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Windows Microsoft

Multiple Sources Confirm Windows 10 has Reached RTM 172

Posted by samzenpus from the good-enough dept.
Ammalgam writes: Multiple sources are reporting that Microsoft has finally hit the release to manufacturing (RTM) milestone with Windows 10. A new build of Windows 10, number 10240, is available to Windows Insiders on both the fast and slow track. Microsoft has made no official statement yet.
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Multiple Sources Confirm Windows 10 has Reached RTM More

Multiple Sources Confirm Windows 10 has Reached RTM

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  • I've got the blank DVDs waiting to burn the .ISOs when it shows up on my system. I've no doubt there will be issues with some of the third party software I use, but those bumps will get ironed out in due time.

    I thought about sticking with Windows 7, but I realized it's not every day you get something for "free" from Microsoft, so I better get it while the getting is good. :D

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by gweilo8888 ( 921799 )
      And soon you will realize how prophetic the air quotes around "free" really were. Good luck with that hot mess.

      • Re:I've got the DVDs waiting to burn .ISOs (Score:4, Interesting)

        by gigaherz ( 2653757 ) on Wednesday July 15, 2015 @05:16PM (#50119881)

        It is a known fact (or well, highly guessable at least), that Microsoft's goal has shifted from selling Operating Systems, to having a mostly free platform ("free" in this case implies the user has paid the "Microsoft Tax" at least once in the life of the device), as a means to make the Windows Store as accessible as possible.

        All of the new features in Visual Studio 2015 regarding porting apps from Android/iOS, all the rumors that there may be Windows 10 phones "soon", etc. simply confirm this. Microsoft's goal is to make it as easy as possible to purchase things from the Store, so that they can get their cut of the sales.

        • all the rumors that there may be Windows 10 phones "soon", etc. simply confirm this.

          Only in the twisted Bizarro World existence of Microsoft could rumors actually confirm something...

          • I meant "confirm" as in "strengthen the suspicion". It's one of its definitions, even if not the most common one. Feel free to look it up.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

          They are already giving Windows away on devices with screens under 13". There are now a lot of cheap tablets running Windows available, where previously there was only Android in the low cost market. Android and to an extent Chrome OS is basically making charging for an OS look ridiculous.

      • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

        by Anonymous Coward

        Meaning...what exactly?

        You seem to be suggesting, despite injecting the word "prophetic" into the sentence without apparently knowing what it means, that Windows 10 won't be free as advertised. So put your cards on the table, then, what do you think they're going to do exactly? They're going to offer it for free and then send the leg-breakers around to people's houses in a year asking for protection money? They're going to spring a monthly fee rental on people after they've installed it, and when people com

        • Re:I've got the DVDs waiting to burn .ISOs (Score:5, Insightful)

          by ErichTheRed ( 39327 ) on Wednesday July 15, 2015 @05:49PM (#50120087)

          "So put your cards on the table, then, what do you think they're going to do exactly? They're going to offer it for free and then send the leg-breakers around to people's houses in a year asking for protection money? They're going to spring a monthly fee rental on people after they've installed it, and when people complain and threaten to sue they're going to laugh maniacally?"

          I don't think that's going to happen right away. I think they're going to use the next few years of rolling updates to get the average consumer used to the Windows as a Service model. Then, at least for the Home version, they're going to come out with Windows 365 when "Windows 11" is ready. The Pro and Enterprise versions will probably still be available in perpetual license format (They already committed to a long term stable (LTS) branch of 10 for companies.) The carrot for going to Windows 365 will be the availability of features. Look at Mac Office 2016 -- available now only if you have an Office 365 subscription, otherwise you need to wait till September to buy a licensed copy. The next step might be no more perpetual licensing.

          I actually like Windows, but I'm not a fan of the constant rental fees for software. Adobe went that way with Creative Cloud, and people basically have no choice but to keep paying forever. AutoCAD is now rent-only as well.

