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Microsoft Announces Windows 10

Today at a press conference in San Francisco, Microsoft announced the new version of their flagship operating system, called Windows 10. (Yes, t-e-n. I don't know.) With the new version of the operating system, they'll be unifying the application platform for all devices: desktops, laptops, consoles, tablets, and phones. As early leaks showed, the Start Menu is back — it's a hybrid of old and new, combining a list of applications with a small group of resizable tiles that can include widgets. Metro-style apps can now each operate inside their own window (video). There's a new, multiple-desktop feature, which power users have been demanding for years, and also a feature that lets users easily grab objects from one desktop and transfer it to another. The command line is even getting some love. The Technical Preview builds for desktops and laptops will be available tomorrow through the Windows Insider Program. They're requesting feedback from customers. Windows 10 will launch in late 2015.

54 of 644 comments (clear)

  1. Unified Experience Across Devices by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Isn't that what Windows 8 was supposed to do? I am confused.

    1. Re:Unified Experience Across Devices by BarbaraHudson · · Score: 5, Interesting

      You're not the only one, obviously, and that's intentional. By calling it Windows 10, they're trying to put as much distance as possible between it and Windows 8. And make 7 look even more "old".

      --
      "Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
    2. Re:Unified Experience Across Devices by jd2112 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      You're not the only one, obviously, and that's intentional. By calling it Windows 10, they're trying to put as much distance as possible between it and Windows 8. And make 7 look even more "old".

      And the OS version will probably report something linke 'Version 6.5.xxxx'

      --
      Any insufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology.
    3. Re:Unified Experience Across Devices by bondsbw · · Score: 5, Interesting

      And the OS version will probably report something linke 'Version 6.5.xxxx'

      This seems odd, but they do it on purpose for driver compatibility.

      --
      All my liberal friends think I'm a conservative, all my conservative friends think I'm a liberal.
    4. Re:Unified Experience Across Devices by VGPowerlord · · Score: 5, Informative

      Not just driver compatibility.

      Windows 7 fixed a bunch of Vista compatibility issues with programs built for XP simply by having the version be set to 6.1.

      Turns out that companies doing braindead Windows version detection of

      if (majorVersion >= 5 && minorVersion >= 1)

      had it fail spectacularly for version 6.0.

      --
      GLaDOS for President 2016! "Well here we are again. It's always such a pleasure." -- GLaDOS, 2011
    5. Re:Unified Experience Across Devices by jd2112 · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Not just driver compatibility.

      Windows 7 fixed a bunch of Vista compatibility issues with programs built for XP simply by having the version be set to 6.1.

      Turns out that companies doing braindead Windows version detection of

      if (majorVersion >= 5 && minorVersion >= 1)

      had it fail spectacularly for version 6.0.

      Particularly bad since Windows does have built-in functions to compare version numbers (eg. major.minor.patch.build format)

      --
      Any insufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology.
    6. Re:Unified Experience Across Devices by tompaulco · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Unified Experience Across Devices

      Which basically means that the UI for all platforms are dumbed down to the least capable device.
      So which competitor to Windows is offering basically the opposite, ie, an Experience tailored to the device? That's the one I will be buying.

      --
      If you are not allowed to question your government then the government has answered your question.
    7. Re: Unified Experience Across Devices by PsychoSlashDot · · Score: 4, Informative

      Windows 9x-ME was really Windows 4 all along. 2000 was version 5, XP-10 is version 6.

      I don't want to be pedantic, but since we're all being pedantic, I guess I'll do it anyway. You're looking at the wrong codebase. The predecessor of Win2k (v5) was WinNT 4 (v4). The predecessor of that was WinNT 3.5 (v3.5). The predecessor of that Was WinNT 3.1 (v3.1).

      WinME was based on the consumer codebase that (in inverted order) was Win3.x, Win95, Win98, WinME. The entire Win9X/ME series reported internal version 4.x but that had nothing to do with the codebase we run today. Again, Win95 was literally v4.0 and Win98 was v4.1 but the current kernel had its very own v4 (and v3) and WinME wasn't it.

