Articles about Windows 10

It is now a couple of months since Microsoft started talking about Project Spartan, the Internet Explorer successor that's set to become Windows 10's default web browser. Some have suggested that this will lead to the death of Internet Explorer, but today Microsoft confirmed that the two browsers will live on side by side in Windows 10.

At the Project Spartan Developer Workshop, Microsoft went into more detail about the future of the two web browsers. In particular, there is the revelation that previous plans to use a new rendering engine in both Internet Explorer 11 and Project Spartan have been ditched. Internet Explorer will live on in Windows 10, providing legacy support for those who need it, and it will be virtually identical to the version found in Windows 8.1.

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It has been a long time coming, but Microsoft has finally released the SDK for Windows 10 -- just ahead of next month's Build. Users have been playing around with various builds of Windows 10 Technical Preview, but this is the first chance developers have had to get hands on with the tools they'll need to create apps for the latest version of Microsoft's operating system.

The Windows 10 Technical Preview tools and Visual Studio 2015 CTP6 can be downloaded by Windows Insiders, and it gives developers the chance to try out the tools and provide feedback with the first technical preview. Templates are provided to make it easy to get started with the development of universal apps, and Microsoft is keen for developers to get to work.

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Although Microsoft released a new build of the Windows 10 Technical Preview earlier in the week, it only made it available to Windows Insiders on the Fast ring, and through Windows Update. It’s not officially available as an ISO image yet (Microsoft currently only offers downloads for Build 9926).

However, it is possible to grab an ISO of the new build through unofficial channels.

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To be clear, right from the start, I write this from a Chromebook. It's my production system, though it has its limitations. Certain tasks send me scurrying to my home office in a frantic search for a Windows PC. Microsoft's operating system certainly still has its raison d'être -- both Photoshop and Plex server are among those in my household, though other minor needs exist.

Windows 10 is the belle of the ball right now with the tech press falling all over itself to run stories about the latest build, even non-stories are apparently in fashion, just as long as you can work the proper keywords into the headline. But the question remains, who needs it?

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It could be argued that with Windows 10 still a work in progress it’s too early to express disappointment and dissatisfaction with Microsoft’s forthcoming operating system. But with a summer launch announced, the truth is we’re probably not likely to see too many major changes in the coming months. What’s on show in Build 10041 is probably quite close to what we’ll get in the finished thing, albeit with some spit and polish.

When Microsoft announced it would be listening to users and implementing changes based on feedback, I was excited. Sure, a camel is a horse created by a committee, too many cooks spoil the broth and all that, but at least it meant that the sort of blatant usability problems Microsoft managed to somehow miss in Windows 8 wouldn’t occur in Windows 10. However, as time has ticked past I've started to doubt that Microsoft is listening as closely to Windows Insiders as it claims to be.

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Microsoft’s forthcoming Windows 10 operating system will, in addition to powering desktop computers and mobile devices, also provide a platform for Internet of Things (IoT) gadgets. The Redmond-based company -- which earlier this year announced that it will be providing its operating system for free for such devices -- is shedding more light on its plan.

Microsoft notes that Windows 10 IoT will power a range of IoT devices including small products like gateways, mobile point-of-sale, ATMs, powerful industry devices like robotics, and specialty medical devices such as ultrasound machines. Despite their miniature form factor, the company assures enterprise-grade security from the devices to cloud, while also providing them with native connectivity for machine-to-machine and machine-to-cloud with Azure services.

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Meet the new Microsoft. Maybe the company really charts a new course under CEO Satya Nadella's leadership. Colleague Mark Wilson reports that even software pirates can upgrade free to Windows 10. Seriously? Reward the thieves who rob revenue from the platform's cradle? Hand robbers sacred possessions at the door? Give them the house keys and ask them to lock up after they take the tellie, silver, and jewelry?

Outstanding! I really am not being sarcastic, just pretending to be. The strategy is simply brilliant and too long coming, assuming nothing changes before Windows 10's summer release or Microsoft clarifies licensing rules to mean something different. Without even stressing a single synapse I can conjure up more good reasons for the upgrade plan than the fingers on my hands. But I'll keep the list a bit shorter for this post.

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Microsoft has announced that Windows 10 will officially launch this summer. Once it is given the green light, the new operating system will be made available as a free upgrade to Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1 users. And to really get the market share ball rolling immediately after the release, Microsoft welcomes even those who are running pirated copies to join the pack.

