From 8 to 10 – Microsoft skips the 9 version.
By Dileep Thekkethil
BANGALORE: The San Francisco event of Windows on Tuesday showcased the first public demonstration of their flagship operating system Windows 10, which the tech giant propounds as the best OS ever from its inventory.
The San Francisco event was a preview show of the capabilities of the new OS. Windows 10 features new ways of switching between computing tasks or varied applications using a Virtual Desktop. The most sought-after Start menu is back on Windows 10 with a new look, offering instant search for applications, software’s and websites.
According to the Microsoft executives, Windows 10 is expected to release sometime early spring. Meanwhile, the company will be launching the developer preview version of Windows 10 on Wednesday for prospective customers and developers to report bugs and improvements for the final version. The officials declined to discuss about the pricing and different versions of the new operating system.
Microsoft painfully admitted that their current operating system, Windows 8, which was released two years back, failed to get the approval of customers. Skipping of one number in between the two versions is a strategic move that symbolises Windows 10 as a new OS with radical changes.
Windows executives acknowledged that Windows 8 and its updated version Windows 8.1 had many user experience issues that were beyond repair. According to them these issues have been addressed in Windows 10. Due to the complexity of Windows 8, many loyal customers of Windows decided not to update their old operating system. Windows 8 was the first operating system from Microsoft designed to work on tablets, touch screen devices and PC’s.
When it comes to Windows 10, Microsoft has recalled some of the traditional Windows features like the desktop mode, abandoning the touch friendly home screen known as Metro Style. Users had complained of difficulty in manoeuvring from one screen to another while using Windows 8. Windows 10 has a single screen blend together with features of both desktop and tablet.
Microsoft executive Joe Belfiore said during the event, “we don’t want that duality.”
Windows 10 will replace the smartphone and tablet versions of the current Windows operating system. All the future Windows powered devices will run on the new operating system. It is still unknown whether the old windows devices will be able to update to Windows 10.
According to Microsoft executive Terry Myerson, Windows 10 is a work in progress and the software will find some major overhaul after getting feedback from corporate-technology buyers and loyal Windows users.
Starting from Wednesday, Windows 10 Technical Preview will be available for free download in the official Windows website. Microsoft expects more than a million people to download the early version of its new operating system. Microsoft has cautioned users that Windows 10 technical preview is not bug free and is advised to install it in a secondary PC.
The development of Windows 10 was started by the ex-CEO of Microsoft Steve Ballmer, who shuffled the development team after the launch of Windows 8. For a brief while Myerson was in charge of the project, who later handed it over to the new CEO Satya Nadella.