Windows 10 - September 30 Event

[harshness]

They should've just called it Windows 7.2

They can't do that as Windows 7 goes on extended support next year.

They should call it Windows Catch-up if they manage to get all of the promised features into the release version.

The metro tiles on the start menu? Really?

 

[harshness]

Well, I was wrong! It's Windows 10!
Microsoft skips number "9"!

And with a couple strokes of the pen, Microsoft plunges the next perversion of Windows into the depths of even numbered Microsoft OS versions (a VERY bad thing).

 

[Neutron]

At home I just don't have the need for Windows. At work it's what keeps me employed.

 

[jayn_j]

My son showed me an explanation for skipping 9. He had a snippet of some common app code that looked at the first character of the version stamp and if it was 9, determined it was 95 or 98. That doesn't mesh with my memory back then, but I haven't been doing any windows programming for the last 8 years or so.

http://www.reddit.com/r/technology/...ows_version_will_be_called_windows_10/ckwq83x

Microsoft dev here, the internal rumours are that early testing revealed just how many third party products that had code of the form

if(version.StartsWith("Windows 9"))
{ /* 95 and 98 */
} else {

and that this was the pragmatic solution to avoid that.

 

[Ilya]

Hmm. Interesting! Makes sense though. I wonder if this was a true concern at Microsoft, or just an interesting coincidence.

 

[harshness]

My son showed me an explanation for skipping 9. He had a snippet of some common app code that looked at the first character of the version stamp and if it was 9, determined it was 95 or 98.

Do you think there are so many Windows 95 or Windows 98(SE) machines that are currently in operation that this would be an issue?

In terms of the User-Agent ID, the NT version is what is checked and that will probably be "Windows NT 6.3; WOW64" (or maybe 7.0).

 

[jayn_j]

Do you think there are so many Windows 95 or Windows 98(SE) machines that are currently in operation that this would be an issue?

In terms of the User-Agent ID, the NT version is what is checked and that will probably be "Windows NT 6.3; WOW64" (or maybe 7.0).

I don't think the issue is people running Windows 9X. Rather the issue is older existing apps may erroneously THINK so, and attempt to execute WIN9X specific code, causing app errors. In other words backwards compatibility of apps.

And I have no idea if this is the actual reason. It has all the credibility of Redit behind it

 

[harshness]

I don't think the issue is people running Windows 9X. Rather the issue is older existing apps may erroneously THINK so, and attempt to execute WIN9X specific code, causing app errors. In other words backwards compatibility of apps.

I suppose this could be a problem for software that checks the OS name instead of the OS version. I'm not sure why anyone would do that as versions have been around since the early days and the progression has been linear.

 

[jayn_j]

I suppose this could be a problem for software that checks the OS name instead of the OS version. I'm not sure why anyone would do that as versions have been around since the early days and the progression has been linear.

Back in a previous life, I used to write windows kernel drivers and also the install code. It was absolutely amazing to learn the sort of nasty shortcuts other developers took, just as long as their code worked in their lab.

It was common to have somebody else's installer dump an earlier version of shared library code on top of a later one, because it was too much trouble to check.

I absolutely loved the guy writing a driver for his PCI card that claimed everything using the chip manufacturer ID without bothering to set or check the auxiliary ID register.

Could go on and on. Guy assuming he had exclusive use of an interrupt vector, guys putting all their code in the interrupt service routine, etc, etc.

 

[Drucifer]

 

[Radioguy41]

Win 95 - Good
Win ME - Not so good
Win 98 - Good
Win 2000 - Not so good
Win XP - Good
Win Vista - Not so good
Win 7 - Good
Win 8 - Not so good
Win 10 - ?

If MS stays true to form with every other version being good maybe this one has a chance.

 

[harshness]

I would disagree on the not goodness of WIndows 2000. I would also not say that WIndows 98 was good but 98SE was.

Me was pretty much a compromise between 98SE and XP with few of the best aspects of either.

None of them were really ready for prime time until at least the second service pack.

 

[meStevo]

People wedge them into those labels more than anything, its nonsense really. Even windows 8 outrage is more a product of poor PR more often than not.

People dont like change, but they'll get over it.

 

[harshness]

People dont like change, but they'll get over it.

They settle because it is too damn hard to go back and they don't want to risk missing out.

 

[king3pj]

People wedge them into those labels more than anything, its nonsense really. Even windows 8 outrage is more a product of poor PR more often than not.

People dont like change, but they'll get over it.

Agreed, I've been running Windows 8 on my gaming PC since I built it and I use Windows 7 every day at work. I never understood the outrage over the Start button. I sit at a Windows 7 machine all day every day and I can't remember the last time I used the Start button other than to turn off or restart the PC.

The programs I run daily are on the desktop and I use the libraries button (right next to Start) when I need to navigate to specific folders on the C drive or server. What are people doing with the Start button so often that they can't live without it?

 

[Ilya]

Windows 10 - January 21 event. Watch it here:
http://news.microsoft.com/windows10story/

 

[Ilya]

Free upgrade to Windows 10 from both Windows 7 and 8.1! Great!

 

[king3pj]

Free upgrade to Windows 10 from both Windows 7 and 8.1! Great!

I'll be taking advantage of this on my Windows 8.1 gaming machine to get access to DirectX 12.

I'll be getting it just for the hell of it on my home office Windows 7 PC too. That machine is just used to stream music and video throughout my house and remotely connect to my computer at work. I likely won't notice any gains for what I use that thing for but a free upgrade is a free upgrade.

 

[Ilya]

Watching the Microsoft HoloLens demonstration. Wow! This is pretty amazing!!!

 

[Dirtydan]

Free upgrade to Windows 10 from both Windows 7 and 8.1! Great!

I could be wrong, but the free upgrade is only for Win.7 and XP, and it must be installed within the first year of Win10 launch.
Dan