          • Re:I've got the DVDs waiting to burn .ISOs (Score:5, Interesting)

            by nine-times ( 778537 ) <nine.times@gmail.com> on Wednesday July 15, 2015 @06:34PM (#50120379) Homepage

            I think there's another possibility: Windows will become permanently free (gratis) for home and non-commercial use.

            I actually think this would be a really smart move for Microsoft at this time. Apple and Google have beaten them in the mobile area, and Apple has been making inroads on the desktop, even in businesses. Some businesses and schools are even opting for Chromebooks. Windows doesn't provide them with the sort of leverage and dominance that it used to.

            As people move away from Windows, not only does Microsoft lose the revenue from licensing, they also start losing an advantage in selling their other products/services. If you run a business and all of your desktops are Macs or Chromebooks, then having a Windows domain isn't nearly as useful. If you're not running Outlook on Windows, then the value of Exchange Server is diminished. (They have Outlook for Mac, but it's not as good, and they have no Outlook for Linux) A lot of their expensive management tools and services become much more effective when your network is all Windows servers and Windows desktops/laptops.

            In that sense, I could see an argument that Microsoft should give away Windows to consumers (and maybe even businesses) as a loss leader in order to sell various services, similar to the way that Apple provides OSX and the iLife/iWork software "free" as a way to sell their hardware. Personally, I think they should restructure Office 365 to include various management tools, like MDM, RMM, SSO, and remote control similar to LogMeIn. Turn it into a one-stop shop for IT departments to control all of their servers and desktops, with an eye toward eventually enabling IT to replace onsite domain controllers and file servers with a completely hosted cloud solution, where that would be desirable. Provide similar (but simplified) functionality for home users, including update management, cloud managed AV, find-my-phone (or laptop), remote control, cloud backup, etc.

            I think that's the best move for long-term growth: give away Windows, come up with a well defined set of subscription services that provide useful features that integrate well with Windows, and price those subscriptions cheaply enough that IT departments and home users will say, "why not?", and then try to make money on volume.

            Besides, making Windows free removes the biggest reason people have to stay on old versions of Windows, and old versions of Windows are more expensive for Microsoft to support. I think that's why Apple started making their OS upgrades free.

          • I think they're going to use the next few years of rolling updates to get the average consumer used to the Windows as a Service model. Then, at least for the Home version, they're going to come out with Windows 365 when "Windows 11" is ready. The Pro and Enterprise versions will probably still be available in perpetual license format (They already committed to a long term stable (LTS) branch of 10 for companies.) The carrot for going to Windows 365 will be the availability of features.

            More likely they will just continue to charge an OEM license fee and tie the software license to the hardware then providing free upgrades for the life of the hardware like Apple does. A subscription model makes sense when it is "Software as a Service" but not when it is an operating system, that makes more sense to tie the license to the hardware.

            I'm not a fan of the constant rental fees for software. Adobe went that way with Creative Cloud, and people basically have no choice but to keep paying forever. AutoCAD is now rent-only as well.

            I prefer the perpetual licensing too but from a business accounting perspective subscription makes more sense, it also means you don't have different people using

          • Adobe went that way with Creative Cloud, and people basically have no choice but to keep paying forever.

            Considering that the ancient Photoshop 7 is still better than most alternatives, I bought CS5.5 and am holding off as long as I possibly can. If I can make it the rest of my life without upgrading, I will be perfectly capable. They haven't added much, really. Even screenshots from 1988 [hongkiat.com] are recognizable to today's users.

      • Re:I've got the DVDs waiting to burn .ISOs (Score:4, Informative)

        by PRMan ( 959735 ) on Wednesday July 15, 2015 @06:03PM (#50120181)

        Actually, I've been using the beta on my work laptop all along. I haven't had very many problems.

        Early on, I had network, sound and HDMI problems, but those were ironed out a long time ago.

        I don't use Edge or Cortana. Basically I just want it to be like a new version of Windows 7 and run all the same stuff better and faster with longer battery life. It does that very well at this point. I've only had 1 blue screen during the entire beta process. Windows 10 is very stable and a good OS. Much better than 8.

