02 Oct Windows 10 Announced
As I’ve been preaching to my clients and colleagues for a couple years now, I believe Windows 8 will be another of Microsoft’s skipped operating systems. Microsoft has a tendency to reach too far between OS deployments, and whatever they come up with is usually awful. Just as everyone skipped 2000 (which was actually a decent OS) and went from 98 to XP, and then skipped Vista and went to 7, they are now skipping 8 and will likely go to 10. Yes, ten. Not nine. Ten. I assume they opted to go with 10 because it is the closest copy of MacOS X (ten) to date, though some believe it is due to old code which references Windows 95/98 and may have caused issues.
Whatever the reason for the name, it looks as though they went back to their roots and just copied what works. From the brief tech demo I have seen and the images that are appearing online, the interface blends both aspects of 7 and 8 together, along with some new touches which I believe are inspired by the Mac. If you haven’t already seen it for yourself, shuffle on over to Microsoft’s blog to check it out. Unlike Apple’s use of IOS for iPhones and iPads (and now the Apple Watch), and MacOS X for it’s desktop hardware, Microsoft is still focusing on one OS to rule them all. It remains to be seen if one OS can truly provide a great interface for both desktop and mobile hardware, but Windows 10 looks to be making great strides. Assuming there are no egregious issues on the back end of the OS, Windows 10 looks to be shaping up to be a decent entry into the Windows portfolio- just remember, always wait until the first service pack has been issued before you deploy it in a business environment!