Microsoft Shelves Windows 10X, It is not Shipping in 2021 (petri.com) 74
In late 2019, Microsoft announced Windows 10X, a new flavor of Windows 10 designed for dual-screen PCs. Windows 10X, Microsoft said at the time, will power dual-screen PCs from Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, and of course Microsoft. But it appears Microsoft has changed its plans about what it wants to do with this version of Windows 10. Microsoft-focused news outlet Petri reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter, that Microsoft will not be shipping Windows 10X this year and the OS, as was described by the company in 2019, will likely never arrive. From the report: The company has shifted resources to Windows 10 and 10X is on the back burner, for now. For about a decade, Microsoft has been trying to modernize Windows in various ways. We have seen Windows RT, Windows 10S, and now Windows 10X. The question becomes if there really is a future for anything other than traditional Windows 10? Microsoft said during their last earnings call that there were 1.3 billion active devices are running the OS each month and with that context in mind, does there really need to be a 'lite' version of the OS?
It's a fair question at this point because Microsoft's history of trying to overhaul Windows is a journey down a road with many headstones along the way to 2021. The reality is that if Microsoft is going to invest heavily in a modern version of Windows 10, it should be to run Windows 10 on ARM. A watered-down version of the OS to compete against Chromebooks is not working out today, much like it has not worked out in the past and it may never work out either but the future is hard to predict. While Windows 10 was put in the backseat for the past couple of years and many looked at 10X as a possible revival of excitement for the OS, all eyes should now be focused on Sun Valley -- the next major update to Windows 10. If something is going to return the limelight to Windows, it has to be Sun Valley because that's the only thing left. But just because 10X isn't coming to market anytime soon, the technologies that were built for 10X are migrating to Windows 10. Not everything from 10X will show up in 10 but I would expect to see things like UI updates, app containers, and more arrive in Windows 10.
It's a fair question at this point because Microsoft's history of trying to overhaul Windows is a journey down a road with many headstones along the way to 2021. The reality is that if Microsoft is going to invest heavily in a modern version of Windows 10, it should be to run Windows 10 on ARM. A watered-down version of the OS to compete against Chromebooks is not working out today, much like it has not worked out in the past and it may never work out either but the future is hard to predict. While Windows 10 was put in the backseat for the past couple of years and many looked at 10X as a possible revival of excitement for the OS, all eyes should now be focused on Sun Valley -- the next major update to Windows 10. If something is going to return the limelight to Windows, it has to be Sun Valley because that's the only thing left. But just because 10X isn't coming to market anytime soon, the technologies that were built for 10X are migrating to Windows 10. Not everything from 10X will show up in 10 but I would expect to see things like UI updates, app containers, and more arrive in Windows 10.
Oh man (Score:5, Funny)
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> a new flavor of Windows 10 designed for dual-screen PCs
A someone who has been running dual screen and using a mouse for as long as I can remember, it's going to be hard to chose between Windows 10X with dual-screen support and Windows 10Y with mouse support. I guess I'll just stick with Windows 10 that combines all of those features.
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a new flavor of Windows 10 designed for dual-screen PCs
Yes, an amazing new idea. Running 2 monitors. Calls for an entirely new OS.
Re: Oh man (Score:5, Funny)
Instead of 10X let's call it X11, and then build a time machine to release it 23 years ago.
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Decent support for multi-monitor showed up in X11R6.4 in 1998. and before 1986 X Window System was called X10, not X11. So closer to 35 years ago if you want to include all of X11 but those early versions had primitive multi-head support, an application couldn't span more than one screen.
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Sounds like a downgrade.
I am using 3 screens with regular windows 10.
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The problem is that this breaks all custom driver installers - the only way is to have the .inf + actual driver files and install them from windows update or through device manager. And that is why they were not planning on providing
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At a certain point you just have to bite the bullet and saw your own leg off if you want to survive. The days of 98% of PC users attaching anything other than monitors and keyboard/mouse to their systems are pretty much over, and the days of 99.[five nines] % of PC users needing to attach that circa 1992 SCSI peripheral to a new system and have it work without tech assistance are absolutely over. If Microsoft wants to stay in the game at all they should go ahead and do as you describe.
Lose compatibility, lose customers (Score:3)
If my old software library starts working better on Linux (than on a hypothetical newer version of Windows) and the rest of what I use are web apps anyway... why would I wa
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If the OS loses backwards compatibility with peripherals and older software then folks would have an incentive to use Wine alongside a certain other operating system.
This is wishful thinking. People would be annoyed and upset... and then upgrade their software and peripherals.
By the way, I'm posting this from Linux. I love Linux... but that doesn't change the fact that non-technical users (i.e., 99.9% of people) aren't going to switch to WINE.
Linux is clearly missing something... (Score:2)
...when we call "multi-screen Linux" just "Linux".
Comment removed (Score:5, Informative)
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A laptop version of Linux that replaces the keyboard with a touchscreen would still just be called "Linux".
