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Guru3D.com » News » Microsoft skips Windows 9, its now Windows 10

Microsoft skips Windows 9, its now Windows 10

by Hilbert Hagedoorn on: 09/30/2014 07:06 PM | source: | 190 comment(s)
Microsoft skips Windows 9, its now Windows 10

Microsoft has been providing an early look at the next version of Windows, the company will be calling the new OS Windows 10. Early photos and screen-shots have already appeared on the web , showing builds with a hybrid start menu combining Windows 7-era features with Windows 8 style tiles. Business customers are likely to receive early access soon, to begin testing and provide feedback.

So correct it's not Windows TH, Windows X, Windows One, and even Windows 9 ... it's Windows 10.

The software will run on a wide range of devices from smartphones and tablets to PCs and Xbox games consoles, with applications sold from a single store. It also marks the return of the Start Menu, which had been removed from Windows 8. With Windows 10, Microsoft will offer a single platform on which to develop applications for phones, tablets, laptops, desktops and wall-sized PCs. It’s not one size fits all, and instead will vary depending on the hardware on which it’s running.

Return of the classic desktop and Start menu. Windows 10 will come with a classic looking desktop, which should please Windows fans that miss Windows 7 (shown above). This means there will be a Start menu, too, although it looks a bit different than the menu we're used to. As previous leaks had indicated, the Start menu looks like a hybrid of a standard menu and the tiled Windows 8 interface.

Continuum. Microsoft is adding a new feature called Continuum that allows the operating system to adapt based on what type of device you're using. For example, if you're using a mouse and keyboard you'll get the standard desktop view. But if you're using a Windows tablet hybrid, you'll switch to "tablet mode" once you disconnect the keyboard.

Apps will run on the desktop. Windows 8 apps, which were initially designed for touch, will now work with the mouse and keyboard and will run in the desktop. Microsoft is clearly making its software more PC-friendly. 

Better multitasking. There's a new "task view" button on the task bar that lets you easily switch between apps.

An improved Snap feature. With Windows 10, you'll be able to snap multiple apps alongside one another. Based on Microsoft's demo, it looks like you can snap more apps together than you could before with previous versions of Windows.

“Windows 10 will be our most comprehensive platform ever,” he said. Myerson said the company is “starting the dialogue” with enterprise customers today. He noted that they’re still buying PCs, and business sales grew 14 percent in the first half of the year.

For business users, the first priority is that the operating system be “familiar” whether they are coming from Windows 7 or Windows 8 so they can immediately be productive. The second priority is “modern management” of a fleet of computers.  Myerson was followed by Microsoft Vice President Joe Belfiore to provide a demo. Belfiore showed the new start menu that surfaces in the lower left corner. It indeed combines a traditional list of “most used” programs and files, a search box and a panel populated with Windows 8 style “live tiles.”

Customers like the tiles and they are customizable, he said. The tiles can be made taller or wider, changing the height and width of the start menu. “It gives the familiarity of Windows 7 with some of the new benefits that exist in Windows 8,” he said.

Belfiore noted how the menu combines traditional Win32 apps with apps built for Windows 8 and Windows Phone and distributed through Microsoft’s app store. 

We don’t want that duality,” he said, adding that “regardless of how an app was written it “works the way you expect.” Belfiore also demonstrated Windows 10′s improved handling of multiple desktops on a single screen, including more control over “snapping” these windowed panels into different locations on the desktop. The “alt-tab” control has been updated to scroll through open windows. This isn’t earth-shaking but it shows how Microsoft has to develop the software for a wide range of users, from novices to advanced users, he said. 

At the far end of this spectrum are people who may appreciate improvements to using the “command prompt” capability, which Belfiore demonstrated. It took half an hour before touch controls were mentioned, in contrast to the Windows 8 emphasis on touchscreens and a new “charms” control menu that disappeared until summoned.

Instead of designing first for touchscreens, Windows 10 is using touch to extend the mouse-and-keyboard experience ‘so it feels natural,” Belfiore said. “I expect that charms bar to change,” he said.At the same time, Microsoft still sees a lot of potential in “two in one” devices that work as both a tablet and a traditional laptop. The “Windows 8 focus on touch was trying to salute the idea that people would be productive on these touch devices but we didn’t quite get it right,” Belfiore said. New consumer features are coming but aren’t being shown yet. Instead, the company’s reaching out first to enterprise customers. Starting tomorrow, Microsoft will release a technical preview for laptops and desktops through its “Windows Insider Program” for business customers and advanced users. Later the company will release new software for servers and management tools and other device categories. “We think it’s time to show the world and start that feedback cycle going,” Belfiore said. Myerson cautioned that the software is still early and of variable quality at this point.

