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Apr 12, 2001
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Microsoft today unveiled its next-generation Windows operating system, Windows 10, previewing the OS at an event in San Francisco focused on its corporate users. Like Windows 8, Windows 10 utilizes live tiles, but it also draws in design elements from Windows 7 to make it more appealing to users who have thus far opted not to upgrade to Windows 8.

The Start menu and taskbar, interface elements that are familiar to all Windows users, are placed front and center in Windows 10 in an effort to make the OS "familiar, compatible, and productive," according to Microsoft's head of operating systems Terry Myerson.

While Apple has managed to get the bulk of its user base to update to the newest version of OS X on a regular basis, Microsoft has had less success in recent years. As of April, 49 percent of Windows users continued to use Windows 7 (introduced in 2009), while 28 percent continued to use Windows XP, an operating system more than 12 years old. Windows 8 and 8.1 were installed on just 11 percent of devices in April. In a press release, Microsoft outlines some of the specific features that are coming to Windows 10:
Expanded Start menu. The familiar Start menu is back, providing quick one-click access to the functions and files that people use most, and it includes a new space to personalize with favorite apps, programs, people and websites.

Apps that run in a window. Apps from the Windows Store now open in the same format that desktop programs do. They can be resized and moved around, and have title bars at the top allowing users to maximize, minimize and close with a click.

Snap enhancements. Working in multiple apps at once is easier and more intuitive with snap improvements. A new quadrant layout allows up to four apps to be snapped on the same screen. Windows will also show other apps and programs running for additional snapping, and it will even make smart suggestions on filling available screen space with other open apps.

New Task view button. The new Task view button on the task bar enables one view for all open apps and files, allowing for quick switching and one-touch access to any desktop created.

Multiple desktops. Instead of too many apps and files overlapping on a single desktop, it's easy to create and switch between distinct desktops for different purposes and projects -- whether for work or personal use.
In addition to introducing some familiar Windows 7 features into Windows 10, Microsoft is also hoping to focus on personalization, creating a Windows experience that is customized to each individual user's preferences. Windows 10, like Windows 8, will run on a wide range of devices, including both PCs and tablets, with "a tailored experience for each device."
Windows 10 adapts to the devices customers are using -- from Xbox to PCs and phones to tablets and tiny gadgets -- and what they're doing with a consistent, familiar and compatible experience, enabling even greater productivity. Windows 10 will run across the broadest range of devices ever from the Internet of Things to enterprise datacenters worldwide.
Many of the details on Windows 10 remain unknown at the time being, as the software is in the early development stages. Microsoft is aiming for a public release in the fall of 2015.

On Wednesday, Microsoft will launch a Windows Insider Program that will provide beta testers with a technical preview of Windows 10 for laptops and desktops, with access on other devices coming later. With the program, Microsoft is hoping to make the development of Windows 10 the "largest-ever open collaborative development effort."

Article Link: Microsoft Gives Early Look at Windows 10 Featuring Windows 7 Elements, Broad Adaptability
 
do they think 10 sounds cooler than 9 or is it because 9 (?) is bad luck in some asian cultures

edit: or was it 4? then nvm
 
Are they just skipping 9?

Yes. On CNet, I was joking that they'd call it "Windows X." Instead of using cats, they'd use dogs (Windows Coyote) and place names in Washington (Windows Walla Walla).
 
Apple's had multiple desktops (Spaces) back in Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard.

Welcome, Windows users, to 2007.
 
do they think 10 sounds cooler than 9 or is it because 9 (?) is bad luck in some asian cultures

Not sure. Even number Microsoft releases are a bit sketchy. DOS 2, 4, 6. Windows Vista ("Windows 6") and Windows 8. Odd number releases tend to be better.
 
Oooohhhhh big whoop. And it won't be available for those who even want it for over a year? No thanks, by then we'll have OX 10.11 Weed or whatever :rolleyes:
 
7 ate 9. And now, we have Windows X: Scar!

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Not sure. Even number Microsoft releases are a bit sketchy. DOS 2, 4, 6. Windows Vista ("Windows 6") and Windows 8. Odd number releases tend to be better.

But you see what they did. Lol, we gotta wait for Windows 11 for them to get it together!:cool:
 
I know there's a lot of MS haters here but aside from the Metro Style interface and start screen Windows 8 was rock solid. Windows 8.1 even better. And I have to say Windows 10 looks like it might be a winner when released next year.

I've been using OS X since Leopard and I can honestly say that in the last 3 years there have been more and more persistent bugs. I haven't tried Yosemite yet but I'm hoping it's better than the previous 2 releases.

I don't mind the redesign so much though I didn't really see a need for it. I'm more concerned about stability and not losing useful features that I enjoy now.
 
I didn't see or hear a thing he said. I couldn't stop looking at that stupid haircut.
 
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One of the really cool features, left out of the list is the application named Asimov, it allows Microsoft to monitor users in near real time…came from the Xbox One...to help Microsoft figure out what user's need from the new OS (which won't arrive till the end of 2015).

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Windows-9-to-Come-with-Real-Time-Telemetry-System-Codenamed-Asimov-460430.shtml

With Microsoft's history of actively working with the NSA:

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jul/11/microsoft-nsa-collaboration-user-data

I'm sure the NSA is looking forward to Windows 10 as well.

Now, who wants a copy? /s
 
I've also read that it may be the last windows ever.. imagine that, a final operating system that doesn't need to be relearned how to use but still upgradeable, personalized for each user, etc... I think they will be successful with this release especially after the windows 8 fiasco. Windows XP lasted how many years and how many more would it have lasted if they continued support. Make a system everyone likes, stick with it, make it adaptable, and provide support for it.
 
Multiple desktops... like... the feature Mac OSX has had for years? And all of the great new improvements are just normal old features they brought back. Fullscreen apps open the same way desktop apps do? Woah. Revolutionary.

How do PC users not recognize how far ahead of windows OSX is?
 
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