While Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) already gave the world an official first look at its next operating system earlier this fall, the unveiling event in San Francisco was decidedly small and low key. According to a report, the operating system’s “real unveiling” — where consumer features will be revealed in full — will occur in late January.

A source within Microsoft that spoke with The Verge said that the company is planning a press event in January where executives will demonstrate a consumer preview of the new operating system.  Reportedly, Microsoft will also demonstrate the operating system on other platforms such as phones, tablets and the Xbox One. Microsoft will also demonstrate the operating system’s new touch platform called Continuum too.

The choice to put Windows 10 on stage at a press event in late January, and not at the Consumer Electronics Show, is an interesting yet understandable one. A trend over the past few years is for vendors to show off their big announcements for the year — and Windows 10 is certainly Microsoft’s — at press events outside of the big tent of CES. It’s far too noisy and chaotic for vendors to get adequate attention, which means that important launches are scheduled for press events outside of the time CES occupies.

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Microsoft(那斯達克交易代號：MSFT)在上個月公佈Windows 10，現在則推出32和64位元的技術預覽版(Technical Preview)供下載，讓使用者試用Microsoft的最新商品。這間總部位於雷德蒙(Redmond)的科技巨擘，在宣佈時提到預覽版只是最初組建的版本，在零售版本於明年上市之前，還會再加入許多功能。儘管如此，這套作業系統已經有夠多新鮮功能可以好好琢磨了。

新功能一覽

[開始]功能表

Windows 10的一大改變就是重新推出[開始]功能表。在Windows 8因為移除[開始]按鈕而遭到強烈反彈之後，現在Microsoft針對Windows 10逐漸回復使用者熟悉的Windows 7風格介面，並加上幾個現代化使用者介面(UI)以增加效果。因此，雖說Windows 10再度使用[開始]功能表，但採用了動態磚(Live Tile)，便呈現和Windows 7大不相同的景象。

使用者會在功能表左側看見常用程式清單，右側則有可當作通知或啟動程式的捷徑使用的動態磚。使用者不僅能重新調整動態磚大小並四處移動，還能變更[開始]功能表本身的大小。另外一項新增功能為統一的變更，其運作方式和使用Windows 7搜尋的方式相當類似，但能夠透過網路查詢結果。

任務檢視

任務檢視(Task View)是Microsoft的虛擬桌面模式版本，這項功能已經在其他作業系統中使用一段時間了。使用者可以運用任務檢視，以類似陳列的方式，查看自己建立的所有桌面，也能將視窗整理成好幾個桌面，以便透過貼齊功能同時進行多項工作。使用工作列的按鈕或Windows + TAB捷徑，就能存取任務檢視。

使用者還可利用任務檢視建立多個桌面，並且叢集桌面以切換檢視畫面。舉例來說，您可以用Word文件和Excel試算表來建立一個桌面，再用另一個桌面顯示音樂用戶端和瀏覽器。啟動任務檢視之後，就會在畫面最底部顯示所有可用的桌面清單。而且只要將滑鼠懸停在桌面上，就能查看您在桌面中開啟哪些確切的應用程式。

貼齊輔助

Microsoft在Windows 8推出了貼齊(Snap)模式，這項功能也在Windows 10稍有改變。現在每個應用程式都能動態調整大小，也可以透過按一下Windows鍵和向左或向右鍵，來貼齊畫面左側或右側。可貼齊至畫面的應用程式數量也增加到四個了。

搜尋

除了在[開始]功能表提供搜尋列之外，Microsoft也在工作列加入一個搜尋按鈕。這個搜尋按鈕的目的在於讓使用者能輕易找到最近使用的文件與檔案。

其他變更

Windows 10的其中一項重大改變，就是不再沿用[開始]畫面，現在所有的現代化應用程式都以桌面模式呈現在個別視窗中。

Microsoft在公佈產品時花上許多時間示範的一項功能，是Windows存在已久的堅實功能，也是打從Windows 98問世以來就少有變化的功能。Windows 10則提供新的命令提示，讓您可使用Ctrl + V鍵直接貼上。這是當時示範的唯一一項功能，目前還無法得知在這套作業系統上市之前，會不會增加其他變更。

如何安裝Windows 10

如果您想在明年Windows 10零售版推出後，先測試預覽組建版本再購買的話，可以前往Microsoft網站下載ISO。考慮到這是預覽組建版本，而且和最終版本依然天差地遠，我們建議您將Windows 10安裝在備用機器或虛擬機器上。