      --
      "Oh no... he found the .sig setting."
    8. Re:Unified Experience Across Devices by tompaulco · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I don't care for consistency in UI between my smart phone and my desktop. On my smartphone, I am stuck with a tiny screen, with not input method other than my fingers and a couple of buttons. On my desktop, I have a mouse and keyboard, which are dozens of times more efficient. I only use my smart phone for apps if I don't have a more efficient method readily available at the moment. I have no desire to be stuck with that input method on my desktop.

      --
      If you are not allowed to question your government then the government has answered your question.
    9. Re:Unified Experience Across Devices by jd2112 · · Score: 5, Funny

      Well, how many times have you seen "let's make our own date/time/number/argument/xml parser"?

      Weeks of programming can save you from the arduous task of 5 minutes of searching Google.

      --
      Any insufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology.
  2. Better call it Windows 11 by jkrise · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Everyone knows the even number versions suck.

    --
    If you keep throwing chairs, one day you'll break windows....
    1. Re:Better call it Windows 11 by plebeian · · Score: 5, Informative

      Everyone knows the even number versions suck.

      You forget windows 2000. When compared to the alternatives at the time it was a kick a$$ operating system.

      --
      "I myself am made entirely of flaws, stitched together with good intentions."
    2. Re:Better call it Windows 11 by jfdavis668 · · Score: 4, Funny

      This one goes to 11, it's one louder

    3. Re:Better call it Windows 11 by scm · · Score: 4, Informative

      Wasn't Windows 2000 technically version 5.0? IIRC that's the version number it reported. Also IIRC, XP was 5.1, Vista was 6.0.

  3. Windows OS X by glennrrr · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Sounds familiar.

    1. Re:Windows OS X by Art3x · · Score: 5, Funny

      Sounds familiar.

      Yes, they should use the Roman numeral and call this Windows X. Apple did it, and it was cool. Then they could call their next version Windows 10 Plus, or for short, Windows XP. Businesses will jump right on that one.

  4. we are DOOOMED!!! by ganjadude · · Score: 4, Funny

    based on previous rollouts, we are doomed. xp - good, vista - garbage. 7 good- 8 garbage. if we are skipping 9 (which historically would be the good release) and go to 10 will be a disaster! Someone needs to tell MS that users skip a generation of windows, not them!

    --
    have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
    1. Re:we are DOOOMED!!! by nine-times · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Nah, it's fine. Every other release is garbage, not every odd number. How would you possibly try to figure out Microsoft's numbering, anyway? Their version numbers go from 3 to 95, jumps to 98, 2000, then goes to the lettering, ME and XP (are those roman numerals?). Then in goes to Vista. Now, lets be fair. 95 and 98 are the years, so let's just count. So 95 is version 4, 98 is version 5, 2000 is version 6, ME is version 8, XP is version 9, and Vista is version 10. So next comes 11, right? Nope, version 7.

      Ok, but some of those were professional builds, right? So let's just start from NT v4 and count major NT releases. 2000 is version 5, XP is version 6, Vista is version 7, and... wait.

      Wait, wait, I know, let's look at Microsoft's internal versioning numbers. NTv4 is version 4, 2000 is version 5, XP is version 5.1, Vista is version 6. Ok this is making sense, because next version after vista (v6) should be 7, right? Nope, Windows 7's internal version number is v6.1. Windows 8 is version 6.2. WTF?

    2. Re:we are DOOOMED!!! by chuckugly · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Engineering, meet marketing.

      The internal version numbers are completely sensible, the marketing names are dreamed up by marketing people, what did you expect, logic?

  5. April fools! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Truth stranger than fiction...

  6. Re:Skipping a version number by TubeSteak · · Score: 4, Insightful

    They're not skipping a version number.
    Windows 9 is basically going to be a Service Pack for Windows 8.

    Confirmed: Windows 9 to be a free upgrade for Windows 8 users

    Releasing Win10 so quickly supports the idea that Win9 is just an update.
    Win10 is really what they want all the Win7 users to move to.

