Windows 10 is the last version?
The reporting on this topic hasn't been as bad as some of the other ones, but I think it is important to talk to what this really means.
On the one extreme people are claiming that Windows 10 is the end of the road and others are claiming this is business as usual and more of a branding exercise. Both are wrong.
Firstly, "the plan", and I say that because things can change, is that Microsoft will stop releasing new named versions of the OS and people will get both feature updates and bug fixes in an ongoing fashion.
Under the covers, the code version WILL change. The developers will certainly know the difference from one version to another. Microsoft will know in which version it released certain changes, etc... But, you won't see Windows 11 or Windows 10 SP1 any time soon, if ever. That is different.
People also did get feature updates and bug fixes before. Of course, claiming people got feature updates was a stretch. On rare occasions features would change or be added during an SP release. In all honestly, this is not business as usual. Any claim to the contrary feels either overblown or ignorant.
I think I'm in the same skeptical boat as many. I doubt it will truly be the last named version of their OS. It is a short sighted goal both from a technological standpoint and from a marketing standpoint. Eventually there will likely be a reason that support cannot be continued for older hardware. A point where they need to abandon the old to adopt the new. Hardware performance isn't progressing as fast as it has in the distant past, but there could be some leaps in tech around the corner. And to handle that, they either need to abandon hopes of keeping all release hardware up to date or release a new named version or call it something else.
The marketing makes sense though. This message sounds stable, providing a single easy target for investors and partners for the foreseeable future. And, all this release really needs to do is handily outlive its predecessors. When you consider the ubiquity of Windows XP and then Windows 7, this may not be a huge challenge. Windows XP is ANCIENT, and yet people generally had no issues staying on this OS, even when buying new hardware. If another Windows named version is released in the next 1-2 years it will destroy confidence in the company. But if it can stay at Windows 10 for 4-5 years (or even more) that will be long enough to make most people incredibly happy.
I honestly don't think Microsoft's TRUE plan is to stick with Windows 10 indefinitely. Or at least, they know that they may not. Otherwise, why Windows 10 and not simply Windows? Or even something like Windows X? Yes, it would still imply "10" and be ripping off OSX, but a change in how the version is represented would show more commitment to truly changing their release strategies. Not that yet another change would be good. I still think just "Windows" would have been the best.
But, that is missing the point here. It seems unlikely that this is truly the last version of Windows for all time, and if the way this is presented is accurate (with no reason to believe it isn't) it is more than business as usual.
On the one extreme people are claiming that Windows 10 is the end of the road and others are claiming this is business as usual and more of a branding exercise. Both are wrong.
Firstly, "the plan", and I say that because things can change, is that Microsoft will stop releasing new named versions of the OS and people will get both feature updates and bug fixes in an ongoing fashion.
Under the covers, the code version WILL change. The developers will certainly know the difference from one version to another. Microsoft will know in which version it released certain changes, etc... But, you won't see Windows 11 or Windows 10 SP1 any time soon, if ever. That is different.
People also did get feature updates and bug fixes before. Of course, claiming people got feature updates was a stretch. On rare occasions features would change or be added during an SP release. In all honestly, this is not business as usual. Any claim to the contrary feels either overblown or ignorant.
I think I'm in the same skeptical boat as many. I doubt it will truly be the last named version of their OS. It is a short sighted goal both from a technological standpoint and from a marketing standpoint. Eventually there will likely be a reason that support cannot be continued for older hardware. A point where they need to abandon the old to adopt the new. Hardware performance isn't progressing as fast as it has in the distant past, but there could be some leaps in tech around the corner. And to handle that, they either need to abandon hopes of keeping all release hardware up to date or release a new named version or call it something else.
The marketing makes sense though. This message sounds stable, providing a single easy target for investors and partners for the foreseeable future. And, all this release really needs to do is handily outlive its predecessors. When you consider the ubiquity of Windows XP and then Windows 7, this may not be a huge challenge. Windows XP is ANCIENT, and yet people generally had no issues staying on this OS, even when buying new hardware. If another Windows named version is released in the next 1-2 years it will destroy confidence in the company. But if it can stay at Windows 10 for 4-5 years (or even more) that will be long enough to make most people incredibly happy.
I honestly don't think Microsoft's TRUE plan is to stick with Windows 10 indefinitely. Or at least, they know that they may not. Otherwise, why Windows 10 and not simply Windows? Or even something like Windows X? Yes, it would still imply "10" and be ripping off OSX, but a change in how the version is represented would show more commitment to truly changing their release strategies. Not that yet another change would be good. I still think just "Windows" would have been the best.
But, that is missing the point here. It seems unlikely that this is truly the last version of Windows for all time, and if the way this is presented is accurate (with no reason to believe it isn't) it is more than business as usual.
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