Mozilla chief slams Microsoft's choice of Edge as default web
browser
Windows 10 at-a-glance
Windows 10 was launched globally in 190 countries on 29 July 2015,
and Windows Insiders have started to receive their upgrade to the full OS, with
Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 users who registered for a free upgrade expecting to see
the new OS roll out to them shortly. Here's our round-up of everything you need
to know about Windows 10.
·
Windows 10 started rolling out on 29 July 2015 as a phased release
·
Read our full review of Windows 10
·
Enterprise users can manage company-wide rollouts for Windows 10
updates
·
Microsoft Edge replaces Internet Explorer as Windows 10's default
browser
·
Windows 10 is available as a free upgrade during the first year
after launch for Windows 7 and Windows 8/8.1 consumer edition users, who can
reserve their copy right now
·
If they don't upgrade within the year, consumers will be charged
from £100
·
Android and iOS apps will run on the new OS
Windows 10 latest news
03/08/15: Mozilla's
chief executive Chris Beard has criticised Microsoft because it chose to use
its own Edge browser as the default internet software on Windows 10.
Beard explained in a letter to
Microsoft's CEO, Satya Nadella, that he is disappointed by the decision, and
claimed Microsoft won't let customers choose the browser they want to use,
instead forcing them to take up Microsoft's newest browser as the standard
choice.
"These changes aren’t
unsettling to us because we’re the organisation that makes Firefox. They are
unsettling because there are millions of users who love Windows and who are
having their choices ignored, and because of the increased complexity put into
everyone’s way," Beard said.
"We strongly urge you to
reconsider your business tactic here and again respect people’s right to choice
and control of their online experience."
However, Microsoft has always argued
Edge provides a better experience on Windows 10 compared to other options,
while customers can opt to set a different browser as default during the set-up
process if they wish.
Microsoft said it will welcome
feedback if customers feel it doesn't reflect their preferences.
Talking of the Edge browser, reports also
suggest that Microsoft is working on adding support for WhatsApp. The current
web extension is compatible with other non-Microsoft browsers (Google's Chrome
Mozilla's Firefox, Opera and Apple's Safari), but won't work with any version
of Internet Explorer. At this stage, we just know something is in the works
rather than having an official release date for compatibility.
Reports have also emerged today that
shine a spotlight on Windows 10 security. Some users are unhappy with default
settings that share data with Microsoft and other users, as well as
personalising ads, and scam emails containing ransomware have started doing the
rounds. Jump to our Windows 10 security section to find out more.
31/07/15: More than 14 million people
have downloaded Windows 10 since Microsoft released its latest, greatest
operating system on 29 July.
Redmond claimed feedback has been
“overwhelmingly positive” as consumer users take advantage of a one-year free
upgrade offer to install and run the OS, with Microsoft aiming to reach one
billion devices by 2018.
However, Microsoft reiterated that
it is rolling out upgrades in waves, concentrating first of all on Windows
Insider users who tested the OS throughout a long preview period, some of whom
have reserved upgrades.
“We still have many more upgrades to go before we catch up to each
of you that reserved your upgrade,” Yusuf Mehdi, corporate VP of Windows and
Devices Group, wrote in a blog post yesterday. “Rest
assured we are working 24×7 to continue the upgrade process and are
prioritizing the quality of your upgrade experience over anything else.”
Those who have reserved upgrades
will get a notification appear on their PC’s system tray when the software is
ready, and then when it has been downloaded.
29/07/15: Windows 10
has started rolling out to consumers across 190 countries today, with
registered Windows 10 insiders receiving the update first. Windows 7, 8, and
8.1 users who have pre-registered for the upgrade will also receive the update
within the coming days and weeks. Those who have not opted to upgrade yet can
still do so now by clicking the alert button in the bottom right-hand side of
the tool bar, however during the initial roll-out period they may still have to
wait for their upgrade to become available to download.
27/07/15: Windows
Insiders who want to check out the new Windows 10 Store will have to upgrade to
Windows 10 build 10240 first. The development was flagged by Gabe Aul, general
manager for the OS Group Data and Fundamentals team, who has been overseeing
much of the developement of Windows 10, on Twitter.
In an official announcement on the
Windows Insider Hub said: "The Windows 10 Store team has been making some
great fixes and improvements to reliability and performance. To ensure you are
able to benefit from these important updates, starting July 24 we will be
requiring Insiders who are not running the latest Windows 10 operating system
to upgrade their PC; otherwise those affected will be unable to experience the
Windows 10 Store."