下載ISO之後，用DVD或USB建立可開機光碟，或是繼續使用ISO在您選擇的虛擬機器程式中進行安裝。以下是官方的硬體需求：

• 處理器：速度達1GHz以上，且能支援PAE、NX和SSE2
• 硬碟空間：16GB
• RAM：1GB (32位元)或2GB (64位元)
• 視訊卡：使用WDDM driver驅動程式的Microsoft DirectX 9圖形裝置

如果您安裝過Windows 7或Windows 8，那麼安裝Windows 10的方式也相去無幾，基本上只需要按[下一步]按鈕就行了。由於這是預覽組建版本，我們建議您採用「自訂安裝」選項，不要升級。

系統會在安裝過程中要求您登入您的Microsoft帳戶，以儲存您的設定，此外也會要求您登入OneDrive以使用雲端儲存。

結論

Microsoft透過Windows 10實踐重大進展，統整了橫跨桌上型電腦、平板電腦和智慧型手機等所有型態因素的Windows體驗。這間軟體製造商在推出Windows 8時無法做到這點，但這次卻從錯誤中學習，推出跨平台應用程式、統一的外觀，以及在各種裝置中更加一致的使用者介面。此外Windows 10顯然針對觸控式裝置推出眾多加強功能，但這次也針對桌上型使用者推出豐富的新功能了。

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Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) announced Windows 10 last month, with the Technical Preview now available to download in both 32-bit and 64-bit flavors for users looking to try out the latest that Microsoft has to offer. The Redmond giant mentioned during the announcement that the preview was just an initial build, with several features to be added before the retail version hits the market sometime next year. Nevertheless, there is enough new stuff in the OS to tinker with.

A look at what’s new

Start Menu

One of the biggest changes in Windows 10 is the reintroduction of the Start menu. After significant backlash surrounding the removal of the Start button with Windows 8, Microsoft is now slowly switch back to a familiar Windows 7-esque interface with Windows 10, layering a few bits of Modern UI for added effect. So while the Start menu is back in Windows 10, it features a very different look to what you’re used to seeing in Windows 7, thanks to the presence of Live Tiles.

On the left of the menu, you get the frequently used list of programs, while the right side features Live Tiles that can act as either notifications or shortcuts to launch programs. You can not only resize the Live Tiles and move them around, but also change the size of the Start menu itself. Another new addition is universal change, which works much like what search used to in Windows 7, but with the ability to query results on the web.

Task View

Task View is Microsoft’s version of virtual desktop mode, a feature that has been present in other operating systems for a while now. With Task View, you get an Expose-like view of all the desktops you created, and can also organize windows into various desktops for easier multitasking through a snap feature. Task View can be accessed by the button on the taskbar or by using the Windows + TAB shortcut.

With Task View, you can create various desktops and cluster them together to switch between views. For instance, you can create a desktop with a Word document and an Excel spreadsheet, and another one that displays your music client and a browser. Activating Task View shows a list of all available desktops at the bottom of your display, and you can see the actual apps that are open within the desktop by hovering over the desktop.

Snap Assist

Microsoft introduced Snap mode in Windows 8, and the feature gets a few tweaks in Windows 10. Now every app can be dynamically resized, and can also be made to snap to the left or right of your screen by clicking on the Windows key and the left or right arrow key. The number of apps that can be snapped to your screen has also been increased to four.

Search

Along with offering a search bar on the Start menu, Microsoft is also including a search button on the taskbar. The goal with the search button is to easily find documents and files that you’ve recently worked on.

Other changes

A significant change is the move away from the Start screen in Windows 10, with all Modern apps now featured in the desktop mode as individual windows.

A feature that got a lot of demo time during Microsoft’s announcement has been a stalwart of Windows, and one that has been relatively unchanged from as far back as Windows 98. With Windows 10, you’ll get a new command prompt that allows you to paste directly using the Ctrl + V key combination.  That was the only feature that was demoed, and there’s not knowing what other changes will make their way to the terminal before the debut of the OS.

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Microsoft recently announced the Windows 10 Preview, this preview is considered more of an Alpha build of the operating system as we very likely won’t see the finished version for another year or so. As a result, one wouldn’t expect many people to start testing an operating system out this far out, but Microsoft wants to get a lot of user feedback about Windows 10, so they made a preview available for download the day after they announced Windows 10. This new version of Windows is designed to compromise between Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 and essentially tries to make up for all of the mistakes they made with Windows 8.