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by leathered ( 780018 )

      2015 and still burning ISOs to DVD? There's no real reason not to boot from a USB stick nowadays.

      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        by Anonymous Coward

        2015 and still burning ISOs to DVD? There's no real reason not to boot from a USB stick nowadays.

        Every blasted device now comes with a USB cable, so all the USB ports are occupied, even with an additional multiport hub. The DVD and Blu-Ray drives in the computer still work and are freely available during booting because you can't watch a movie then. And disks fit into those nice little racks you can buy, and are big enough to label legibly, unlike usb sticks that constantly get lost, chewed by the dog and have to be checked to see what's on them because they are too tiny to properly label. And, you

        • Optical is slow, requires physical burning, its all around shit compared to where we are with solid state. A single optical burner is the size of two intel NUCs. The only true strength optical has left is that its read-only so it cant be corrupted/infected other than that, its as dead as 8 tracks. Btw, all VOIP installs by an ISP require having a UPS so your 'POTS is da best' argument is a bit moot. I agree on some of your points, but hating on optical has very valid reasons.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by msobkow ( 48369 )

            I have DVDs; I'd have to buy a stick. And if I had a choice between buying either, you're talking about $0.50 vs $5.00 or more.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by bjwest ( 14070 )

            Btw, all VOIP installs by an ISP require having a UPS so your 'POTS is da best' argument is a bit moot. I agree on some of your points, but hating on optical has very valid reasons.

            POTS phones, as well as DSL, will keep working indefinitely. Good luck with that VOIP call when your UPS battery dies.

            Also, I didn't get a UPS with my VOIP setup.

        • Every blasted device now comes with a USB cable, so all the USB ports are occupied, even with an additional multiport hub.

          My budget motherboard not only has about 8xUSB2 and 2xUSB3 actually on the back of it, but you can get it up to 12xUSB2 and 4xUSB3 without adding any expansion cards. How much crap have you got plugged in there, and why don't one or two USB2 hubs solve your port starvation problem?

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

          Every blasted device now comes with a USB cable, so all the USB ports are occupied, even with an additional multiport hub.

          You know you can unplug them, right? Or add more hubs?

          It's actually a good idea to unplug some devices while doing the OS install. Cuts down on confusion so you don't accidentally select a USB drive as the target, and gives you time to install drivers in an orderly manner instead of having Windows scramble to find them all at first boot.

          Besides, even my tower system doesn't have an optical drive any more, I use USB for that. I realized that I was using it about once a year, so swapped it for a hot-plug SATA

        • Every blasted device now comes with a USB cable, so all the USB ports are occupied,

          How many devices do you have? And which ones can't you unplug temporarily while installing your OS? My cheapo PC has 8 USB ports, of which I use 1 for my wifi dongle for my keyboard and mouse. My printer is also wifi and everything USB is only connected as needed.

          Dear smug futurists.

          Future? This relatively common technology that is already over a decade old.

          • Most Laptops these days have only 3 USB ports, many if not most also have an optical drive.
            Just saying. Not everybody is using a desktop.

            • Most new laptops now are omitting the optical drive. It's getting to the point where if you require an optical drive your options are starting to look pretty limited, especially since the remaining models with optical drives tend to be the larger workstation/desktop replacement models. This is understandable, as I rarely use an optical drive anymore. On the other hand, the lack of USB ports is baffling.

              • I can't remember the last time I used an optical drive, at least 10 years ago for any regular data, and slightly less than that for OS installs. Booting from USB became easy about 6 or 7 years ago. I've had my most recent PC over 5 years ago, it has no Optical drive and I've never missed it.

        • Since a lot of computers can't EFI boot off of DVD, and Windows won't EFI install on a computer if the install media didn't EFI boot from, you're risking a slower boot time by being forced to use BIOS emulation on every boot.

          It's annoying, but it's an argument that you probably should do Windows installs via USB.