It is thought that build 10240 will
be the same build released to the public on 29 July.
24/07/15: Microsoft
and Intel are working hurriedly to patch a but that can reduce the battery life
of some machines running Windows 10.
In a statement to PC
World, Intel said: "Intel and Microsoft are working to
optimise drivers for battery performance on Windows 10 across Intel platforms.
While we are working on technical optimisations, we have seen very minor hits
to battery life but even the upper end of what we have seen is below 10 per
cent. Do know that we expect battery life on Windows 10 systems to be nearly
the same as Windows 8.1 systems once the final Windows 10 drivers have been
updated and released."
Windows 10 has been receiving a lot
of fixes and updates in the past few weeks and, although they have been fairly
minor, Microsoft clearly wishes to release as polished a product as possible on
29 July
22/07/15: Windows 10
will revive Microsoft's fortunes in the phone market and restore the company to
solid growth, or so hopes CEO Satya Nadella and his management team.
During the company's latest quarterly results call, Nadella said: "Our ...
bold ambition is to create more personal computing experiences with Windows and
our devices. I am thrilled we are just days away from the start of Windows 10.
It's the first step towards our goal of one billion Windows 10 active devices
in the fiscal year 2018."
On the consumer side, Nadella said
the new OS "is more personal and more productive with Cortana, Office,
universal apps, and Continuum. And Windows 10 will deliver innovative new
experiences like Inking on Microsoft Edge and gaming across Xbox and PCs, and
also opens up entirely new device categories such as HoloLens".
He added that Windows 10 will,
Microsoft believes, offer significant benefits to business customers too.
"Windows 10 provides advanced
security capabilities with additional features for hardware-based security,
mobile work and data protection. It also provides a single device management
platform across all devices, from phones to laptops to Internet of Things
devices. And Windows 10 helps enterprises stay up to date with Windows Update
for Business and Windows Store for Business," Nadella added.
Microsoft's chief also said the company "will have great
flagship phones for Windows 10", admitting: "That's actually a
segment we don't today have good devices [for], and we hope to change that with
Windows 10." Update 03/08/15: Rumours
suggest Acer is reading four Windows Phone handsets that will likely be
unveiled at next month's IFA show in Berlin.
21/07/15: An emergency
security patch for Windows 10, dubbed KB3074667, has been issued today to block
a vulnaribility made public in the Hacking Team data dump. If left un-fixed,
the bug (CVE-2015-2426) could allow hackers to remotely take control of a
person's computer without them knowing via malicious documents or websites that
use OpenType fonts.
More information on the vulnerability, the patch, and Hacking Team
can be found here.
20/07/15: In a
surprise move, Microsoft has updated its Windows 10 website to reveal mainstream support for Windows
10 will end in 2020, with extended support ending in 2025.
This will include mandatory software
updates for Windows 10 Home edition, which will occur without warning. However,
unlike current update batches, commonly known as Patch Tuesday, which occur on
start up or restart, the Windows 10 updates will download and install in the
background.
Business users and IT departments
will still be able to opt out of automatic updates if they so wish.
03/07/15: Not everyone
will be able to upgrade to Windows 10 on 29 July, with Microsoft confirming it
will roll out the operating system in waves.
The first to get the finished
version of the product will be the five million Windows 10 Insiders currently
using the operating system in preview.
Following that, Redmond will begin
notifying the millions who have reserved Windows 10 upgrades.
Terry Myerson, Microsoft’s executive VP of operating systems,
wrote in a blog post yesterday:
“Starting on July 29, we will start rolling out Windows 10 to our Windows
Insiders.
"From there, we will start
notifying reserved systems in waves, slowly scaling up after July 29th. Each
day of the roll-out, we will listen, learn and update the experience for all
Windows 10 users.
"If you reserved your copy of
Windows 10, we will notify you once our compatibility work confirms you will
have a great experience, and Windows 10 has been downloaded on your
system."
It’s not clear how long this
scale-up process will take, with Myerson keeping quiet on timescales. Nor was
it mentioned how quickly all Insiders will get 10 installed.
OEM partners will receive a build of
Windows 10 to image new devices with, and another build will go to retailers to
upgrade unsold devices currently running Windows 8.1.
