How the Windows 10 Release Schedule Works

[WaeV 5,049]

Microsoft is calling Windows 10 "the last version of Windows". But how does this work? These diagrams explain the new release model of "Windows as a Service".

First, tech-insiders are always using the bleeding-edge version of the OS in order to give I.T. a chance to find bugs and ensure corporate rollout will go smoothly.

Every four months or so, a stable build is released for general availability.

Businesses (Pro edition) have the option of delaying release adoption in order to ensure upgrades happen more smoothly.

Enterprise and Education editions provide total control over how updates are administered, and allow you to host your own Windows Update servers.

The Long-Term Service Branch (LTSB) will receive security updates for ten years, after which point you will need to upgrade to a newer release (or retire the machine, I guess).

For consumers, a Windows 10 license is valid for the lifetime of the device, and you can always be on the latest version. When you buy or create a new computer, you need to get a new Windows 10 license.

Hope this clears up some confusion.

Releases so far: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_10_version_history

tl;dr Service Packs Forever

[POQDavid 15]

Well i like this new way that Microsoft is going with Windows 10 and since i upgraded never wanted to go back

[Skeezix the Cat 3,089]

I'm liking this as well. Despite my circumstances, I actually support forced upgrades. Kinda.

[Daywu 194]

I upgraded my laptop to windows 10 and it is alright. If i were to build a new pc I would just put windows 7 or 8.1 on it. 

[Kavawuvi 7,026]

I upgraded my laptop to windows 10 and it is alright. If i were to build a new pc I would just put windows 7 or 8.1 on it. 

Windows 10 has a lot of optimizations that Windows 7 doesn't have, and extended support for Windows 7 ends in just a little more than 4 years. Even with BIGBROTHERNSA32.EXE coming preinstalled with Windows 10 and updates in Windows 7 and 8, I'd pick 10 if we're not caring about the watered-down start menu.

 

I'd rather pick Windows Vista over Windows 8, though... or just run SteamOS, part of a complete breakfast.

[WaeV 5,049]

I'd rather pick Windows Vista over Windows 8, though...

Lol really? Win 8 is where most of 10's optimizations come from. There are free start menu replacements if that bothers you.

[Kavawuvi 7,026]

Lol really? Win 8 is where most of 10's optimizations come from. There are free start menu replacements if that bothers you.

I know that, but how is my grandmother supposed to figure that out? What if I want the original start menu, which was good enough, and not a replacement?

 

It's not the lack of a start menu that I hated the most, though. It's that I was forced to deal with the start screen. The person who included the start screen as part of the desktop version should be sacked if they weren't already.

[TCK 2,164]

I don't even get who uses the Start menu. Desktop + quicklaunch = shortcuts for every program I need to get to. If something isn't there, I go to my File Explorer shortcut to find it and possibly add a shortcut for it then.

 

I was forced to deal with the start screen.

I haven't seen the start screen even once since installing the 8.1 expansion. Or are you saying the fact that you have to see it when you first install before you set it to never show up again, is a problem?

 

Here's my current taskbar:

I don't have any kind of extensions installed and it looks basically like a new generation of XP.

 

Here is everything you have to do to make Windows 8 be another normal Windows: unpin everything, create a toolbar, drag it to where quicklaunch should be, and set the name to be hidden; then set the taskbar to small icons, and have names always show. Set the start menu to always show applications, never metro start screen. Set it to boot to desktop. Disable the corner hover activated app-switching, and set it not to cache apps. Done - you're now using a new generation of XP except the start menu is full-screen.

 

You can take it a step further by disabling "administrator approval mode" in Local Security Policy, which will prevent any metro app from launching.

Edited December 7, 2015 by TCK

[Kavawuvi 7,026]

You can take it a step further by disabling "administrator approval mode" in Local Security Policy, which will prevent any metro app from launching.

The point was not about the start screen itself. The point was that Microsoft decided to go through the effort of removing the start menu which many people have been familiar with for decades, then replacing it with something that my grandmother couldn't immediately figure out. I don't mind the start screen as an option like how grouping windows to an application's icon in the task bar is an option.

[WaeV 5,049]

So what you mean to say is

I'd rather pick Windows Vista over Windows 8, [for my Grandma] though...