    • Why use optical? MS has all the tools to make bootable USB win 10 installs. https://www.microsoft.com/en-u... [microsoft.com]

    • Re:I've got the DVDs waiting to burn .ISOs (Score:5, Informative)

      by ITRambo ( 1467509 ) on Wednesday July 15, 2015 @06:25PM (#50120325)
      The .iso's will be available on the Windows Partner Portal on August 1st. Or so I was told in a Windows 10 webinar last week. To use them you need to upgrade your Windows 7 or 8.1 machines online, let Microsoft do its hardware based digital entitlement think where it stores your motherboard info on its servers. Then you can clean install from the .iso and Windows will be automatically activated as long as you have the same motherboard. Hard drives can be changed to SSD's etc, without a problem, they claim. Your old product key can even be reused if you want to revert back to the original OS after the 30 day rollback period, after which the Windows.old folder will be removed.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by rtb61 ( 674572 )

      So does that mean, Windows 8 pay for the privilege Beta is finally out of Beta, with it's really cool compulsory touch screen phone interface, that worked so really, really well on desktops without touch screens and taught all those users to pick any phone as long as they avoided the one with the LosePhone interface.

  • Funny (Score:5, Interesting)

    by ArcadeMan ( 2766669 ) on Wednesday July 15, 2015 @05:06PM (#50119801)

    It's Windows 10 and the build number for the RTM is exactly 1024 * 10, and it takes 10 bits to reach 1024.

    • Re:Funny (Score:5, Interesting)

      by nmb3000 ( 741169 ) on Wednesday July 15, 2015 @06:18PM (#50120275) Journal

      It's Windows 10 and the build number for the RTM is exactly 1024 * 10, and it takes 10 bits to reach 1024.

      It's something of a tradition [microsoft.com] for Windows releases to have cute build numbers.

      Windows 95: 950
      Windows 98: 1,998
      Windows 98 SE: 2,222
      Windows ME: 3,000
      Windows 2000: 2195 (the NT folks tried to stay boring)
      Windows XP: 2,600
      Windows Vista: 6000
      Windows 7: 7,600
      Windows 8: 9,200 (they wanted it to be 8,888, but that is not a multiple of 16).

      Windows 10 being 10240 is certainly cute, being 10 * 2^10.

      But I wouldn't get too worked up over it. As Raymond says:

      There’s not much point in trying to “conserve” build numbers. They’re just numbers. They don’t cost anything. The important thing is that no two builds are given the same build number.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by epyT-R ( 613989 )

        Not quite. Until a few years ago, most devs used major numbers to suggest major changes that break compatibility, minor numbers to suggest additions that do not break compatibility, and pico numbers to suggest bug or security fixes. This is still very useful, but like a lot of society, devs are going full retard now.

        • Shush with your logic and consistency!

            This about Meta-data! tagging, web 2.0 and more gizmo terms! they well just put the numbers in the cloud!

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by nmb3000 ( 741169 )

          Oh, I agree if we're talking about some kind of major.minor.revision version number system. Stuff like Firefox doing just integer version numbers makes the version pretty useless for anything other than putting on your webpage in a big font size.

          The Windows thing is just build number, which generally is completely meaningless when it comes to compatibility checks or that kind of thing.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Dog-Cow ( 21281 )

          Except build numbers have absolutely nothing to do with any of that. In most IDEs, the build number is just a count of the number of times you hit the build button. Any particularly value is entirely meaningless on its own.

          In other words: devs may be going retard, but you hit moron shortly after birth.

    • And 10240 = 10100000000000, which has 12 zeros, and 1+2=3. Half Life 3 confirmed.