Both Windows 10 Pro and Home
versions will be available on 29 July, while volume licensing customers will be
able to download Windows 10 Enterprise and Windows 10 Education on Volume
Licensing Service Center (VLSC) from 1 August.
24/06/15: Windows 10
uptake in businesses could be as high as 73 per cent within the first two years
of release, according to a report from Spiceworks. The survey of IT
professionals revealed the return of the Start button, free upgrades and better
security are the most appealing factors of Windows 10. If the survey is
accurate, this would be a faster adoption rate than Wthe 60 per cent adoption
seen by Windows 7 - currently the most widely used Windows operating system -
over the same time period.
15/06/15: Facebook's
forthcoming virtual reality headset Oculus Rift will have native support on the
Windows 10 operating system, according to the VR device's launch event last week.
Whether users will be able to use
the Rift with a 360-degree interactive desktop, or whether Microsoft will
simply allow app developers to stream their content to the device, however, is
currently unclear.
Microsoft has also announced the
development of a universal app for Skype that will come preinstalled with every
copy of Windows 10.
This move is part of Microsoft's
effort to bring more people into its app ecosystem with Windows 10, which has
also included signing contracts with several OEMs to preinstall other selected
Office apps on their devices.
18/05/15: Only people
using genuine copies of Windows 7 or 8.1 will be able to upgrade free to Windows
10, Microsoft has confirmed, dispelling rumours it would also be available for
users of pirate copies of the operating system.
Earlier this year, Microsoft appeared to indicate it would offer a
free upgrade to pirates, with operating systems chief Terry Myerson telling Reuters: "We are upgrading
all qualified PCs, genuine and non-genuine, to Windows 10."
However, in a blog post Microsoft
clarified that only those who are using a legitimate version of Windows 7 or
Windows 8.1 will be entitled to the free Windows 10 upgrade, although Myerson
did express sympathy for accidental victims of piracy.
"Microsoft and our OEM partners
know that many consumers are unwitting victims of piracy, and with Windows 10,
we would like all of our customers to move forward with us together,"
Myerson said.
"While our free offer to
upgrade to Windows 10 will not apply to non-genuine Windows devices, and as
we've always done, we will continue to offer Windows 10 to customers running
devices in a non-genuine state," he added, meaning these customers will
have to shell out for the full license fee.
Windows
10 release date
Windows 10 started to roll out to
consumers on 29 July 2015, as Microsoft announced at the beginning of June.
The news of a July release came as
little surprise to Microsoft watchers. The company had stated the release would
come this summer, and AMD's CEO Lisa Su tipped the world off to a July launch
thanks to a a slip of the tongue during an earnings call in April.
The general release version of
Windows 10 is almost identical to the latest version of Windows 10 Technical
preview, build 10240, which came out on 15 July - the same day as it hit RTM.
The first to get the finished
version of the product are the five million Windows 10 Insiders currently using
the operating system in preview.
Following that, Redmond will begin notifying the millions who have
reserved Windows 10 upgrades, according to Terry Myerson, Microsoft’s executive
VP of operating systems, who wrote in a blog post: "Starting on July 29, we will start rolling
out Windows 10 to our Windows Insiders.
"From there, we will start
notifying reserved systems in waves, slowly scaling up after July 29th. Each
day of the roll-out, we will listen, learn and update the experience for all
Windows 10 users.
"If you reserved your copy of
Windows 10, we will notify you once our compatibility work confirms you will
have a great experience, and Windows 10 has been downloaded on your
system."
The RTM build has already been
delivered to OEM partners to image new devices and another build is being
delivered to retailers to upgrade unsold devices currently running Windows 8.1.
While Windows 10 Pro and Home
versions were made available to consumers on 29 July, volume licensing
customers will have to wait until 1 August to download Windows 10 Enterprise
and Windows 10 Education from the Volume Licensing Service Center (VLSC).
System requirements for Windows 10 can be found here.
Fast and slow track releases
Windows Insider Program subscribers
can sign up to either the Fast Ring or Slow Ring of releases. As the names
indicate, the Fast Ring receives builds as soon as they become available. This
has the benefit of allowing users to get their hands on the latest build
straight away, but the disadvantage of having more bugs.
Those on the Slow Ring will not
receive builds for a while after they become available to the Fast Ring, but
they will be more polished with fewer performance issues or potential
vulnerabilities. It is also possible to move between the two if you find Fast
Ring too buggy or Slow Ring too slow.
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