Waiting on Windows 11? Don’t hold your breath. Jerry Nixon,
developer evangelist at Microsoft, was speaking at the Ignite conference
earlier this week, and said "Right now we’re releasing Windows 10,
and because Windows 10 is the last version of Windows, we’re all still working
on Windows 10."
Over the years we’ve become accustomed to Microsoft rolling
out brand new operating systems, complete with a change in nomenclature, but
this may no longer be the case. Felix suggested as much in his feature
on Windows 10, but Microsoft are viewing Windows 10 as a service. A
service with consistent, rolling updates.
In much the same way as Chrome OS and Android are
continually updated with little need from the end user to know the version
number, Windows 10 will be a continually updated platform designed for the long
term.
Confirmation of the news came via a statement from
Microsoft, chiming with Nixon's comments earlier this week. "Recent
comments at Ignite about Windows 10 are reflective of the way Windows will be
delivered as a service bringing new innovations and updates in an ongoing
manner, with continuous value for our consumer and business customers,"
it read.
Past versions of Windows have seen mammoth updates, usually
bundled in Service Packs, or all-new iterations such as Windows 8.1. Now every
component of the Windows 10 operating system is being broken down into separate
parts - the Start Menu, Office, etc. This allows smaller updates to roll out
with more regularity, targeting specific parts which need updating rather than
having to rejig the entire OS.
Microsoft’s reasoning behind this is down to the ubiquity of
its operating system. Every device, from gaming PCs to tablets, mobiles, and
the Xbox One, will be able to make use of the unified interface. One product
family, one platform, one store, one operating system is the mantra Microsoft
is running with. Just a shame they didn’t call it Windows One, eh?
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