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Operating Systems Windows Cloud Microsoft Software Technology

First Screenshots of Microsoft's Windows 10 Cloud OS Leak Online (zdnet.com) 78

Posted by BeauHD from the leaks-and-rumors dept.
The first alleged screenshots of Microsoft's Windows 10 Cloud operating system have leaked, courtesy of Windows Blog Italia. "The screenshots seem to show a coming version of the operating system that is locked down in a way similar to the way Microsoft locked down Windows RT and, before that the Windows 8.1 with Bing version of Windows," reports ZDNet. From the report: According to Windows Blog Italia, which said they've had a chance to test the current version of Windows 10 Cloud, the product can run Windows Store apps only. The site noted that Windows Store apps built using Microsoft's "Centennial" Desktop bridge, which enables developers to move their Win32 apps to the Windows Store, work on the version of Windows 10 Cloud to which they have access. UWP apps and Windows Store apps have not been synonymous terms. But the important point here is Windows Cloud will be locked down so as to prevent users from installing apps that are not in the Windows 10 Store, which can be seen as a plus from a security and manageability standpoint, but a minus given the less-than-robust collection of UWP/Store apps available for Windows 10. Microsoft is believed to be planning to position Windows 10 Cloud, at least in part, as an alternative to Chrome OS and Chromebooks.
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First Screenshots of Microsoft's Windows 10 Cloud OS Leak Online More

First Screenshots of Microsoft's Windows 10 Cloud OS Leak Online

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  • And I'm not a millennial!

  • A version of Windows more broken than Wine (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward

    Buy a Chromebook, install Wine, and now you've got a more useful computer than this.

    • I agree, but only to the extent that you can keep others' paws off your Chromebook.

      I was under the impression that installing Wine required putting the Chromebook in developer mode, and enabling developer mode caused the Chromebook's firmware to display an "OS verification is off" interstitial for 30 seconds every time the Chromebook is turned on. You can skip the interstitial by pressing Ctrl+D, but someone else who turns on your Chromebook doesn't know this, and the interstitial directs the user to press

    • Not having a ton of knowledge on UWP yet beyond replacing win32, does it offer any benefits from the existing platform? I mean, if they decided not to tie UWP exclusively to the Windows Store (or at the very least made sideloading easier), I could get behind a change in forma if it provided some concrete benefit, like, say. not being beholden to x86 anylonger.

  • This sort of reminds me of the old Windows Starter Editions, but my cynical self makes me wonder if this is a trial balloon for upcoming releases of Windows. It benefits Microsoft a lot, because they will own the entire ecosystem similar to Apple, but even Apple wouldn't have this much of a lock on the desktop.

    • Re:The future of the desktop is here... (Score:5, Insightful)

      by AmiMoJo ( 196126 ) on Friday February 03, 2017 @06:59PM (#53799309) Homepage Journal

      Who is this for? No-one bought the starter or RT editions. Consumers didn't want them, preferring to either get a proper version or just pirate the damn things. OEMs tried it, found they didn't sell and quickly ditched them.

      At best, it will be a shit version of a Chomebook or Android tablet. After Windows Mobile failed due to lack of support from third parties you would think they would have learned their lesson that Window's biggest selling point is the vast library of compatible software.

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by Anonymous Coward

        Consumers didn't want them, preferring to either get a proper version or just pirate the damn things. OEMs tried it, found they didn't sell and quickly ditched them.

        Back then, they made the mistake of having alternative options available.

        At the rate Microsoft has been going with Windows 10, they will not be repeating that mistake unless you're willing to cough up the cash for an Enterprise edition.

    • my cynical self makes me wonder if this is a trial balloon for upcoming releases of Windows.

      I'll believe it's a trial balloon for eliminating third-party stores once Visual Studio is available in the form of a "Windows Store app".

    • Apple may be getting more restrictive, but on OSC it currently has zero restrictions on installing your own software, building your own software, or grabbing software from random places on the web. If it has a walled garden then the walls are drawn with chalk.

  • Why is everyone copying mobile? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by lucasnate1 ( 4682951 ) on Friday February 03, 2017 @06:49PM (#53799257) Homepage

    Both Microsoft and Linux seem to try to constantly copy bad things from mobile. In Linux's case, it's mostly user interface, while in Windows, it's both user interface and an "app store". Why do everyone hate PCs so much nowadays? My guess is a combination of people's love for dumb machines and corporate's desire for control, but I am really not sure if this is the reason.

    • Re:Why is everyone copying mobile? (Score:4, Insightful)

      by ctilsie242 ( 4841247 ) on Friday February 03, 2017 @06:52PM (#53799279)

      Because PCs are open, and that is something considered Very Bad in today's industry. If you don't like Steam or Apple's App Store, you can download it from another source. The goal is for makers to wall the desktop environment in, providing not just a guaranteed revenue stream like Apple's 30% toll, but also be able to control the platform and suck more of that sweet, valued telemetry data, where nobody can do anything about it.

