-10-a-store-thats-ready-for-business/
I’m excited to share this next chapter in our Windows 10 blog series, focused on enhancements we are making to the Windows Store – all of which are designed to help organizations acquire, create and deliver apps the way they want. This is a logical follow-up to our post on manageability choices in Windows 10. We believe that our Store investments, when combined with manageability innovations, will result in a Windows Store that is ready to meet the evolving needs of organizations of all sizes.
One unified app store across devices, one great experience
First, as we talked about in September, with Windows 10 we will deliver one Windows Store for all Windows devices. This unified Store will offer tremendous benefits for commercial software developers, enabling them to offer universal Windows apps that can be used across phone, tablet and PC form factors. For organizations, the unified Store will also offer a new web-based Store portal that will allow IT administrators to browse the app catalog and acquire apps in bulk.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Windows 10: Manageability Choices
http://blogs.windows.com/business/2014/11/07/windows-10-manageability-choices/
Last week at Microsoft’s TechEd conference in Europe we talked about the enterprise capabilities in Windows 10, starting with Joe Belfiore’s keynote presentation and continuing into a variety of breakout sessions where we could dig deeper into a number of areas such as security, deployment and manageability.
When it comes to Windows manageability, we’re proud of the capabilities that are built into Windows. But as your organization’s needs continue to evolve in this increasingly mobile-first world, we need to evolve the Windows management features as well so that they continue to offer the best capabilities, regardless of your scenario.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft Promises Managed, Web-Based App Stores For The Enterprise With Windows 10
http://techcrunch.com/2014/11/20/microsoft-promises-managed-web-based-app-stores-for-the-enterprise-with-windows-10/?ncid=rss
Microsoft previously announced that Windows 10, its next operating system, will contain a single app store that will work across device classes. Don’t make the Lord of the Rings joke.
The company also previously promised that organizations will be able to curate their own app experience for their users. Today, it announced that a “Web-based” store will be an option for companies that want control what apps their employees, say, can install. Apps that are assigned to a user will be up for installation with a single “click.”
This is a play towards the heart of large, enterprise customers. Offer IT folk new tools, and you might get their attention.
If you buy your own computer, this won’t impact you, but it could make Windows 10 more appetizing to large enterprise customers that shunned Windows 8. Microsoft is currently rolling out updates to its first Windows 10 preview, aimed at large clients. A consumer preview is expected to land in January.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft to unveil Windows 10 consumer features at January event
Consumer Preview is on the way
http://www.theverge.com/2014/11/27/7298717/windows-10-consumer-features-january-event
Microsoft is planning to detail the consumer features of Windows 10 at an event in January. While Microsoft will be present at the Consumer Electronics Show in early January, sources familiar with the company’s plans tell The Verge that Microsoft will hold a separate press event in late January to unveil the consumer preview of Windows 10. Microsoft previously promised “early 2015″ for a discussion on consumer features, and it appears the company is on track.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft will take to deliver the new Windows 10 operating system to the consumer preview version in January 2015. Microsoft will hold a separate press conference, and the launch will not happen Vegas CES fair.
Windows 10 beta testers have been in use for some time. Most likely, the final version of the operating system to be completed until later next year.
According to rumors, Windows 10 will next year version of the ARM processors. This same platform is available for both x86-based microcontroller with the mobile phones and tablets.
Source: http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2164:windows-10-tulee-esijakeluun-tammikuussa&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
Exclusive: Here’s Cortana running on the desktop in Windows 10
http://www.winbeta.org/news/exclusive-heres-cortana-running-desktop-windows-10
Cortana can do pretty much everything the Windows Phone version can. This includes reminders, call people with skype, check my location/maps, play/pause music, launch apps, check the weather and more. Right now, Cortana doesn’t have a personality in Windows 10, meaning she doesn’t answer questions like “Who are you”, however we have it on good authority that she will have this ability by the time she rolls out to the public.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft: Windows 10 still tracking for a late summer to fall 2015 launch wave
http://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-windows-10-still-tracking-for-a-summer-or-fall-2015-launch/
Summary:Microsoft is still planning to launch Windows 10 in late summer or early fall 2015, the company’s Chief Operating Officer said this week.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft says January Windows 10 build will excite sysadmins
Business users become the focus from early 2015
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/12/11/microsoft_says_january_windows_10_build_will_excite_sysadmins/
Microsoft will conduct a big, consumer-focussed, reveal of Windows 10′s progress in January, and not long afterwards will “move conversation” to the new operating system’s features for enterprise users.