And please do not educate me about touchscreens. To me, anything with a touchscreen that I personally own (three phones, one tablet and a couple of Raspberry Pi SBCs for games emulation) I classify as a "toy" and not designed for serious computing tasks.
The best computing device I have ever owned (and still own) is a 12 year old Lenovo Thinkpad X220 running Gentoo Linux and that is one of the last Thin
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But I'm not sure why you think this is relevant.
That could just be down to limited comprehension skills on your part. Your lack of understanding isn't necessarily my problem. Perhaps go read my comments a few more times, see if something finally "clicks into place"?
They haven't renamed NTKRNL386 (or whatever it's called) for Windows 10X.
I don't use Windows 10. I simply use it as a "comedic device" to mock crappy operating systems in general.
Ubuntu, which is a whole operating system
I don't use Ubuntu either. I have used operating systems for almost 40 years now, but thank you for educating me as to what one actually is.
I do think, however, that you might want to give your snobbery a rest.
Would you like me to submit my Slashdot comments
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Well there's singularity [wikipedia.org], Midori [wikipedia.org], ThreadX [wikipedia.org], Verve [wikipedia.org], Longhorn [longhorn.ms], AndromedaOS [zdnet.com]. Really so many to pick from, that cancel culture doesn't need apply.
Now shelve S mode (Score:3)
Isn't it time for windows 11? (Score:2)
Or at least go down the MacOS route whereby minor version numbers mean something (and maybe have names too), because right now Windows 10 is a complete mashup of various OS iterations from 2015 onwards, some of which some programs will run on and some of which won't, some of which have certain capabilities and some don't. And who knows until you try?
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They changed their OS roll out plan a long time ago. "Right now we’re releasing Windows 10, and because Windows 10 is the last version of Windows."
https://www.theverge.com/2015/... [theverge.com]"
They have found it easier to manage their OS by forcing service packs on everyone rather than continuing the "long term support" route.
Well, it's understandable (Score:2)
Apple moved to macOS 11 - so now Microsoft probably has to have a bunch of high-level meetings to reconsider their OS naming strategy.
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Windows 1.0
Windows 286
Windows 3.0
Windows 3.11
"Lets use the release year in the name!"
Windows 95
Windows 98
Windows 2000
"Lets use a unique name for each release not based on year or version!"
Windows ME
Windows XP
Windows Vista
"Those were all stupid ideas. Lets go back to release number."
Windows 7
Windows 8
Windows 8.1
"I'm tired of changing the name. Let's just call it Windows 10 from now on."
Windows 10 (Forever)
"Not everything will be migrating"? Oh no. (Score:1)
Re: "Not everything will be migrating"? Oh no. (Score:1)
Malware authors would love there to be an easy way to turn off baked-in antivirus.
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Port Windows to Linux (Score:5, Interesting)
MS should just bite the bullet and opensource Win32, and port Windows to Linux and be done with it. Make Windows a Linux distribution and focus their efforts on subscription and cloud services.
Re: Port Windows to Linux (Score:2)
They could nearly kill every linux distro by doing so. Only a few zealots would hold out.
A year later the only *nix desktop users left would be those of us who like fvwm or other light wm's. The stinkholes like gnome would disappear in a puff of greasy smoke.
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They could nearly kill every linux distro by doing so. Only a few zealots would hold out.
I have my doubts that's even remotely true. Anyone who thinks Windows in anything but a total cluster**k is already using it. Changing it to a Linux skin is unlikely to change that perception.
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They wouldn't even change to a Linux skin, they'd keep the same disgusting Windows interface and call it New Linux.
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Eh, why not? It worked for New Coke. [history.com]
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The Linux distribution with a Windows skin was called "Lindows". And Microsoft filed a trademark suit over the name and lost.
Bargepole or not, it later changed its' name to Linspire after a $20 million payout from Microsoft..
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Re:Port Windows to Linux (Score:4, Insightful)
Everthing Microsoft does is bad! (Score:3, Funny)
Don't change Windows 10? LOL always stuck in the past and never fix Windows' flaws or innovate. Stupid M$!
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Honestly, they might just be stuck.
I submit that the problem is that they keep trying to be 'cool' rather than 'boring and predictable and profitable'.
"Kids are into phones!" "We have Windows Phone, it has a decent following, and even some skins...let's iterate tha---" "MAKE SOMETHING NEW AND AWESOME!" *Windows Phone 7 lands and is an utter dud*
"Kids are into tablets!" "We're working on some Surface units, but they're a bit slow on the upta--" "ADD IT TO DESKTOP WINDOWS AND REMOVE THE START MENU!" *Windows 8 gets universally panned*
"Kids are
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I submit that the problem is that they keep trying to be 'cool' rather than 'boring and predictable and profitable'.
MS isn't stuck because they can't change Windows to meet modern usage needs or because they can't leave backward compatibility behind. MS is stuck because they can't let their products be that-product.