In a recent blog post, Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore said, “Over the weekend, we hit 1 million registrants for the Windows Insider Program. That equates to a lot of people using the Windows 10 Technical Preview and sending us feedback. How much feedback? Over 200,000 pieces of user-initiated feedback have been submitted to us via the Windows Feedback app from Windows Insiders like you.” What is also interesting is that even though this is supposed to be an enterprise version of Windows 10, there are still a surprisingly large amount of users actually installing Windows 10 Preview on their machines rather than just testing inside of a virtual machine. Joe said that, “…Well, only 36% of installations of the Windows 10 Technical Preview are in VMs. The remaining 64% are all on actual PCs. This makes us confident that a lot of the feedback is based on “medium-term” use and not just a few minutes of experimentation. Another indicator that we have solid usage is the number of app-launches that happen on a device. 68% of you are launching more than 7 apps/day, and some people are using it even more heavily. We have seen about 25% of devices running the Windows 10 Technical Preview launching more than 26 apps per day, and 5% launching a whopping 68 apps per day!”

What this means to Microsoft is that people are genuinely trying to use Windows 10 Preview and see whether or not they really like it, well in advance of its release. Plus, it also shows us what kinds of statistics Microsoft is collecting during this Windows 10 Preview phase. Personally, I enjoyed using previous Windows previews when they were made available, and I don’t expect Windows 10 to be any different. Microsoft clearly wants to get as much feedback and data as they can about Windows 10 before they actually launch the OS later next year and they don’t want to have a repeat of Windows 8 where people are cursing the company up and down and saying that the old version was much better (see Windows Vista vs Windows XP).

Additionally, one must remember that Microsoft is already getting this many people interested in Windows 10 Preview after only two weeks of being available. Clearly there is a lot of desire for a new and fresh operating system from Microsoft and that they’ve made a lot of their users unhappy with Windows 8. And frankly, they’re not wrong. Because the reality of the situation is that a lot of desktop users still prefer to run Windows 7 on their desktops over Windows 8 if they have the choice. Windows 7 is simply more desktop friendly than Windows 8, even if it lacks a lot of the performance improvements that Windows 8 brings.

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Want to see what all the buzz was about yesterday? Well, Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) is giving you a chance to test out the Windows 10 Preview for free as long as you agree to become an ‘insider’ and help them improve it before it launches next year. All you need to do is head over to the Windows 10 Preview site and log in with your Microsoft account and then make sure your system meets the minimum specifications. If you’re already running Windows 8.1 you’re pretty much read to go and the OS will handle everything for you.

System requirements

Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster

RAM: 1 gigabyte (GB) (32-bit) or 2 GB (64-bit)

Free hard disk space: 16 GB

Graphics card: Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM driver

A Microsoft account and Internet access

Precautions

Also, keep in mind that some processors and hardware configurations still are not supported by the Technical Preview, so if you have driver problems there’s a chance your hardware isn’t supported. You will also need to have a monitor capable of running a minimum of 1024 x 768 resolution in order to access the Windows Store to download apps. Also, after you install the preview you will no longer able able to play DVDs using Windows Media Player, which means that they are moving people over to the new Windows 8.1 video player which was problematic in Windows 8.1 because you had two video players for all video files. This is a clear indication that Windows 10 Preview gets rid of that and very likely that Windows 10 as a whole will do away with Windows Media Player. Windows 10 Preview will also remove Windows Media Center if you have Windows 8 Pro and install the preview.
If you have Windows RT 8.1 (ARM-based tablets) the Windows 10 Preview will not work for you either. Microsoft had already said that they will address the Windows 10 ARM situation at a later date (very likely in 2015) but that Windows RT will be folded into Windows as a whole and no longer operate as a separate OS. The same goes for Windows Phone, which will also carry the Windows 10 name scheme, but since it too is based on ARM we probably won’t see anything until 2015.

If you’re running Windows 7, 8 or 8.1 and your default installed language isn’t English, Chinese or Portugese you will only be able to keep your personal files when you upgrade, you will lose all of your apps and Windows settings. Additionally, if you have a language pack or language interface pack, those will also be removed when you install the Windows 10 Preview

Also, some older 64-bit CPUs may be blocked from installing the preview (AMD 64-bit Athlons, perhaps?) but Microsoft gives no explanation why.

Last but not least, if you are running Windows 7 without Sp1 you can only upgrade to the preview by downloading an ISO file and not using Microsoft’s automated system or Windows Update.