    --
    [Fuck Beta]
    o0t!
  7. Re:Catching up with Fedora by Aighearach · · Score: 4, Funny

    Yeah, the feature list sounds like a 90s linux desktop. Is Windows finally ready for the power-user desktop?! This could be the year.

  8. Re:OMFG, stupid by kthreadd · · Score: 5, Funny

    Look at it from the bright side, at least it wasn't called Windows One.

  9. Microsoft skips 'too good' Windows 9, jumps to Win by neilo_1701D · · Score: 5, Funny

    From InfoWorld, April 1, 2013:

    If you've been looking forward to Windows 9, the OS that will fix what Windows 8 got wrong, you're in for a surprise: There will be no Windows 9. Instead, Microsoft announced it will proceed directly to Windows 10.

    "The Windows 9 internal beta was a phenomenal success," said Microsoft PR rep Cheryl Tunt. "I mean, it blew Windows 8 out of the water, and as we all know, Windows 8 is nigh flawless. After discussion at the C level, Microsoft has decided it will not mess with success and will leave Windows 9 exactly as it is. As such, work is now getting under way on Windows 10, which should see a public release."

    http://www.infoworld.com/artic...

  10. No 9? by Retron · · Score: 5, Interesting

    When I was a kid I remember reading that in Japanese, "4" sounded like death and "9" sounded like suffering. A quick bit of Googling 25 years on and:

    "[In Japanese] Nine is also sometimes pronounced ku, which can mean suffering."

    I'm guessing they skipped Windows 9 because they didn't want it to sound like "Windows Suffering" in parts of the world!

    1. Re:No 9? by baka_toroi · · Score: 4, Informative

      Windows 7 is "uindouzu sebun" (seven) in Japanese, and not "nana" or "shichi." Same goes for 8 (eito instead of "hachi"), So 9 would've been "uindouzu nain" and not "ku."

  11. Re:Need to see how to get in the Windows Insider P by Aighearach · · Score: 5, Funny

    Don't let them bring you down, I'm sure this is finally the update where windows is ready for the desktop. What do you have without your dreams?

  12. Everything makes sense now! by xepel · · Score: 5, Funny

    I used to think that Microsoft's problems were due to leadership issues and completely ignoring their userbase's wants and needs...

    But no! Really, the problem is that they've been coding everything in base 9!

  13. Re: Missed opportunity by VTBlue · · Score: 5, Funny

    The coolest things have X:

    OS X
    Windows X
    Xbox
    Malcolm X
    Mega Man X
    X-wing ...
    Xylophone

  14. Re:Skipping a version number by BarbaraHudson · · Score: 4, Informative

    Not quite. If you read the article, what the article is calling "Windows 9" is now "Windows 10."

    Also, from the same site, if your computer came with Windows 8 installed, you'll have to pay to upgrade. Which ain't gonna happen.

    --
    "Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
  15. Re:OMFG, stupid by cayenne8 · · Score: 5, Funny
    Shouldn't it be called "WinX"?

    Then, we'd know it was on par and lock step with Apple's OS going forward.

    ;)

    --
    Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
  16. detailed feature list leaked! by sootman · · Score: 5, Funny

    Full list of planned features here.

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  17. Re:Camel = Horse designed by committee... by neilo_1701D · · Score: 4, Informative

    2) Multiple desktops is nice. Been using it on OSX and Linux forever. From what I can tell the functionality seems a bit limited in Windows 10 but it's a start.

    Windows, since XP, has had this ability. You needed a SysInternals tool to enable it. But, finally, a welcome addition.

    I've been using Windows 8 for about a year now on my home PC and, metro interface aside, it's great. .... The guts of the system are fine.

    And that, my friend, is the great tragedy that is Windows 8. Underneath the flawed user interface is the best Windows NT system ever. Considering what it does, it uses less memory, is more stable, runs faster and is downright better than any Windows before.

  18. Windows NG was a better name by Spy+Handler · · Score: 4, Funny

    Windows: Next Generation

    Can be shortened to WiNG

    Maybe even a flying wing logo. (man oh man why didn't I become a genius advertising guru instead of a loser IT geek)

    And the version after this could be called Windows into Darkness

    1. Re:Windows NG was a better name by suutar · · Score: 4, Funny

      Well, after avoiding 9, going to Windows DS9 would be silly, but Windows Voyager could work.