  • "no official statement" (Score:5, Informative)

    by benjymous ( 69893 ) on Wednesday July 15, 2015 @05:10PM (#50119831) Homepage

    Other than the post on the official Windows blog, I guess

    http://blogs.windows.com/blogg... [windows.com]

    Although that doesn't say this is the RTM, just that "this build is one step closer to what customers will start to receive on 7/29"

  • Windows. Love it or hate it, it's there. I only use it on desktops, so I don't see Microsoft's attempt to make an every-device OS as a plus. I use Windows 7 because it was designed for desktops. Why would anyone want to switch over to Microsoft's app based Windows 10? Does anyone here have any substantive reasons other than small differences in boot time or DirectX 12 support, that make the upgrade useful for desktop users with Windows 7? I'm curious.

    • Why would anyone want to switch over to Microsoft's app based Windows 10?

      App means application software. AutoCAD and Angry Birds are equally apps.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by PRMan ( 959735 )

      Speed. Battery life. DirectX12. 3 more years of bug-fix support.

      That's about it for me. Windows 10 UI is not as good as Windows 7 for desktops. But it's good enough to make it worth it for the reasons listed above.

    • Re:I know (Score:5, Interesting)

      by WheezyJoe ( 1168567 ) <fegg&excite,com> on Wednesday July 15, 2015 @06:37PM (#50120401)

      Not me. Been beta-testing the preview builds for the last bunch of months, and I'm honestly unhappy to say there's no must-have, great, or even kinda-cool feature in 10 that compels me to upgrade from 7 (other than the stick-it-to-ya of planned obsolescence [microsoft.com]).

      OTOH, there's a lot in Windows 10 that's just irritating. The lack of customizability in the UI (if you don't like the flat, playskool look, you're SOL). The yanking out of some of the fun time-wasting games (some have been replaced [theverge.com] with "modern" versions for... what exactly? to acclimate users to the "modern" look? to force users to browse through the Store to find Minesweeper?). The unpolished split between the "modern" Settings app and the Control Panel for getting real work done. The insistence that you sign into a Microsoft account. The click-bait-laden live-tiles. The defaults to the use of ugly, too-big, less-capable "modern" apps for basic functions like PDF viewing, photo viewing, or even a simple calculator.

      If I think about it,if I move from 7 because 7 is at EOL, I am going to spend my first bunch of hours shutting off everything that 10 offers. I would ditch Edge/Project Spartan for Chrome, first thing. Dull down the colors any way I can. Install classic-shell. Shut off the click-bait live-tiles from aggravating my ADHD with TMZ OMG bullcrap. Un-modernize everything by installing and making default 7-versions of the calculator, a PDF viewer, minesweeper, VLC, rainmeter, WinAero Tweaker, Picassa, etc. And then probably go looking for some skinning [skinpacks.com] hacks, if any work on 10, because I can't stand that awful playskool look.

      In other words, spend hours undoing everything that makes 10 look and act like 10. That's a helluva lot of wasted time for what's supposed to be an "upgrade". And for what? Touch? I don't use touch. DirectX 12? I don't game enough AAA titles to know the difference. The only reason I see to go to 10 is because Microsoft plans on pulling the plug on 7. Eventually. Or maybe if 10 handles scaling properly on ultra-high-res screens. Eventually.

      If Windows to you is merely a platform from which to launch Steam and your favorite full-screen game(s), you probably have nothing to lose with 10. If you have a Surface, the "modern" apps make some sense (although when I tried them, Android and iOS equivalents are more polished and work better). But if you actually have to get real work done on the desktop like you do in 7 every day, 10 don't offer not one damn thing for the trouble. None that I can tell, anyway.

      • That is my impression as well. They are trying to make it palatable to desktop users, including the entire corporate and government sectors who are still using it, but it is just an app-based OS for mobile devices that can still run Windows programs. They hope to drive lots of business to their app store by giving 10 away for free. But for desktop Win7 users it seems like a big, irritating downgrade.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Mashiki ( 184564 )

        If you're a gamer, DX12 is more then enough of a reason to upgrade. Especially with the massive API changes that are coming down the pipe for it. There are a lot of non-AAA games that use DX11 or mantle now, that will be doubly so for DX12 which will make cross-platform support for 'nix and macs even easier.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

        There are a few good reasons to upgrade. Multiple desktops are nice, and long overdue. High DPI support with per-monitor settings was available in 8.1, but is much better in 10. I want to get a second 4k monitor but keep my existing 2k one.