Microsoft Australia representatives today told The Reg that sysadmins and business users should therefore pay close attention to the build of Windows 10 that emerges in January, and make sure to offer feedback, because it may be the last available opportunity to influence its final form. A feature freeze is coming, we were told, ahead of a big update for developers at the time of the Build conference in late May.
Hardware tuned to Windows 10 will then emerge around October 2015.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Windows 10 users forced to uninstall Office on Patch Tuesday
Seven patches, three re-releases and a headache for testers
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2386122/windows-10-users-forced-to-uninstall-office-on-patch-tuesday
USERS OF THE WINDOWS 10 Technical Preview have been advised to uninstall Microsoft Office before applying this month’s Patch Tuesday security updates, then to reinstall it.
Testers have been warned since the announcement and release of the Preview to expect complications and irregularities with the operating system as it is in no way considered finished.
It is rather an opportunity for people to feed back on its development before consumer release in the second half of 2015.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft ready to show off Windows 10 mobile SKU on January 21
http://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-ready-to-show-off-windows-10-mobile-sku-on-january-21/
Summary:Microsoft will share more about the Windows 10 ‘consumer experience’ at an event on January 21 in Redmond.
Tomi Engdahl says:
First Look at an early version of the Windows 10 Consumer Preview (video)
http://www.winbeta.org/news/first-look-early-version-windows-10-consumer-preview-video
Microsoft is yet to announce any consumer features which will be available in Windows 10, but thanks to a leak earlier today, we’ve got our hands on what appears to be an early build of what Microsoft is planning to reveal to consumers in January. The new build includes Cortana, an updated UI and many improved apps. So let’s dig in.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft sends invitations for Windows 10′s next chapter
Cortana, mobile and Xbox features all expected
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2386670/microsoft-sends-invitations-for-windows-10s-next-chapter
MICROSOFT HAS SENT invitations to an event on 21 January to unveil the “next chapter” of Windows 10.
The event is expected to reveal the Consumer Preview of Windows 10, and is to be streamed live, unlike the clandestine secrecy of the Technical Preview event in which we learned that Microsoft’s marketing department has a blind spot for the number nine.
Taking place on campus at Microsoft’s Redmond HQ, a variety of senior company bods will be there, including CEO Satya Nadella, suggesting that this is seen as the official launch of the successor to the much-maligned Windows 8.
The Windows 10 Technical Preview launched earlier this year has been a big hit with over a million downloads in the first week.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft says to expect AWESOME things of Windows 10 in January
Next build to be a major update
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/12/17/windows_10_awesome_january_build/
Microsoft says Windows Insider program members shouldn’t be upset that no more Windows 10 Preview builds are coming this year, because the build that’s expected to arrive in late January will be awesome – literally.
According to a blog post by Microsoft engineering manager Gabe Aul, Redmond devs are so excited about that upcoming build that they’ve dubbed its internal build branch “FBL_AWESOME.”
December Update on the Windows Insider Program
http://blogs.windows.com/bloggingwindows/2014/12/17/december-update-on-the-windows-insider-program/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Windows XP and Vista users will have to move to Windows 10 in the hard way
The older version of Windows, users can not upgrade their computers with Windows 10 time-phased.
Microsoft Windows XP and Windows Vista users will have to install Windows 10 from scratch. In practice, this means that over the years accumulated programs, settings and files lost during the installation process. This is not only a bad thing.
Clean installation, clean Windows
Windows Vista is often accused of heavy operating system. In part, this is even true, although the service pack 2 after the release of the operating system increased significantly.
Windows 10 requires at least one gigahertz processor clock speed of the bustling city, depending on the version one or two gigabytes of RAM, and a DirectX 9-compatible graphics card or display of the circuit. These are the absolute minimum requirements for the melt, but the user experience can only be achieved multi-core processors, as well as at least four GBs of RAM.
