Articles about Windows 10

With the new big update to Windows 10 just around the corner, Microsoft is pulling out all the stops to make sure that developers have access to the tools they need to take advantage of the new features. Windows 10 Anniversary Update is due for release in July and ahead of the big day Microsoft has released a new SDK.

Having open-sourced the Xamarin iOS, Android and Mac SDKs, the launch of the Windows 10 Anniversary Update SDK Preview gives developers a chance to make sure their code works ahead of the update rollout. It is compatible with Build 14332 (and newer) of Windows 10 Insider Preview and includes an important selection of bug fixes.

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Ever since Microsoft made Windows 10 a recommended update there have been numerous reports of the new operating system installing itself without user consent, and without much warning.

Microsoft has always played down this behavior, but an example of how the OS pushes upgrades on unsuspecting users was earlier today shown live on TV during a weather forecast.

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Windows 10 Mobile does not have much of a future. With two very disappointing quarters for Lumia sales, a market share of around one percent, poor vendor support, and no mention of it at Build 2016, this much is clear. You would expect Microsoft to pull the plug any minute now, but the software giant seems to be doing just the opposite.

In an internal email, Terry Myerson is encouraging "certain partners" to continue to pour their resources into the platform. Microsoft's EVP of Windows and Devices Group says that the company is still "committed" to Windows 10 Mobile, claiming that development of its "next generation products" is well underway. It sounds unbelievable, but that is just what you should expect Microsoft to say.

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The past two Windows 10 Insider Preview releases -- Builds 14316 and 14328 -- have been packed with new features and notable changes.

The very latest Fast ring release, Build 14332, marks the start of the Bug Bash, in which Windows Insiders will be set quests to help Microsoft eradicate problems and fix flaws in the OS in preparation for the big Anniversary Update out in July. However, the new build is not only about fixes, there are some new features and improvements too.

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Apple users will be familiar with Handoff. This feature lets you start working on one Apple device -- be it a Mac, iPad or iPhone -- and then pick up where you left off on another, provided the devices are within Bluetooth range of each other.

At Build 2016, Microsoft talked about its plans to introduce a Handoff-style feature to Windows 10, codename Project Rome, and the first glimpse of this has appeared in the latest build for Windows Insiders.

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Microsoft's Surface line of computers have been rather wonderful, although its latest machines have been plagued with problems. For the most part, issues for both the Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 have been fixed through updates, but like a game of whack-a-mole, more pop up as others are smashed down.

Despite these issues, Microsoft is highlighting the good aspects of its latest Surface devices -- plus Windows 10 -- in a series of new video advertisements. Over on YouTube, you can see all eight videos, as seen below.

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One of the big changes Microsoft introduced in Windows 10 was mandatory updates. It’s easy to see why the software giant believed this was a good idea -- reducing the number of unpatched systems is great news for everyone -- but it does mean when a bad update is released by Microsoft, everyone installs it.

Case in point is two new updates released this month that have created problems for some users.

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Commercial notebook shipments have returned to growth in the first quarter of 2016, new figures by market analysts IDC say. New form factors, guided by the ever increasing desire for mobility, aided by the new Windows 10 operating system and the Skylake processors were key drivers for this growth.

HP was the biggest winner of the new change, with Dell also outperforming the market average, IDC’s report says. Asus, Apple and Fujitsu posted some strong results, as well.

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Windows 10 has been the subject of a lot of criticism since it launched, including quite a lot from me. But at the same time, Microsoft reports that the latest version of its operating system is installed on a staggering quarter of a billion devices. The company must be doing something right. Where Windows 10 succeeds -- particularly for Windows Insiders -- is that it is constantly evolving.

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 14328 is the latest build out of the door and it shows great signs of improvement. It might be a little early to call it, but if this massive update is anything to go by, the summer release of Windows 10 Anniversary Edition (or Windows 10 Anniversary Update) could be the real turning point for Windows 10 when it manages to win over the doubters and jump to justified -- rather than forced -- dominance. Build 14328 is a big update, and there's a lot to love.

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The arrival of Bash in Windows 10 took many people by surprise, but it opens up a number of opportunities including the ability to run GUI Linux apps. But it's about much more than just that. Microsoft wants people who are confused about the arrival of (deep breath...) Bash on Ubuntu on Windows to know of the potential, and has produced an explainer about the Windows Subsystem for Linux.

Microsoft's Deepu Thomas says that the subsystem was created by the Microsoft Windows Kernel team, and goes on to explain that this is much more than an interpretation layer or virtual machine. In fact, the Windows Subsystem for Linux was born from work carried out years ago for the NT kernel that was meant to bring POSIX and OS/2 support.

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It’s been a couple of weeks since Windows Insiders on the Fast ring got a new build of Windows 10 for PC. A PCI bug prevented a promising build from being released sooner, but the problem has been fixed, and so today Build 14328 arrives for both PC and Mobile.

The past few Windows 10 Fast ring releases have debuted some great new features, and Build 14328 is no different, introducing, among other features, Windows Ink, a wealth of Cortana improvements, and a new Start experience.

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Windows Phone has been dead for some time now. I knew it. The world knew it. Dogs knew it. The only people that were seemingly unaware were those that pledged allegiance to Microsoft. You know who they are -- those men and women that some call "fanboys".

Even the journalism community has them. Folks like Paul Thurrott and Mary Jo Foley are unapologetic fans of Microsoft. While Thurrott has long since abandoned the horrific Windows Phone platform, Foley has been one of the few holdouts. Today, she announces that she -- Microsoft's biggest fan -- is choosing the Linux-based Android instead. If this doesn't signal the death of Windows Phone/Windows 10 Mobile, I don't know what does.

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I don’t use the Windows Calculator very often, but occasionally I need to work something out and so fire it up. Today, upon opening the calculator, I was presented with a message asking me to rate the app in the Windows Store. If I was enjoying it. Which of course I wasn’t. It is a calculator after all, and the only time I’ve ever enjoyed using one of those was as a teenager when I typed in "5318008" and turned it upside down. Even the enjoyment of doing that was very short lived.

Now, the Windows 10 calculator begging for user ratings in the Windows Store isn’t a new phenomenon. A thread on Reddit discussed this some months ago, but this is the first time I’ve experienced it for myself, and obviously three months after it was first flagged as a nuisance, it’s still going on. Seriously who at Microsoft thought this was a good idea?

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Microsoft released Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview Build 14322 less than a week ago, introducing numerous improvements and changes to Action Center, notifications, Cortana, Settings, emoji, Microsoft Edge, lockscreen, and more.

Today, the software giant rolls out another new build to the Fast ring, Build 14327, which, as well as fixing various known issues, also introduces a couple of noteworthy additions, including a Messaging Everywhere preview which lets users send and receive text messages from a Windows 10 PC.

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Personally I think Windows 10 is a great operating system. It’s a bit unfinished still, but the Anniversary Update coming in July will fix a lot of the problems, and also introduce additional features. That said, I can fully understand why some people might decide Windows 10 is not for them and opt to roll back to a previous OS.

Microsoft allows users to 'undo' an installation directly from within Windows 10, but there is a catch -- you only get 30 days in which you can do this. That’s not the only method of rolling back Windows 10 though, there are other tools which you can use for the task beyond that time limit.

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