        Again, Windows 8.1 has OPAL v2 (also called eDrive) support, but it's better in 10 and a good reason to upgrade from 7. Most modern SSDs encrypt the data before writing it to flash memory, and OPAL v2 lets you set your own key for this. So you get full drive encryption wi

        • How is that any different from Windows 7? When installing Windows 7 you need to install Chrome, presumably turn off the visual effects since you seem to hate those, install classic shell for a usable start menu, disable crap like Media Centre (if you didn't install the N version), install a PDF viewer, a decent media player, rainmeter, Picasa etc.

          You make a good point. Except for the visual effects, which I kinda like, all the things above apply to 7 as well. BUT... I've already done the work and now my 7 setup is the way I like. 10 means I have to do it all over again, and for little or nothing in return. High DPI support is something that might benefit me in the future (or not, depending on whether the app I'm using cooperates), and I don't care much about Bitlocker. OTOH, the biggest deal with Windows 10 is the whole "modern" app and Store thi

          • Note that High Contrast is not throw away. They've kept it in every version of windows since 3.1(or earlier) for a reason. Some people can only use that mode. I have a co-worker whose color blindness makes that the only setting that is actually useable to him.

    • Why would anyone want to switch over to Microsoft's app based Windows 10?

      Every operating system is "app based" that is the whole point of an operating system. An operating system that doesn't run apps (also known as applications or programs) is pretty useless.

      Does anyone here have any substantive reasons other than small differences in boot time or DirectX 12 support, that make the upgrade useful for desktop users with Windows 7? I'm curious.

      Lower resource usage, improved battery life on mobile devices, better support for high dpi displays, continuum (if you have a convertible device), etc. There's quite a few but really if you're happy with your current system then why change? It's the same whether you're using Windows, Linux or OS X.

      • Re:I know (Score:4, Insightful)

        by qubezz ( 520511 ) on Thursday July 16, 2015 @12:43AM (#50122659)

        Well, I am pretty sickened by the constant data connections between Windows 10 and Microsoft. Running in a VM, the network activity light and CPU load is constant. Granted some of this is the keylogger-level telemetry that they are gathering, but my OS should never start initiating network connections without my permission; this OS wants to automatically update itself and any apps you have installed (can't be turned off unless you just kill the services), comes with dozens of scheduled tasks to do so, and encourages you to store your data, contacts, emails, etc in their apps without clearly stating that it is all being duplicated on Microsoft servers.

        Annoyance #2, actually dealbreaker, is how they've made the OS almost broken if you don't use a Microsoft account login. This means that your computer's login is the same password as your email address, and is out of your control. Microsoft or anyone pressuring them can get into your (their) computer since they control the password. It is way to easy for SOHO users looking for time-wasters in the Microsoft store to convert the local account into their own user login and lock out everybody including admin. The email address of the logon is proudly displayed on the logon screen to unauthenticated users, with no way to turn this off.

        • this OS wants to automatically update itself and any apps you have installed (can't be turned off unless you just kill the services)

          Surely you understand that for most users the automatic patching and updating of the system and programs is a good thing, they don't have to worry about computer maintenance. And as you say the power users can kill the services if they really want to do things manually. OS X has gone through a similar process of taking maintenance tasks or traditional mundane workflow tasks and automating them (like the auto save stuff) and this confuses the people who are just used to doing this on a regular basis but is b

        • Annoyance #2, actually dealbreaker, is how they've made the OS almost broken if you don't use a Microsoft account login. This means that your computer's login is the same password as your email address, and is out of your control. Microsoft or anyone pressuring them can get into your (their) computer since they control the password. It is way to easy for SOHO users looking for time-wasters in the Microsoft store to convert the local account into their own user login and lock out everybody including admin. The email address of the logon is proudly displayed on the logon screen to unauthenticated users, with no way to turn this off.