Source: http://www.mbnet.fi/artikkeli/tietokoneet/windows_xp_ja_vista_kayttajat_joutuvat_siirtymaan_windows_10_een_vaikeimman_kautta
Tomi Engdahl says:
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Sources: Windows 10′s Spartan browser will feature Cortana integration, stylus support for annotating webpages
http://www.theverge.com/2015/1/8/7516489/windows-10-new-browser-spartan-features
Tomi Engdahl says:
Windows 10: A comfort blanket for Microsoft’s biz users
Win 8, Vista? Pah! Never speak of such things again
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/01/20/windows_10_review/
Each time there’s a new version of Windows, Microsoft bills it as “the best Windows yet.”
History teaches us that each time Microsoft tries to really stretch itself and push the development envelope on Windows, it backfires.
Windows 8 was the most recent stumble in Microsoft’s journey, with Redmond throwing itself wholeheartedly into a touch-tablet system and throwing out the desktop.
The Microsoft cadre building Windows 8 deliberately pushed aside dissenting voices and the cultural legacy of Windows. In so doing, Microsoft got stuck with one of the least wanted versions of Windows in its history. Before that, Windows Vista was the pariah.
Windows Vista was intended as another landmark effort
In both cases, Microsoft failed to win consumers and business users. On the latter, businesses have been staying in away in droves and Microsoft’s share of the PC and tablet market on Windows 8 is only just a little over 10 per cent.
In both cases it has been Windows 7 that has saved Microsoft’s bacon.
Also, the painful switching between separate Metro and desktop worlds has been greatly reduced and the familiar Start Button is back, including Metro icons.
The word is balance: there is a continuum mode, something that will let Windows and the user flip between desktop and tablet rather than forcing everybody onto a tablets death march with a loaded rifle jabbing you in the small of the back. Charms remain for those who like to swipe their way between apps.
So, sanity returns to the world of Windows? Not quite.
Since the first – supposedly “enterprise” focused – Windows 10 technology preview last year, there have been rumours around more consumer-friendly features.
One is on integration with Microsoft’s digital assistant Cortana, the rival to Apple’s Siri and Google’s Now, which made its debut on the unwanted Windows Phone.
Cortana on the phone is used for voice-activated calls and searches, mapping, location and to launch apps.
Also reported is a new Windows browser, codenamed Spartan, which may or may not integrate with Cortana and work with digital inking for stylus input.
Spartan is reportedly not an automatic alternative to Internet Explorer, but rather an app that can be downloaded from the Microsoft app store.
It seems, though, that these glamorous features intended as tinsel to sell the idea that Windows 10 is a big breakthrough and distract from the Windows 8 pullback.
The truth, however, is Microsoft can’t afford to foist another Windows Vista or Windows 8 on its world because this time around there’s no alternative.
Microsoft has now stopped retailers and PC makers from selling and installing Windows 7.
Safe, desktoppy, with a step into tablets as and when it’s needed: Windows 10 looks like the future for all concerned, just not tech fashion zealots.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Will the fickle finger of fondleslab fate help Windows 10?
Even if it does, Microsoft’s price genie is hard to rebottle
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/01/21/will_the_fickle_finger_of_fondleslab_fate_help_windows_10/
For all that, Windows 8 was a bust, failing to lure shoppers away from Apple or Android tablets or get enterprises upgrading from Windows XP and 7.
Microsoft’s touch operating system has just over 10 per cent market share.
Windows 10 is described my Microsoft as the “next chapter” and there’s “single core” that’ll work on a variety of devices, including phones.
The PC market has stabilised from freefall and Gartner expects sales of Windows will grow faster than iOS.
It sounds like the end of Microsoft’s experiment with Windows 8, and the release of Windows 10 this year has come at just the right time. Just don’t expect big, juicy margins Microsoft.
Today’s tablet market is characterised by price consciousness, and with connection to internet services as standard.
To that end, Acer, Asus, Toshiba and Hewlett-Packard last year hit the market with laptops running Windows 8 with Bing, the version of Windows with Bing set as the standard search engine but that (significantly) is available at low-to-no license fee.
The idea is for OEMs to hit the market with cheap devices.
Rather than making money from the license fee, Microsoft’s goal is to cash in on services – bundling things like Office 365 for free for the first year and charged thereafter, when you forget to cancel.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Windows 10: It’s Microsoft’s date with DESTINY
Putting success on hold for another two years?
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/01/21/windows_10_meets_mobile/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Windows 10: Compact OS Does Holograms
Spartan browser takes on Google Chrome
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1325371&
Microsoft demonstrated several applications for Windows 10 at a live event today, highlighting the operating system’s cross-device compatibility and ease of use in new areas of technology such as holographics.
