Here's why Microsoft skipped 9 and went straight to Windows 10
Microsoft launched a new version of its operating system on Tuesday called Windows 10.
Wait, what about Windows 9? Did we blink and miss that?
Did someone at Microsoft not learn how to count?
The company executives said the jump was to reflect that the new software will be a big leap and not a small step.
Right. They may as well have given it a new name. Or skipped a few more numbers.
We're hopeful that it won't be a big disappointment like the poorly received Windows 8 launched two years ago.
At the preview of the early technical build of Windows 10, Microsoft heralded the operating system as a blend of what was best in the previous two generations.
That means the Start button and the traditional start menu are back. Yay.
Gone is the jarring switch between apps designed for Windows 8 and legacy software from earlier systems.
Instead, all Windows programmes will again appear in, well, windows.
Windows 10 is also designed to make it easier to work using multiple files or applications simultaneously.
Microsoft even improved the Command Prompt. It now allows for text to be selected, copied and pasted into other windows.
The new system also aggressively handles biometrics "up through eyeball recognition", said analyst Rob Enderle, who was at the unveiling event in San Francisco.
But Microsoft is not abandoning all the features it picked up from Windows 8.
For example, you will still be able to call up settings menus by swiping in from the sides of the screen.
Windows 10 will also be Microsoft’s next phone operating system, unifying its mobile and desktop products.
Microsoft operating systems group executive vice-president Terry Myerson said: "This will be our most comprehensive operating system and the best release Microsoft has ever done for our business customers."
An early version of Windows 10, designed for developers and others who want a technical preview, will be available on Wednesday.
Microsoft said a consumer version should make its debut in middle of next year.
Sources: Washington Post. AFP, The Star
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