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Microsoft(那斯達克交易代號：MSFT)似乎決定徹底跳過Windows 9，直接以Windows 10為名，推出新版Windows作業系統了。

這項新策略確實符合公司長久以來一貫的目標，此舉有助於統整服務商場和應用程式，同時也根據使用者運用的平台繼續提供可自訂的體驗。因此使用者現在能在手機、平板電腦和PC上使用相同的應用程式，也(希望)能夠透過雲端技術，橫跨各種裝置共用資料。Windows 10也再度採用開始功能表，並捨棄Windows 8和8.1使用的全螢幕開始功能表。如此當您使用開始功能表時，就可自訂快顯圖示的大小，還可以像使用Windows 7和Windows 8那樣進行搜尋，但是，搜尋方塊現在也能進行網路搜尋了。Microsoft這招著實令人激賞，因為這麼一來Bing大有機會成為預設搜尋引擎，進而有助於拉抬Bing的歡迎度。

Microsoft也採用新的多工處理使用者介面(UI)，重新啟用某些舊版的子母畫面，此外也採用多重檢視畫面，使得外觀看來和Apple的OSX Expose頗為相似。另外Microsoft在小細節也有所改善，Windows 10的命令提示功能就是一例，這項功能一直都沒有任何改變，現在您可以將內容貼上指令提示，不用再靠手動輸入了。

Microsoft似乎也不再積極發展Metro UI，強迫使用者採用全螢幕的動態磚應用程式，而是更加順應使用者熟悉的介面。如同許多人所說的，Microsoft從Windows 7跳到Windows 8的進展太過激烈，讓使用者無法慢慢適應變化。Windows 10真的可說是安插進Windows 7和Windows 8之中，並且在兩者間取得折衷點。Microsoft顯然意識到使用者的需求，以及他們先前就是不聽取這樣的需求，反而自行其事(推出Windows 8)。有些人可能會把這件事怪到Ballmer頭上，但其實離職的Sinofsky才該負起更多責任。

如果您想測試這套最新的作業系統，Microsoft即將提供「內部人士」先睹為快，讓人測試Windows 10並提供意見回饋。這套作業系統預計在2015下半年上市，公司也尚未透露升級內容，以及針對Windows 7和Windows 8使用者的價格為何。

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Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) appears to have decided to entirely skip the idea of Windows 9 and release their next version of Windows as Windows 10.

The company’s new strategy does in fact do what the company has been aiming to do for quite some time. It helps unify the marketplaces and apps while still giving people customizeable experiences depending on the platform that they’re using. So now users can use the same app on their phone, tablet, and PC while also being able to (hopefully) share data across those devices through the cloud. They are also bringing back the start menu and getting rid of the full-page start menu from Windows 8 and 8.1. As a result, you can customize the size of the icons that you have pop up when you engage the start menu and you can also use it for search like you could in Windows 7 and Windows 8. However, now, the search box also does web searches as well, which is a brilliant move on Microsoft’s part because there’s a very good chance that Bing will be the default search engine for that and could help them gain more traction with Bing.

Microsoft has also implemented new multitasking UIs that bring back some of the legacy snap views as well as multiviews that look strikingly a lot like Apple’s own OSX expose. And Microsoft has also improved little things like the command prompt in Windows 10, which has remained unchanged forever, so now you can paste things into the command prompt instead of manually entering them.

Microsoft also appears to be pulling back more from the overall metro UI idea and forcing people to use fullscreen metro apps, but rather more along the lines of what they are familiar with. As many people have said, Microsoft’s jump from Windows 7 to Windows 8 was too drastic and did not allow for people to slowly adjust to change. Really, Windows 10 kind of slots in between Windows 7 and Windows 8 and finds a middle ground between the two. This is a clear recognition from Microsoft of what their users want and the fact that they simply didn’t listen to what people want and instead went on their own direction (Windows 8). Some may blame Ballmer for that move, but really, it had more to do with Sinofsky, who is no longer with the company.

If you’d like to test drive Microsoft’s newest OS, they will have an ‘insider’ preview available shortly to allow people to test out Windows 10 and give them feedback. The OS is expected to launch in the latter half of 2015 and there’s still no word on upgrades or what prices will be for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users. You can download the insider preview here.

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Order clockwise: Windows 1.0, 3.0, 95, NT 4.0, XP, Vista, 2000 and NT 3.1

Windows 1.0 finally entered production in September of 1985, and first system came from NEC, shipped right in November 1985. So, Windows is either 23 or 25 years old, but anyways, I wish to congratulate Microsoft on 25th birthday of the software platform that changed the world.

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