      Plus, it would allow DRM to be added, so people with those pesky music files can't play them unless they are signed copies from the official store.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by bmo ( 77928 )

      The "app store" didn't originate with mobile, or even Apple.

      It originated from software repositories like Simtel, which matured into the current Linux and BSD repositories.

      These "app stores" are poor imitations of the real thing.

      --
      BMO

    • In Linux's case, it's mostly user interface....

      Care to elaborate? I use Kubuntu, and see nothing resembling copying a Mobile interface.

    • Why is everyone copying mobile?

      Because that's how consumer electronics manufacturers were able to reach the next billion-plus users. The PC market became saturated, and what built on top of that is the mobile market. Those billion customers wanted something cheap, simple, and secure.

      The traditional PC is great for many reasons, but it's not for any of those reasons.

  • There is a lot of speculation about the purpose of this implementation of Windows 10. Everyone says they have the answers and they are all inconsistent with one another. Now I will speculate. I do not think Microsoft is so stupid as to try and release this on the masses. Not even in developing countries. My take is that this is for the enterprise. Well, not precisely. If you have ever seen a Windows computer, or administrated them in a call center environment, they are locked down as fuck. That and similar

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by wjcofkc ( 964165 )
      I hate to reply to myself, but someone will bring up Chromebook competition. As a pathological nerd who has been running Linux since 1996, and is currently running a host of other operating systems (FreeBSD, OS2\Warp, etc...). My Windows 10 computer has become my daily driver since I purchased it a month or two ago. My Windows 10 computer? It is a 10 inch tablet with a paltry quad-core Cherry Trail and 4 whole gigs of ram. It is magnetically connected to a really slick keyboard\trackpad dock. It has one USB
    • Ler me answer your suggestion that Windows 10 Cloud is for the Enterprise. Is there Office Apps? To my knowledge, no. Is there a Visual Studio App? No. Is there VPN Apps? No. So for the Enterprise, your user can't develop, can't run full Office, and can't remotely log into the corporate network. Who does that leave? Only the Receptionist and Administrative Assistants.

  • Not leaked, released. (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Gravis Zero ( 934156 ) on Friday February 03, 2017 @06:53PM (#53799283)

    Windows Blog Italia is backed by Microsoft. The images were not leaked, they were released. Had it been a leak, the entire domain would now be offline.

  • Brings up some of Tim Sweeny's fears (Score:4, Insightful)

    by HalAtWork ( 926717 ) on Friday February 03, 2017 @07:14PM (#53799361)

    Namely the inability to do business without going through MS. [gameranx.com] Even if Steam can be distributed through Windows Store, can it still perform transactions without giving any money to MS, implement its own DRM scheme, and load 3rd party executables (i.e. the games downloaded)?

    In addition, though Win32 apps can be distributed through the Windows Store, this does nothing for the many apps that are no longer in active development, including older versions of applications preferred by some users. Any apps that go against Windows Store policies won't be available, which includes many useful utilities, emulators... and I guess doing software development is out of the question here as well.

  • Why is anybody surprised? (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    Microsoft is like every other corporation on the planet. It wants slaves, not customers.

  • No fucking thanks. Do I even need to explain why?
  • by saying "Windows 8.1....With BING!!!!!111!!!!11ONE" instead of "Crippled piece of shit edition"

  • Stupidest company in the whole world (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    Windows 7 was great. WTF happened ?

  • The very first screenshot is an error message about app compatibility. I don't know what I expected but somehow that sort of feels like what I would have expected.

  • Apparently, Microsoft wants to double down on failure.

  • I honestly wonder who they expect to buy/use this.

    • A cloud based OS? You know, sometimes I think my personal data is just TOO LOCAL.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by SeaFox ( 739806 )

      I honestly wonder who they expect to buy/use this.

      No one will. Which is why, thanks to the existing Windows 10 and rolling release/automatic updates they wont have to convince your to get it. They will just take your perfectly functional computer you have now and slowly get there in a year or two. Like a frog in a pot...

  • The platform and the OS will be so securely locked down, all the worms and viruses must be signed by a Microsoft approved malware certificate authority.
  • Maybe when you get a new PC/laptop, the question should be asked up front. Do you want to make your PC/Laptop more secure/easier to use/similar to your iPhone (with some small print saying that it will become a cloud-only appliance). If you answer yes then it sets itself to be that. You should also be able to switch between the two modes of operation if the need arises.

  • Regardless of the source, if this is Windows 10 Cloud, a face palm through the head won't even be enough to express the failure on this.

    It's like they don't even know why Window RT failed.

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