“We’re preparing for a world where there are more devices than people,” Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said. “It’s not mobility of any single device but the mobility of experience across devices.”
Microsoft has previously shown Windows 10 for devices larger than 8 inches; the company showed the OS on smaller form factors such as the Lumia 1520. Joe Belfiore, who runs Microsoft’s Windows phone, tablet, and PC design teams, highlighted multiple features available for smaller devices in the next three to five months. Windows 10 is under development with the following features:
Universal applications including Word, Power Point, Outlook, and Excel
Support for wireless printing
Cortana with multiple language and impression capabilities
More integrated IP-based messaging services
Auto-creation of photo albums
Microsoft has integrated DirectX 12 into Windows 10 to improve gaming and entertainment across form factors. Xbox team head Phil Spencer said DirectX 12 will improve performance of CPU-bound games up to 50% while cutting power consumption in half. To take advantage of this improved performance, an Xbox app will be available on all Windows 10 devices and Xbox One games will stream on any PC or phone later this year.
Players can capture, edit, and share gaming moments with Game DVR, and play new games with friends across devices, a release stated. Microsoft partnered with Unity, a large game engineering company, and Lionhead Studios to demonstrate several gaming possibilities.
Microsoft built a new browser to accommodate the growing capabilities of Windows. Codenamed Project Spartan, the browser is a more interactive version of existing browsers tailored to touch devices.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The next generation of Windows: Windows 10
http://blogs.windows.com/bloggingwindows/2015/01/21/the-next-generation-of-windows-windows-10/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Darrell Etherington / TechCrunch:
Windows 10′s Mobile Debut Reveals Cross-Platform Features And Skype Integration
http://techcrunch.com/2015/01/21/windows-10s-mobile-debut-reveals-cross-platform-features-and-skype-integration/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Windows 10 hands-on: Microsoft got it right this time
Windows makes sense again
http://www.theverge.com/2015/1/21/7863711/windows-10-tablet-hands-on-photos-video
We’ve just spent a few minutes with a build of Windows 10 on a few different computers, including a Microsoft Surface Pro 3. It’s snappy and fast in a way that some doubters don’t believe Windows can be — but more importantly, everything feels faster because there are just fewer concepts to juggle in your head when you are navigating around.
Microsoft has essentially made the distinction between desktop apps and “Modern” apps (or whatever we’re calling them these days) invisible to the end user. You can switch between them seamlessly and manage them either snapped to half or full screen or windowed. Basically, everything is just a window, and it’s great.
That “everything is just a window” philosophy has other effects — notably in a feature called “Continuum.” When you disconnect a keyboard (or flip a convertible device into tablet mode), Windows prompts you to switch to tablet mode, where you are able to fat-finger windows instead of using precise mouse movements. The exact way it will work will vary from OEM to OEM
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nicole Lee / Engadget:
Microsoft’s Cortana virtual assistant is coming to the PC with Windows 10
http://www.engadget.com/2015/01/21/cortana-desktop-pc-windows10/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Jordan Novet / VentureBeat:
Windows 10 will be free for the first year for Windows 7, 8.1, and Windows Phone 8.1 users
Microsoft will offer free Windows 10 upgrades from Windows 8.1, Windows Phone 8.1, and Windows 7 for one year
http://venturebeat.com/2015/01/21/windows-10-free-upgrades/
Microsoft will be providing some Windows users with free upgrades to the newest version of the operating system, Windows 10, the company announced today.
“I’m very excited to announce that for the first year after Windows 10 is available, we will be making available a free upgrade to Windows 10 to all devices running Windows 8.1,” said Terry Myerson, executive vice president of Microsoft’s Operating Systems group, kicking off a series of news announcements at a press event.
A free Windows 10 upgrade is coming to all devices running Windows Phone 8.1. And for the first year after Windows 10 is available, Microsoft will provide a free upgrade to all customers still running Windows 7, Myerson said.
Tomi Engdahl says:
In addition to Project Spartan, Windows 10 will include Internet Explorer for enterprise sites
http://venturebeat.com/2015/01/22/in-addition-to-project-spartan-windows-10-will-include-internet-explorer-for-enterprise-sites/
After unveiling its new Project Spartan browser for Windows 10 yesterday, Microsoft today offered more details. The company confirmed that Windows 10 will also include Internet Explorer for enterprise sites, though it didn’t say how exactly this will work.