Given Microsoft's ambitions, Windows 10 is obviously being designed so that it will run on as many configurations as possible. The minimum hardware requirements, which were just revealed by the company, paint a clear picture regarding the hardware we can expect to see in upcoming Windows 10 devices (ranging from low-end to high-end offerings) as well as the level of compatibility with existing systems, the latter of which users eligible for upgrade will have to pay close attention to. So, let's take a close look at the Windows 10 system requirements.

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Microsoft confirms today that Windows 10 -- its forthcoming operating system for desktop, mobile, Xbox, and IoT platforms -- will be releasing this Summer in 190 countries and 111 languages. On a blog post, the Windows Phone-maker also announces that it has entered into a partnership with Xiaomi, China's top smartphone vendor to test Windows 10 for phones, suggesting that the two companies are working to make a flagship-level smartphone.

Microsoft notes that the company is testing Windows 10 with select Xiaomi Mi 4 power users. The Mi 4 is XIaomi's current flagship smartphone, which runs Android. "Through a new program with Xiaomi, one of the top smartphone distributors in the world, a select group of Xiaomi Mi 4 power users will be invited to help test Windows 10 and contribute to its future release later this year", the company notes on a blog post. "These power users will have the opportunity to download the Windows 10 Technical Preview – installing it and providing their feedback to Microsoft".

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They say that when buying property, location is everything. This is very true, because a beautiful home in a terrible location is hardly a smart investment. In other words, the true value is the community and neighborhood, not the number of bedrooms.

The same can sort of be said regarding product releases too; instead of location, however, timing is everything. This is especially true in the technology world, as there are key months that make more sense for new computers or operating systems to be released. Ideally, you want to release prior to two key moments -- back to school and holiday shopping. With that said, Microsoft casually announces today that Windows 10 will be released this summer.

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Microsoft cares about the amount of formatted, usable storage space users get on their Windows-running machines. The Redmond-based company announced today that, in an attempt to provide users with more storage on their hard-drives, Windows 10 operating system uses some impressive space-saving techniques. The forthcoming operating system uses file compression technology to save around 1.5GB of storage on 32-bit systems and 2.6GB on 64-bit machines.

Furthermore, the software firm notes that it is also stopping using a separate recovery image on its latest desktop operating system. PC makers use a separate recovery image on the computers they ship. Depending on the operating system version and the manufacturer, the space could be anything from 4GB to up to 20GB. The system recovery image shipped by the PC makers includes the disk image of a licensed Windows copy bundled with driver software and some other essentials and bloatware.

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P2P, or peer-to-peer networking, is usually associated with grabbing illicit copies of movies and albums using BitTorrent (or, of course, those endless Linux distros everyone is downloading...). In Windows 10 Build 10036, however, Microsoft is embracing the technology as an efficient means of delivering software updates to users.

For many years now, using Windows Update to download updates and patches for your operating system has meant downloading files directly from Microsoft's servers. But this new method takes the strain off Microsoft and makes it possible to download some or all of the available updates from other computers.

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A little while back rumors surfaced suggesting that Microsoft was on the verge of investing in Android. Not directly, you understand, but via Cyanogen Inc. In August, Cyanogen Inc met with Satya Nadella but it seems that the talks amounted to nothing.

The company is on the verge of raising $110 million of financing, but Microsoft will not be involved. According to a report by Bloomberg, Microsoft will not be contributing to the funding, but could still be interested in perusing commercial ventures with Cyanogen Inc to help push Microsoft apps onto more Android devices.

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OK, I'm starting to get worried now. I've been working my way through each of the public previews of Windows 10 and, on the whole, I've been fairly impressed. Not blown away, but generally satisfied. But some of the recent screenshots that have been leaking out have me a little concerned. -- there's more than just an air of Windows Phone, and that turns my stomach.

Yes, I know that there's meant to be a merging of paths between Windows for phones and Windows for the desktop, but for Microsoft to veer towards the look and feel of Windows Phone is a huge mistake. I only hope that the screenshots currently doing the round from build 10036 are not representative of the build we're waiting to be released.

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The chances of getting a new Windows 10 build this week are starting to look a little thin, but releases are going to be made available more frequently. Writing on Twitter, Gabe Aul said that "we've decided to try to increase pace of Fast", promising that more details would be forthcoming.

Earlier in the week, Aul responded to complaints that new builds were not appearing fast enough, joking that a new release ring called Ludicrous Speed was being considered. Now we've learned that "a good build candidate with some new features" is very close to release.

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