Windows 10
Release of
Microsoft Windows operating system
Screenshot of Windows 10 Technical Preview,
showing its desktop, taskbar, and Start menu
Windows 10 is
an upcoming release of the Microsoft Windows operating
system. Unveiled on September 30, 2014, it will be released
in late 2015.
First hinted at
in April 2014 at the Build Conference, Windows 10 aims to
address shortcomings in the user interface first introduced
by Windows 8 by adding additional mechanics designed to
improve the user experience for non-touchscreen devices
(such as desktop computers and laptops), including a revival
of the Start menu seen in Windows 7, a virtual desktop
system, and the ability to run Windows Store apps within
windows on the desktop rather than a full-screen mode.
Features
User interface
and desktop
Virtual desktop
in Windows 10 with Registry editor opened in selected
desktop. The user interface of Windows 10 is designed
primarily to optimize its experience based on the type of
device and available inputs, providing "the right experience
on the right device at the right time." For non-touch
devices, a variation of the previous Start menu is used as
part of the desktop interface, featuring both a traditional
listing of applications and search box on the left side,
along with Windows 8-style live tiles on the right. A new
virtual desktop system known as "Task View" was also added;
similarly to OS X's Exposé function, clicking the Task View
button on the taskbar or swiping from the left of the screen
displays all the windows currently open on a desktop,
allowing users to switch between them, snap them to the side
of the screen, or switch between multiple workspaces.
Windows Store apps, which previously could only be used in a
full-screen environment, can now be used within windows on
desktops. When used in this manner, an "App Commands" menu
on the titlebar of the window is used to activate functions
previously seen on the charms.
The Start
screen is still used in touch environments, but now contains
a column on the left hand side of the screen to display
shortcuts and the "All apps" button, similarly to the Start
menu. Under the branding "Continuum," Windows 10 also
contains mechanics for transitioning between touch-based and
non-touch interface behaviors for devices such as
convertible laptops and tablets with a keyboard dock (such
as Microsoft's own Surface Pro 3); when plugging in a
keyboard, users will now be asked if they want to remain in
a touch-optimized user interface, or switch to a mode
optimized for a mouse and keyboard.
System
components
Windows 10 will
ship with DirectX 12; unveiled March 2014 at GDC, it aims to
provide "console-level efficiency" with "closer to the
metal" access to hardware resources, and reduced CPU and
graphics driver overhead. Console windows such as Command
Prompt now provide a new set of "experimental options" which
modernize their functionality; among them include word
wrapping of console output and the ability to use
traditional Control key keyboard shortcuts in consoles, such
as pasting text using Ctrl+V.
Windows 10 will
be serviced in a significantly different manner to previous
releases of Windows. While Microsoft began to distribute a
larger number of updates for Windows 8 that added features
(such as interface improvements) beyond security patches and
bug fixes, Windows 10 will adopt a tiered rapid-release
approach. By default, Windows 10 will receive critical
updates and security patches as they are released, but users
and system administrators will have the ability to delay the
automatic deployment of non-critical updates or disable them
entirely. The system will allow mainstream computers to
frequently receive modifications to the operating system,
while enterprise environments will be able to opt-out of
them to ensure a stable, controlled environment. Stella
Chernyak noted in regards to these changes that "we have
businesses [that] may have mission-critical environments
where we respect the fact they want to test and stabilize
the environment for a long time