Spartan comes with a new rendering engine, which doesn’t rely on the versioned document modes the company has historically used. It also provides compatibility with the millions of existing enterprise websites specifically designed for Internet Explorer by loading the IE11 engine when needed. In this way, the browser uses the new rendering engine for modern websites and the old one for legacy purposes.
The wording seems to imply that enterprise customers will be able to obtain a copy of Windows 10 that specifically comes with Internet Explorer, something we saw a hint of yesterday.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Emil Protalinski / VentureBeat:
Microsoft announces Office 2016 universal apps for Windows 10 will arrive in the second half of 2015
Microsoft announces Office 2016, coming in the second half of 2015
http://venturebeat.com/2015/01/22/microsoft-announces-office-2016-slated-for-release-in-the-second-half-of-2015/
At its Windows 10 event yesterday, Microsoft unveiled the touch-optimized version of Office. Today, the company offered more details about that version, and then snuck in another announcement: The next desktop version is under development, it is called Office 2016, and it will be generally available “in the second half of 2015.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft VP Details Windows 10 Update for Windows Phone Users
by Brett Howse on January 22, 2015 5:05 PM EST
http://www.anandtech.com/show/8924/microsoft-vp-details-windows-10-update-for-windows-phone-users
Microsoft used its Lumia Conversations blog today to give some of the details for the upcoming software update for Windows Phone, which will be moved to Windows 10.
Though Chris Weber did not address all devices, he did specifically mention the new low end Lumia 435, and that their goal is “for the majority of the Lumia phones running Windows Phone 8 and 8.1 to join the Windows ecosystem” so there should be no issues with any Lumia device getting upgraded.
Phone OEMs, they should be safe too but of course that may depend on each OEM and wireless carriers updating the devices, which is not always the case.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Windows RT Will Not Get Windows 10 Update
by Brett Howse on January 22, 2015 5:30 PM EST
http://www.anandtech.com/show/8925/windows-rt-will-not-get-windows-10-update
Microsoft has confirmed today that Windows RT will not be upgraded to Windows 10. The official statement from the company is that Surface Pro will be updated to Windows 10, and “we are working on an update for Surface (RT and Surface 2), which will have some of the functionality of Windows 10.” For anyone who purchased either the Surface RT, or the Surface 2, this is a fairly poor message, especially considering the Surface 2 was still for sale not very long ago.
Windows RT was certainly a marketing failure, and arrived at the wrong time and for the wrong reasons.
There were advantages to Windows RT of course, with little chance of malware finding its way onto the system, but the Windows Store ecosystem still lags behind iOS and Android as far as the number of tablet apps available.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft Announces Office 2016 and Office For Windows 10 Coming Later This Year
http://tech.slashdot.org/story/15/01/23/0449213/microsoft-announces-office-2016-and-office-for-windows-10-coming-later-this-year?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Slashdot%2Fslashdot%2Fto+%28%28Title%29Slashdot+%28rdf%29%29
Tomi Engdahl says:
Windows RT machines will get some sort of Windows 10 update
But it’s looking RT farty for the long-term
By Chris Merriman
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2391828/windows-rt-machines-will-get-some-sort-of-windows-10-update
MICROSOFT HAS denied any suggestions that its iPad storage facility, the Surface, is not going to get a Windows 10 upgrade.
There had been some suggestion after the Wednesday launch, in which the tablet range was only given a limited exposure, that Windows 10 would not be rolling out on the Surface.
However a spokesman for Microsoft confirmed to The INQUIRER: “Surface Pro 3 and the entire Surface Pro lineup will update to Windows 10. We are working on an update for Surface [Windows RT], which will have some of the functionality of Windows 10. More information to come.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
DirectX 12 Lies Dormant Within Microsoft’s Recent Windows 10 Update
http://tech.slashdot.org/story/15/01/25/2056250/directx-12-lies-dormant-within-microsofts-recent-windows-10-update
DirectX 12 is actually enabled in this Windows 10 release, though unfortunately we’ll need to wait for graphics drivers and apps that support it, to take advantage of DX 12 features and performance enhancements.
http://hothardware.com/news/directx-12-lies-dormant-within-microsofts-recent-windows-10-update