Windows 10 is official

Raptor · September 30, 2014, 3:07pm

Gizmodo:

Microsoft just announced the newest version of Windows. It’s called Windows 10. Yes, Microsoft has decided to skip a digit in search of the perfect name. More importantly, Windows 10 will be a single operating system that finally spans all of Microsoft’s Windows powered devices, from desktops and laptops all the way through to tablets and phones. “Windows 10 will be our most comprehensive platform ever,” says Windows boss Terry Myerson.

We’re learning about the new operating system right now at a San Francisco event, and Microsoft revealed the name first, so expect us to fill in details in real-time over the hour to come.

First up: Microsoft says it’s aiming at the enterprise PC customers first, not regular device users. The company’s calling it its most managable operating system ever, which is probably not a phrase that makes you drool! “I’m not going to spend much time on fanciful end-user features,” said Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore as he fired up a demo.

But here’s one feature you might care about. Sure enough, the Start Menu is back in full force. The jarring Windows 8 Start Screen which obscured everything on your desktop is totally obsolete, because you can add all the same automatically refreshing Live Tiles to this new Start Menu.

In fact, you can customize it however you want: shrink it down to be short and stout, or pull it up to be tall and lanky. No problem. Universal search is also right there in the Start Menu, no need to mess with hidden Charms.

You know what else? Forget about having to deal with icky Windows Store apps that take up your entire screen. Windows is all about windows, and you can run those apps in a window just like anything else.

Mix and match “new” apps and “legacy” apps across multiple windows and even multiple desktops if you like, and snap them into place with a new feature called Snap Assist:

Snap Assist can grab windows from your other desktops, in case you need to mix and match tasks.

For power users, Belfiore even showed that you can now copy and paste in the old-school Windows Command Prompt using standard keyboard shortcuts.

That doesn’t mean that touch is getting deemphasized, though: Belfiore says touch is the direction that Microsoft sees computers trending towards, and sure enough you can still swipe in from the right side of the screen to pull up the Charms Bar. Rumors of its death were greatly exaggerated!

In fact, Microsoft wants Windows 10 to be able to intelligently detect when you switch a 2-in-1 device (like the Microsoft Surface) between tablet and laptop modes. Belfiore showed off a demo called “Continuum” where the Windows 10 user interface would shift between two different views when you dock or undock it from a keyboard, and adding a new Back button to help you navigate when the touchscreen is your only option. Take a peek at that below.

“Yesterday they were driving maybe a first-generation Prius… and we got them a Tesla,” is the vibe of the new OS, says Belfiore. It’s an advanced experience, he says, but it’s still just like driving a car. Microsoft says it’s key to show companies that they’ve been listening to user feedback and making changes appropriately. “We had some experiences that didn’t go quite so well, so we’re trying to learn from that and make it all better,” says Belfiore.

Microsoft says it will launch Windows 10 in 2015, and won’t talk about the consumer features of the new operating system (or presumably, the smartphone experience) until early next year. They’re not talking about the business model for Windows 10, or whether we’ll be seeing it a single release of the operating system or staggered for different types of devices.

Source - http://gizmodo.com/windows-10-microsoft-skips-a-digit-with-latest-operati-1640805626

So what do you guys think? I like it since I ONLY use the Desktop on my laptop, which is running 8.1.

Also, this is the first time I made a thread like this, please don’t mind the way it looks

Ste · September 30, 2014, 3:11pm

Any betas out for this? From what I’m reading on another site, there is but I can’t find a link?

SteveWonda · September 30, 2014, 3:14pm

Your thread looks fine man. I think 10 looks great but I don’t see why they skipped a number.

Manga · September 30, 2014, 3:16pm

I don’t believe they did. I believe they are going to release 9 as a free update to all windows 8 users and keep 9 normally marketed while going ahead with 10.

SteveWonda · September 30, 2014, 3:19pm

If you actually read the article it says M$ decided to skip 9 and call it 10 because they believe it sounds better.

Manga · September 30, 2014, 3:38pm

Skipped the first paragraph as it tends to be filler. You’re right, they skipped it to emphasize the ‘advancements’ this windows has made and to distance itself from windows 8 (searched other articles on it).

Harvey_Specter · September 30, 2014, 3:54pm

Wow, 3 Windows versions - not a single **** given…

DTeKDeV · September 30, 2014, 6:02pm

Windows foes NOT need another beta. As a daily Windows Phone user, I self-approve this message. Almost every app that comes out of the Windows is a beta.

Phoenix · September 30, 2014, 6:44pm

Well you may self-approve that message, but you have to understand is that they need to be able to work out the kinks in their Operating System. Hence, there should be a beta. I know some people may not agree with that statement and that is fine by me.

thebaum64 · September 30, 2014, 9:36pm

Windows 9? guess not, lets skip it

Mod_Nation · October 1, 2014, 8:53am

SteveWonda · October 1, 2014, 9:11am

I read the article before my first post. I think Windows 9 sounds fine which is why I said I don’t see why they skipped a number.

unknown_v2 · October 1, 2014, 10:10am

Considering they decided to call this generation’s Xbox, the Xbox One, I think we can safely assume they don’t care at all about their product’s name making any sense.

Raptor · October 1, 2014, 3:11pm

You can actually install a preview of Windows 10 here. Be sure to watch the video and read the requirements. I was going to install it until I read them.

Dave · October 2, 2014, 3:46pm

I’ve been using it for the last couple of hours and I must admit it isn’t too bad. Definitely a major improvement to Windows 8/8.1.