          Stop spouting non-sense. This is totally false. I've been running Windows 10 since November on my work laptop and since January on my home desktop. You only need to use a Microsoft account to get access to the App Store. This access is easier if you use the Microsoft account as your Windows User account so you don't have to log in every time you use the App Store, but Windows 10 will happily let you use regular old Windows User accounts.

      • The difference between an app and application is who controls the executable. You or MS?

        • The difference between an app and application is who controls the executable. You or MS?

          "app" is just short for "application", they are the same thing. Windows 10 can run the same applications (apps, applications, programs, whatever you want to call them) that previous versions did. I'm not sure what you mean by "who controls it" because the computer user controls it by executing it in a specific environment and/or with input. The app (or application) does whatever the author programs it to do, if that's me then it does what I tell it, if it's Microsoft then it has whatever capabilities they p

  • ... the actual license conditions will be. If I do the update, will I have to buy a new one if my MB/CPU/disk dies? And then there is the thing about updates not being user-blockable. Sure, the raising fascism (a.k.a. "law enforcement") will love that, but for everybody else it is a potential nightmare and not only because it is an ideal channel to push spy-ware and backdoors. Somehow MS seems to think this is _their_ machine, not mine and that is just unacceptable.

    I winder what other nasty surprises MS wil

    • And then there is the thing about updates not being user-blockable.

      My understanding is that restriction is only for systems upgraded from the previous Windows "Home" versions.

      • Hmm, my understanding was that a domain was required in order to turn off automatic updating. It is possible I heard wrong though.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by gweihir ( 88907 )

        Last I read is that it was for _all_ versions, except for a special enterprise version that you cannot buy. The regular enterprise version also has non-blockable updates.

        • I heard home versions were all non-blockable, but the enterprise versions you could.

          Most companies won't go anywhere fucking near Windows 10 unless they can test in-house with their software before pushing it out to the users machines.

          Personally, I'm hoping that shit is the first thing hacked so you can block updates.

          What will probably happen is they'll fat finger a update, trash a tens of thousands, or more people's computers. The publicity shit storm will force them to allow blocking of updates.

          I personal

    • I don't know about CPU/MB, but if your disk dies you will be able to install just Windows 10 and activate it. Windows 10 as an upgrade from 7/8 doesn't have a product key, you will be required to have a Microsoft account. This account will store the license for your computer.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by gweihir ( 88907 )

        An MS account? Thanks, then I will never do the update.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Dog-Cow ( 21281 )

          I mostly ignore AC's. There are too many self-important cretins hiding behind it. Slashdot offers pseudonymity. Use it.

          Right. Being a pseudonymous asshole is so much better.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by gweihir ( 88907 )

            I wouldn't know. But you seem to have experience with being an asshole. How is it working out for you?

  • that's ( 2 ^ 10 ) x 10

  • Might as well upgrade when it comes out (Score:3)

    by ErichTheRed ( 39327 ) on Wednesday July 15, 2015 @05:40PM (#50120027)

    Microsoft hasn't exactly lavished attention on downlevel operating system versions once the new one comes out. This is especially true with Windows 8 -- they're looking to bury that as quickly as possible. It's very similar to when Windows 7 / 2008 R2 came out. Anyone still running Vista or Server 2008 was "encouraged" to upgrade because no new features were being back ported to previous versions.

    I expect the same thing is going to happen with Windows 7. For example, Server 2008 R2 has had a few 2012 features at least partially available to earlier operating systems. I expect this is going to stop, and the bare minimum level of patch support is going to be put in place for both 8.1 and 7.

    Windows 10 really isn't all that bad. They brought back just enough of the classic desktop to keep people from revolting, and I really wish they would have done more. But it's very stable, and once Cortana/Microsoft account links/live tiles have been turned off, it's a good general purpose OS. I wish Microsoft would put the Store and Windows Phone out of its misery though. I know they're going to try to force all new development onto the Universal app platform, but hopefully they'll keep backward compatibility in for a long time.