  19. Re:OMFG, stupid by jamiesan · · Score: 5, Funny

    And if they create a Developer Edition, They can call it Windows Developer Edition X..... WinDEX!

  20. Re:Skipping a version number by Minwee · · Score: 5, Funny

    Calling it "Windows 8.2" would support the idea that Windows 9 was just an update.

    Skipping straight to Windows 10 makes it look like they're either just messing with us, or trying to compete with WordPerfect again.

  21. Re:MS did this before with MS Word by jfdavis668 · · Score: 4, Informative

    Word for Windows jumped to 6 to match Word for Mac, not Wordperfect. Word on the Mac was already at 6.

  22. this must be stopped. by nimbius · · Score: 5, Funny

    Gentlemen I'm from the future, a microsoft you do not yet know, and I bring dire warnings. here in this foul year of 2054 where we've reached windows 456,776 elite premium solar helium wombat version, the releases never end.. The upcoming version is just a box with a nine volt battery and a stack of old playing cards but we cannot stop. newer products are being released every millisecond without so much as a tertiary consideration for what, if anything, users still want from us. The leaks are also getting worse, with version 914,135 electric pickle teleportation premium recently being leaked from the year 2089 by a screaming, sweating man in a time-suit known only as ball-mar. The latest version of Microsoft Windows RT CBBQ pro pony mobile implant indigestion premium was also mistakenly leaked to a confused Thomas Jefferson during a continental congress meeting of the Land Ordinance of 1784. this was approved by the Microsoft board of directors in the year 2153, despite the computer not even existing, with a standing ovation.

    help us. Even now windows 11-14 are being released. First to feral cats off a european costal city, next to an air conditioner in tempe arizona, and finally to a street light in a dennys parking lot. Windows 28 will simultaneously require, and forbid, the use of a touchscreen to gain functionality to a windows "start" button (later this will be renamed the Gorloc device, in honor of Gorlok the malevolent for a future release predicted by the corporate runemaster during the coming interplanetary ork battle.) I beg you, stop the madness.

    --
    Good people go to bed earlier.
  23. Yes multiple desktops! by Kludge · · Score: 4, Funny

    Windows has caught up with fvwm. 1.

    1. Re:Yes multiple desktops! by ArcadeMan · · Score: 4, Funny

      I had multiple desktops over 30 years ago. One desk had a Commodore 64, another desk had a Color Computer 2, etc.

  24. Re:Catching up with Fedora by Austerity+Empowers · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Doesn't see to have a real shell yet. Bash, csh, tcsh, I don't care. Windows is a gaming OS unless it can put productivity back. Otherwise it's OS X or Linux...

  25. Dear MS by Opportunist · · Score: 4, Insightful

    One size fits all never worked. It doesn't with underwear, it doesn't even with socks. Sorry. Cutting corners here will only mean that your OS will be the WORST choice on ALL products. Because every other product in the market that is fitted to the type of device it is meant to run on will have a better suited interface and give the user a better experience.

    One size fits all is nothing but a mediocre compromise, and by definition inferior to any specialized solution.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  26. Re:Skipping a version number by SJHillman · · Score: 4, Informative

    Here's the thing... those are are marketing numbers, not version numbers. If you go by their internal version numbers, they make a lot more sense, and better reflect incremental changes vs total rewrites.

    Windows 2000 - 5.0
    Windows XP - 5.1
    Windows XP 64-Bit/Server 2003 (incl R2) - 5.2
    Windows Vista/Server 2008 - 6.0
    Windows Server 2008 R2 - 6.1
    Windows 7 - 6.1
    Windows 8 - 6.2
    Windows Server 2012 R2 - 6.3
    Windows 8.1 - 6.3

    Before Windows 2000/XP, there were two completely separate OSes (NT and DOS), rather than simply different editions of the same OS. Because 2000 and later are the successors to NT, that's why it starts with 5.0.

