News - Windows 9 'Threshold' will ship in April 2015

[HEXUS]

The upcoming new OS will be discussed at BUILD in April this year.

Read more.

[Kjnowak]

Really not sure if this is good news or not - Yes although I am used to Windows 8 and use it at work, I am just not a big fan as much as I was Windows 7. But this also just makes me feel that they are rushing new OS's out and don't take the time to think it through.... Then again if my children can constantly prove me wrong on so many things...

[tigertop1]

Pity there is no developers' trial OS available. One would have thought Microsoft might have benefited from getting early input on the pre-production system. They sure got a lot of input on Windows 8 that way which has possibly advanced the need for W9

[McEwin]

Validation, then, that the overwhelming opinion is that Windows 8's interface is bad - and we need a new OS version soon. Thank you.

[scaryjim]

Pity there is no developers' trial OS available.

"at this time"

A foundation of both Win 7 and Win 8 releases was a good public beta. If they're setting windowed metro apps as a key feature of Win 9 I can't see them not providing a preview release at some point, whether that's a developer specific one or a general public beta - devs are going to need to know how running windowed will effect their apps, and what interesting new tricks they can play. If there isn't a preview release of Win 9, I'll eat the internet.

[crossy]

Pity there is no developers' trial OS available. One would have thought Microsoft might have benefited from getting early input on the pre-production system. They sure got a lot of input on Windows 8 that way which has possibly advanced the need for W9

It's too early for a developer release - personally, I'd expect to see that around the end of summer time. Hopefully they're going to do the same as before and have general availability of a preview release.

That said, if the rumours I've read about on the 'net are true, then 9 could be as usability-improved over 8 as 7 was over Vista. In which case, put me down for a pre-order.

[Tpyo]

If they're setting windowed metro apps as a key feature of Win 9...

So... 8.1 admitted what 'Start8' and other 3rd party software sales had been pointing out since launch, that users wanted their start button/menu back.
Win9 will now admit the same re: 'ModernMix' and others.

The fact that most of this had been given as feedback on the original beta for Win8 (and couldn't have been difficult to implement given how quickly those 3rd party programs appeared) smacks to me of MS taking a 'we know better' approach than of them listening to user feedback.

[flufflogic]

If they can get back on the XP/7 level of greatness, then great. Still don't want Metro, though. I honestly feel like they'd be better off "stripping back" the OS as much as possible and let programs fill the blanks.

[shaithis]

Now all we need is the announcement of massive price drops to off-set the yearly releases......

[drew2794]

Starting with Vista, M$ has released an OS every 2~3 years so this timing works out. Hopefully the trend of good OS, bad OS, good OS, bad OS will provide us with a good Windows 9.

[shaithis]

Starting with Vista, M$ has released an OS every 2~3 years so this timing works out. Hopefully the trend of good OS, bad OS, good OS, bad OS will provide us with a good Windows 9.

There is no such trend. If nothing else, the whinging over the last year has Windows 8 bad and Windows 8.1 bad....and that's before I got back any further.

[crossy]

Now all we need is the announcement of massive price drops to off-set the yearly releases......

I'm going to hate myself for saying this - maybe we'd be better off with some kind of annual subscription model for Windows. Although in that case I would've wasted two lots of subscriptions on the two systems here that have stayed with Windows 7. Then again, I'd really like a seamless/painless upgrade process, so maybe I'm just naive.

Starting with Vista, M$ has released an OS every 2~3 years so this timing works out. Hopefully the trend of good OS, bad OS, good OS, bad OS will provide us with a good Windows 9.

There is no such trend. If nothing else, the whinging over the last year has Windows 8 bad and Windows 8.1 bad....and that's before I got back any further.

Wasn't Windows 8.1 merely a big Service Pack for Windows8? In which case drew2794 is correct and we DO have that Star Trek film-like "bad/good" sequence.

[shaithis]

Wasn't Windows 8.1 merely a big Service Pack for Windows8? In which case drew2794 is correct and we DO have that Star Trek film-like "bad/good" sequence.

As long as we forget every version prior to XP........admittedly a lot of users don't know about windows prior to XP but there were more versions before XP then after it!

[crossy]

As long as we forget every version prior to XP........admittedly a lot of users don't know about windows prior to XP but there were more versions before XP then after it!

Not necessarily:
Windows 3.1 - not the best (arguable?)
Windows 3.11 (WfW) - better
Windows 95 - bad
Windows 98/98SE - good
Windows Me - bad
Windows 2000 - good
Windows Vista - bad
Windows 7 - good
Windows 8/8.1 - bad
Windows 9 - good?

Just personal view, don't want to start an argument with the "Vista was excellent" or "I luv Metro" zealots.

If the Microsoft conference for developers is called "BUILD", is the one for users called "BREAK", and the one for PR hacks called "BULL...."?

[MrJim]

Just personal view, don't want to start an argument with the "Vista was excellent" or "I luv Metro" zealots.

Yeah, coz calling people 'zealots' isn't gonna provoke an argument...!

[anselhelm]

If Metro 2.0 can be turned off entirely in favour of a Windows-7-style interface, then I'll be all for Windows 9...

... assuming it doesn't stop my games from working like Windows 8 would if I were to upgrade to it.

I'm quite serious. I refuse to put money in Microsoft's pocket until they actually prove they're listening to customers. What I've read suggests that they have been, but the proof will be when early builds start to show.