    • Re:Might as well upgrade when it comes out (Score:4, Insightful)

      by thegarbz ( 1787294 ) on Wednesday July 15, 2015 @07:00PM (#50120593)

      I would actually like the opposite for the Store. Rather than put it out of its misery, open it up to anyone and everyone without fee or lock-in.

      I don't like Linux on the desktop. I find many things about it infuriating. But a centralized place to get software is one of my biggest likes about Linux. It just won't work with the vendor lock-in / closed ecosystem that Microsoft is trying to push.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by dave420 ( 699308 )
        Windows 10 will support a Linuxesque package manager. You can read more here [howtogeek.com] albeit a bit out of date, but good information none the less.

        • My point was not the existence of a package manager, but the existence of one with a useful and full collection of packages. It looks good. I hope it gets adopted.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by reikae ( 80981 )

      They brought back just enough of the classic desktop to keep people from revolting,

      I suppose you're talking about the start menu, and possibly multiple desktops too. Apart from those, there actually seems to be a lot of more of Moden UI stuff in 10 than in 8.1; for example the familiar Windows Calculator is a "Metro" program in 10 as far as I can tell. Windows Photo Viewer can only print, browsing/viewing images happens in the modern UI Photos application.

  • Has 'classic' mode returned? (Score:3)

    by 0100010001010011 ( 652467 ) on Wednesday July 15, 2015 @06:25PM (#50120327)

    Personally the Windows UI topped out around NT/2000. I've tried as hard as I could to make XP and Windows 7 look exactly like it. My task bar has 3 rows because that's how I work. It doesn't work for other people and I understand where Microsoft is going with the 'tabletification'. It's just a rehash of Microsoft Bob and Apple's At Ease [wikipedia.org]. It's a computer interface for non computer people.

    My wife loves her Windows 8 laptop. I try to use it and it's probably one of the most frustrating things I have ever used. Who decided you could only have a few apps up on a screen and they would try to take full control? How about the 'full screen' start menu.

    All I want is a simple "Windows Classic" theme that makes Windows 10 look exactly like Windows 2000. That's it. Keep all the fancy kernel improvements and everything else, I just want to interact with the computer how I've found it best.

    • All I want is a simple "Windows Classic" theme that makes Windows 10 look exactly like Windows 2000. That's it. Keep all the fancy kernel improvements and everything else, I just want to interact with the computer how I've found it best.

      There have always been alternative shells for those who don't like the out-of-the-box UI.

  • You have no choice over windows updates. Tons of times we've seen articles here and around the net how a specific KBupdate should be ignored due to causing crashing, lockups, reboot loops, etc forcing folks to go back to a restore point or boot into safe mode if possible and uninstall the update, or worse.

    Now Windows 10 has no option to pick and choose which updates you want. You can't decide to hold off on updates either. All Windows 10 updates are pushed and installed automatically.

    That itself is a huge t

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by jetkust ( 596906 )
      What? You didn't like it when Windows forcefully turns off your computer without regard for any data you may have lost, only to create a paradox where every time you turn on your computer it starts installing updates but gets infinitely stuck at 70% progress all the while insisting that turning the computer off at THIS point is the worst thing you can do.

  • This seems like a good opportunity for Slashdot to retire its dorkish stained glass Windows icon. Windows 1.0 was released in 1985, 29 years ago, and 12 years before the launch of Slashdot.

  • Comment removed based on user account deletion

  • ...slap on another coat of make-up on its aging wrinkled & drooping skin, then send it out on the streets to make some money one more time.

    Interesting to also note the U-Turn on roll-outs for Windows 10 according to Terry Myerson's Blog [windows.com] which says "Starting on July 29, we will start rolling out Windows 10 to our Windows Insiders". Who???

    So those of you sat there eagerly waiting to download it come July 29 may need to demonstrate some patience...

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