“Windows 10 will be our most open, collaborative OS project ever,” he said.

A broader release of the software is likely in mid-2015, after the company’s BUILD developer conference. Asked for more explanation of the name, Myerson and Belfiore first related the kids’ joke about how “seven ate nine” but then gave a more serious answer. “When you see the product in its fullness I think you’ll agree with us it’s a more appropriate name for the breadth of the product family that’s coming,” he said.

“It was a name that resonated best for what we will deliver,” he added. Myerson declined to discuss whether Microsoft will change the way it sells or licenses Windows with the release of Windows 10. Asked about designing an operating system that spans business and consumer usage, Belfiore said the company believes it can design a user experience that scales across the scenarios. The starting point is recognizing that the users are “not different humans,” he said, adding that “people who use a phone or a PC or a tablet to do work are the same people who use a phone or a PC or a tablet at home.” “Fundamentally it feels like a problem we can solve,” he said.

Microsoft will offer a "technical preview" of Windows 10 to early adopters later this week, which will run on laptops and desktops.

The company said it would provide details about the introduction of "universal apps" - individual programs that tailor their functionality to different types of devices - in April, and would aim to release the completed OS before the end of 2015.



Microsoft skips Windows 9, its now Windows 10 Microsoft skips Windows 9, its now Windows 10




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Neo Cyrus
Senior Member



Posts: 9607
Joined: 2006-02-14

#4937610 Posted on: 10/15/2014 02:20 AM
Which is more efficient? Opening an e-mail application and waiting for it to sync with your e-mail service, or simply looking at a live tile that's sync'd to your e-mail at regularly intervals? When I need to check my e-mail, I simply hit the Windows key and look at the Mail tile. There's no need for me to open the mail app to see if I have e-mail because it's displayed right on the tile. That's the most efficient way possible to check your e-mail. It can take Windows Live Mail upwards of 60 seconds to sync my e-mail whereas the Mail "metro" app syncs at regular intervals and displays a count of new e-mails directly on the live tile.

I have the habit of not using a mail client, I usually just have a browser open and switch tabs as gmail auto refreshes whenever there is a new email anyway. Most average users don't have mail clients, but yes I get your point that it can be useful with auto updating tiles like for weather etc. The thing is even if I wanted that, depending on what it is those can be had on a desktop environment in many ways as well like with the old gadgets/widgets.

Those two seem to think I'm out here trying to hate on some product and want it to fail. What sort of craziness would that be, personally it's inefficient to me as far as I've experienced and I don't like what it looks and feels like. Using it for a long period of time hasn't changed my opinion on it.

I still stand by what I said from the very start that Win 8 would have been tremendously more popular and adopted if they just left the start menu leaving users with the option of using whatever they want. The moment it returns to Windows their sales will increase and I would bet the reports will show that.

Every PC needs something like kinect, that would make it pretty efficient assuming it could function for all the apps correctly. All the pretty eye candy, wallpaper...etc is rather pointless outside of being pretty shiny stuff for girly girls.
Shiny stuff sells, entire companies are based around that. Hell even I'd like the relatively pointless bloat for aesthetics if it didn't interfere with functionality.

sykozis
Senior Member



Posts: 21791
Joined: 2008-07-14

#4937647 Posted on: 10/15/2014 03:15 AM
I have the habit of not using a mail client, I usually just have a browser open and switch tabs as gmail auto refreshes whenever there is a new email anyway. Most average users don't have mail clients, but yes I get your point that it can be useful with auto updating tiles like for weather etc. The thing is even if I wanted that, depending on what it is those can be had on a desktop environment in many ways as well like with the old gadgets/widgets.

Those two seem to think I'm out here trying to hate on some product and want it to fail. What sort of craziness would that be, personally it's inefficient to me as far as I've experienced and I don't like what it looks and feels like. Using it for a long period of time hasn't changed my opinion on it.

I still stand by what I said from the very start that Win 8 would have been tremendously more popular and adopted if they just left the start menu leaving users with the option of using whatever they want. The moment it returns to Windows their sales will increase and I would bet the reports will show that.

You keep arguing that it's inefficient, among other things. Fact is, the fewer clicks to get the information you need, the better. I can get every bit of information I need by simply pressing the Windows key. I'm rarely in the start screen more than 20-30 seconds. Efficiency is taking the fewest steps necessary to accomplish a task. By definition, the start screen is efficient, unlike the start menu that requires taking additional steps. In my case, every task can be accomplished in 1-2 clicks, period. Using the start menu, you have have to make 2-4 clicks.

