BBC News

Jerry Nixon, a Microsoft development executive, said in a conference speech this week that Windows 10 would be the “last version” of the dominant desktop software.
His comments were echoed by Microsoft which said it would update Windows in future in an “ongoing manner”.
Instead of new stand-alone versions, Windows 10 would be improved in regular instalments, the firm said.
Mr Nixon made his comments during Microsoft’s Ignite conference held in Chicago this week.
In a statement, Microsoft said Mr Nixon’s comments reflected a change in the way that it made its software.
“Windows will be delivered as a service bringing new innovations and updates in an ongoing manner,” it said, adding that it expected there to be a “long future” for Windows.

3 thoughts on “BBC News

  1. shinichi Post author

    Microsoft to stop producing Windows versions

    BBC News

    http://m.bbc.com/news/technology-32658340

    Windows 10 is going to be the last major revision of the operating system.

    Jerry Nixon, a Microsoft development executive, said in a conference speech this week that Windows 10 would be the “last version” of the dominant desktop software.

    His comments were echoed by Microsoft which said it would update Windows in future in an “ongoing manner”.

    Instead of new stand-alone versions, Windows 10 would be improved in regular instalments, the firm said.

    Mr Nixon made his comments during Microsoft’s Ignite conference held in Chicago this week.

    In a statement, Microsoft said Mr Nixon’s comments reflected a change in the way that it made its software.

    “Windows will be delivered as a service bringing new innovations and updates in an ongoing manner,” it said, adding that it expected there to be a “long future” for Windows.

    ‘No Windows 11’

    The company said it had yet to decide on what to call the operating system beyond Windows 10.

    “There will be no Windows 11,” warned Steve Kleynhans, a research vice-president at analyst firm Gartner who monitors Microsoft.

    He said Microsoft had in the past deliberately avoided using the name “Windows 9” and instead chose Windows 10 as a way to signify a break with a past which involved successive stand-alone versions of the operating system.

    However, he said, working in that way had created many problems for Microsoft and its customers.

    “Every three years or so Microsoft would sit down and create ‘the next great OS’,” he said.

    “The developers would be locked away and out would pop a product based on what the world wanted three years ago.”

    Microsoft also had to spend a huge amount of money and marketing muscle to convince people that they needed this new version, and that it was better than anything that had come before, he explained.

    Moving to a situation in which Windows is a constantly updated service will break out of this cycle, and let Microsoft tinker more with the software to test new features and see how customers like them, he added.

    ‘Positive step’

    Most of the revenue generated by Windows for Microsoft came from sales of new PCs and this was unlikely to be affected by the change, Mr Kleynhans pointed out.

    “Overall this is a positive step, but it does have some risks,” he said.

    “Microsoft will have to work hard to keep generating updates and new features, he said, adding that questions still remained about how corporate customers would adapt to the change and how Microsoft would provide support.

    “It doesn’t mean that Windows is frozen and will never move forward again,” Mr Kleynhans told the BBC.

    “Indeed we are about to see the opposite, with the speed of Windows updates shifting into high gear.”

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  2. shinichi Post author

    Confirmed: Windows 10 is ‘the last version of Windows’

    http://www.neowin.net/news/confirmed-windows-10-is-the-last-version-of-windows

    Windows 10 will be Microsoft’s last major version of Windows in the traditional sense, as Microsoft is completely abandoning its major release cycle. This operating system will continue to receive rolling updates and new features for many years to come.

    Of course this isn’t exactly news, as the company has mentioned that this plan was uncovered long ago both by Neowin, and other reputable sources. However, speaking on stage at Ignite, one of the company’s representatives reiterated that in Microsoft’s view Windows 10 would be “the last version of Windows”.

    Microsoft is abandoning its traditional development cycle as that model has become outdated, thanks to the rapid evolution of mobile devices and the fast pace of iteration in modern software. As such, the company is opting to use Windows 10 as a foundation across all devices on which new features and technologies may be developed in the future. Meanwhile, the OS will receive constant updates and new features to keep it competitive and up to date with the wider technology scene.

    One such major update, coming next year, is Redstone. While this won’t be a major shift in capabilities or features for Windows 10, it will be an important part of next year’s update cycle. Redstone, is expected to bring lots of new features and capabilities to the platform in 2016. However, there will be other updates both for features and fixes long before then. One such feature release is expected this fall, after Windows 10 RTMs but before the holiday shopping season gets going. Many of the features that will miss RTM this summer are expected to show up in such updates going forward.

    Microsoft has big plans regarding the future of Windows 10 and its platform and we’re just now starting to see that vision take shape. Rolling updates alongside an Insider preview program to test new features is a good way to make sure Windows 10 stays agile and competitive going forward.

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