    So why did NT start at 3.x? Because it started life as the successor to OS/2 1.3 and 2.0, known as OS/2 3.0. When it shifted to become Windows rather than OS/2, it kept the version number.

    The DOS based Windows go: 1.01, 1.03, 1.04, 2.0, 2.10, 2.11, 3.00, 3.10, 3.11, 3.2, 4.0 (Win95), 4.10 (Win98), 4.90 (WinMe)

    Windows versioning numbers makes a lot more sense once you separate the marketing name from the actual version number. MS Office works the same way (e.g. Office 10 is Office XP).

  27. Re: Missed opportunity by Calydor · · Score: 4, Funny

    No, those are the hottest things, not the coolest.

    --
    -=This sig has nothing to do with my comment. Move along now=-
  28. Re:Catching up with Fedora by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    oi excuse me? PowerShell is actually pretty damn awesome. It's very powerful.

  29. About god damn time.. by william.meaney1 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    That i can use CTRL-C and CTRL-V on the command line. Jesus christ...

  30. Re:OMFG, stupid by Moof123 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Or they could adopt the new place names like Yosemite. Being a Washington state company they should do Windows Mount St. Helens.

  31. Re: Missed opportunity by Richy_T · · Score: 5, Funny

    Or, (can't believe I missed this) Windows 0Ah

    Abbreviated as "W0Ah" and endorsed by Keanu Reeves

  32. Windows 10 by apcullen · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's actually just a re-do of Windows 8, but they wrote it in octal.

  33. Re:Catching up with Fedora by Austerity+Empowers · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Except it's not *sh, all my sh* is in *sh, and all my sh* runs on Linux's *sh and OS X's *sh. I'm not interested in being tied to anyone's platform, not in my shell, not in my language (No C#, .NET Obj-C, Swift, other bullshit).

    Without *sh the OS is useless to me.

  34. Re:Catching up with Fedora by DocHoncho · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Terseness??

    PS C:\> Get-ChildItem

    [INSERT LONG ASS LIST OF FILES HERE IN SIMILAR FORMAT TO ls -l THAT SLASHDOT REFUSES TO LET ME POST]

    PS C:\> Set-Location dev
    PS C:\dev> Get-Content _vimrc .....


    How one might obtain a directory listing in a concise format is beyond me.
    Sure, those stupid commands are aliased to ls and cd, but the "real" versions are indicative of how all the commands are named. Names only a Java dev could love. Invoke-some-random-command-with-a-very-long-name-for-no-reason. LOL.

    My personal favorite, however, is command invocation:

    PS C:\> 7z.exe
    Bad numeric constant: 7. (What??)

    PS C:\> '7z.exe'
    7z.exe (Uh...)

    PS C:\> & '.\7z.exe' (WTF?)

    7-Zip 9.20 Copyright (c) 1999-2010 Igor Pavlov 2010-11-18

    Every command drags you further and further down into the soul crushing hell that is COM, or whatever the current framework du jour is this year. I suppose it must be useful for something, but I think I'll stick with GnuWin32 and the powershell's idiot cousin, cmd.exe when I absolutely must work on a windows box.

    Terseness. Hah. I'm sure the poor sons of bitches stuck administering a bunch of crufty Windows boxes get some millage out of it, but I'll be damned if I'd use it for day to day CLI work.

    --
    Celebrity worship is a poor substitute for Deity worship and costs more to boot.
  35. Re:Catching up with Fedora by shutdown+-p+now · · Score: 4, Informative

    Yes, terseness. Have you heard of this fancy thing called "aliases"? Powershell has quite a few out of the box. For example, "Get-ChildItem" is aliased to... "ls". And "Set-Location" is aliased to "cd". And "Get-Helped" is aliased to "man". And aliases work everywhere, so "man ls" works exactly as you'd expect it to.

    On the other hand, when you have no clue of what a particular command might be to do something that you need done, your chances of guessing it in PSh are much higher, because the canonical names are descriptive rather than terse.

  36. Re:Re-Sizable Tiles? by NormalVisual · · Score: 4, Funny

    Can they be ajar?

    If they're written in Java, maybe.

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