The start menu and start screen are all about preference. Efficiency should never be mentioned as the start menu is, by definition, inefficient. It takes more steps (clicks) to accomplish the same task. The UI is another matter of personal preference. Some of us chose to make the UI work for us, instead of trying to use the default configuration. I use 4 different systems, all running Windows 8.x, all configured for a specific purpose. The only thing the 4 systems have in common, is they're all configured in such a way that any task they need to perform can be accomplished in an absolute maximum of 2 clicks. Coincidentally, I had Win7 configured in a similar manor specifically to avoid interacting with the start menu for any reason. I hate desktop clutter and sorting through a menu is inefficient, while the task bar is too small to pin every app. The start screen is the perfect compromise for people like me. It allows me to de-clutter my desktop without having to waste time sorting through inefficient menus.

I've installed Windows10 in a VM and, quite honestly, I'm not impressed in the least. I find the start menu, as well as MS trying to force it on those of us that don't want it, to be ridiculous. Yes, there is an option to use the start screen, but the option should be presented during setup and not after. It's like MS finally wants to offer choice, but they don't really want to present that choice in a meaningful way.

Neo Cyrus
Senior Member



Posts: 9607
Joined: 2006-02-14

#4937654 Posted on: 10/15/2014 03:27 AM
It's not just about the start menu, being just on the desktop instead of having to switch any screen for anything is what I find preferable. Personally most things I do in the start menu is usually two clicks, Windows key plus one mouse click. Even when I need to do a simple search through it, that's one click of my Windows key plus the search term. Doing that in Win 8 doesn't automatically have the search bar selected unless I'm imagining things or there was an update at some point (I haven't updated in a long time).

Either way it's a very minor difference, borderline nitpicking even, but I just don't like it. Maybe if I had a touchscreen monitor I would like it better since that's what it really seems to be designed for. I don't see any affordable 27"+ 1440p+ IPS/PLS/AMOLED touchscreen monitors being available anytime in the near future.

I assumed Win 10 would just have both enabled by default. You're saying the tile screen has to be enabled after installation? Weird. I was actually going to install it today to try it out but my SSD is out of space and don't want to try it out on one of my slow HDDs. I want to know how it feels on the same equipment.

Fender178
Senior Member



Posts: 4185
Joined: 2004-09-28

#4937657 Posted on: 10/15/2014 03:35 AM
Hmm I wonder if Windows 3.1 or 3.11 users complained about the start menu when they upgraded to Windows95? I would say some did and some didn't. The same goes with Windows 8 some people didn't mind the change and some did. It goes on with Windows 10 that people who are used to the start screen don't want the start menu and users who don't like the start screen want the start menu.

ElementalDragon
Senior Member



Posts: 9308
Joined: 2005-02-04

#4937683 Posted on: 10/15/2014 04:42 AM
It's not just about the start menu, being just on the desktop instead of having to switch any screen for anything is what I find preferable. Personally most things I do in the start menu is usually two clicks, Windows key plus one mouse click. Even when I need to do a simple search through it, that's one click of my Windows key plus the search term. Doing that in Win 8 doesn't automatically have the search bar selected unless I'm imagining things or there was an update at some point (I haven't updated in a long time).

Either way it's a very minor difference, borderline nitpicking even, but I just don't like it. Maybe if I had a touchscreen monitor I would like it better since that's what it really seems to be designed for. I don't see any affordable 27"+ 1440p+ IPS/PLS/AMOLED touchscreen monitors being available anytime in the near future.

I assumed Win 10 would just have both enabled by default. You're saying the tile screen has to be enabled after installation? Weird. I was actually going to install it today to try it out but my SSD is out of space and don't want to try it out on one of my slow HDDs. I want to know how it feels on the same equipment.

And yet again we're back to that....

You find it preferable to have a menu rather than to switch to a screen. Either way you look at it, you can't use the desktop while the Menu/Screen are open. So you either have to take the 2 seconds to do what you were going to do in either interface, or exit out of it, do what you wanted to do on the desktop, and start over.

And your comment about search in Win8 just kinda proves how little you've actually used the OS. If you hit the windows key/start button, and just start typing, search automatically opens up and starts searching. Now... people might nit-pick that it doesn't just show a list of apps or files, instead having everything grouped together... but lets be honest... if it was a program you routinely use, you'd have a shortcut on the desktop. If you don't use it THAT frequently, you'd have a tile in the Start Screen. And if it's something you almost never use.... you can probably type the name of the program faster than you'd be able to navigate through the folder trees in the Win7 Start Menu.

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