I disagree. Legacy support in Windows is a huge liability, both financially in terms of development time, and from a security standpoint. It costs them money and they would love to find a way to get out from under it while not losing a ton of market share. And it's not just "sexy" stuff. Look what happened when they tried to do the world a favor and retire public folders in Exchange and EXO. There was a huge uproar so they folded. Public folders suck, they were MS trying to somewhat compete with Lotus Note
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So no, it's not about trend chasing. I've talked with Windows devs about this very subject and the legacy support they have to maintain is a burden they would like to be done with because it causes them a huge amount of headaches when trying to modernize and add new features.
Maybe this is where my disconnect is...and this is 100% sincere...but I am having trouble thinking of a new / modern feature Windows would add that would be an actual improvement...largely because most of the stuff they seem to be shoehorning into Windows 10 either doesn't seem to be desirable, or doesn't need to be a part of the OS.
Let's define the balance sheet first: Right now, Windows is the OS that runs all of my applications. Some old, some new, but it runs them all. Moving to ARM would mean that most
A Chromebook competitor not driven by obsolescence (Score:2)
Where Microsoft could compete with Chromebooks would be to come out with a light laptop Windows without a cancellation date. Windows has always had a long tail, where very old versions could still run usable software for a long time. Google on the other hand has an explicit designed in date at which each Chromebook dies.
It's a big part of the Google culture to kill their products. Not so much so at Microsoft.
a sincere thank you (Score:2)
a bs-free acknowledgement must fairly go to msmash for picking a topic perfect for slashdot
thanks again, please do more like these
Windows 10 mouse and keyboard jitter (Score:3, Interesting)
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If “Windows 10” won't run on this hardware, then why did they sell it as such?
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I'm waiting for them to fix the mouse issue where not every mouse click is recognized. It's gotten to the point where I click once to highlight something then hit the Enter key to open/run/whatever.
Can't always do that in some situations, but at least it does work every time it's needed.
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No it isn't the mouse, it's because Microsoft visualized the mouse interrupt to make room for other parts of the OS. Take a look at "system Information".
Fragmentation (Score:5, Interesting)
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I would love to switch to Linux but it doesn't have support for much of the software I need for work.
And that is exactly the reason Windows 10 still have that classic control panel - so it supports all the software written for older windows versions.
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You gotta be kidding. KDE and Gnome are fairly consistent across distros these days where as Windows isn't. MacOS does a pretty good job of being consistant as well. If you aren't going to use Linux then at least go watch some Youtube videos on KDE and Gnome. The other "desktops" DO not matter. And if theming scares you after using Win utilities with multiple UIs that do the same things and some dating back to Win98 ... yeah. You're just wrong.
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It's not just Windows. Even macOS, iOS, Android, Linux, etc. :(
nix (Score:2)
Good enough (Score:3, Insightful)
I didn't go from Win 7 to Win 10 because of some compelling feature. I went because they threatened end of service life for Win 7. I didn't upgrade my cell from iPhone 7 plus to iPhone 12 Pro because of features. It was because my iPhone 7 was degrading to the point it was unreliable.
We've reached a point where the current Microsoft OS is 'good enough' and people aren't interested in upgrading.
We've reached a point where gaming machines are 'good enough' and people don't feel compelled to get a new rig every couple years.
We've reached a point where your current cell phone is 'good enough' and we're not interested in the latest new shiny from Samsung or Apple.
At some point, all these tech tools we use are sufficient to get what we need done. Most of us just aren't interested in playing the 'constant upgrade' game anymore.
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The only game you are playing is being a security risk and that's a problem. You don't have to be on the upgrade treadmill but come into this decade, please.
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We've reached a point where gaming machines are 'good enough' and people don't feel compelled to get a new rig every couple years.
Considering the current whining over CPU/GPU shortages and mining, I'd say old habits die hard.
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Nope (Score:2)
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I see OS/2 [arcanoae.com] in your future.
does there really need to be a 'lite' version? (Score:2)
>> does there really need to be a 'lite' version of the OS?
Heck yes. In a fresh install of Windows there's so much cruft that's someowhere between pointless and actively bad that it's a day's job to remove it all. Its crazy.
Trophitus (Score:4, Insightful)
Why don't they just fix the damned bugs and oddities instead of adding gimmicks that very few asked for? People use Windows because it's what they and their employer are used to for running desktop EXE's. Too many managers look for "trophy projects" to have resume bragging points (not just in IT). Stamp out Trophitus at organizations of you want products that people actually want and use.
Besides, if they add some grand new feature to Windows, it will probably have a gillion security holes and MS will then waste all their time trying to put those fires out.
Make it a platform to deliver rich GUI apps but otherwise stay out of the way. I don't wanna buy side content from the postwoman; just gimme my letters and go. You can even stick a few ads on the screen-saver, that's fine if it keeps the price down. You lost the mobile wars so stop trying, MS. Embrace GUI's and mice, it's still where the real work happens even though it's not "sexy". Let the web have the (buggy) toys.
finally, the year of desktop Linux! (Score:2)