Joe Thompson - Windows 10 Companion: The Complete Guide For Doing Anything With Windows 10

T HE W INDOWS 10 C OMPANION

T HE C OMPLETE G UIDE FOR D OING A NYTHING WITH W INDOWS 10

J OE T HOMPSON

I NTRODUCTION

Windows 10 has been hailed by many to be the next big thing. It was everything that Windows 8 was supposed to be, and everything Microsoft hoped its Windows system to be. Win10 marks the death of the regular Windows version and the entry of Windows into the software as a service realm. Even Though it has its share of criticisms, many have hailed Win10 to be the best Microsoft release ever.

This book details everything you need to know about the new Windows 10 -- its ups and downs, its successes and shortcomings, its hacks and issues, and a lot more!

After reading this book, you are well on your way to mastering Win10 more than ever.

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Joe Thompson

Copyright 2016 by Joe Thompson- All rights reserved.

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T ABLE O F C ONTENTS

C HAPTER 1. W INDOWS 10: A D EVELOPMENT H ISTORY

It was way back in 2011 when the public first heard about the basic tenets of the philosophy that will soon become Windows 10. During the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference that year, then Chief of Mobile Technologies Andrew Lees stated that the company intended to have a single ecosystem that targets both PCs and mobile devices. This diverges from the common idea that PCs should have an ecosystem separate from its mobile counterparts.

While Windows had created a mobile version of its operating system before, it has lagged behind in market share in part due to the fact that its use offered less distinct advantages compared to its competitors. Many reasoned that a single ecosystem that can completely sync the desktop and the mobile can work to Microsofts advantage.

In 2013, it was reported that Windows was working on a new project codenamed Threshold, after a planet in the Halo game series (which was similarly owned by Microsoft). This was first publicized as an update to Windows 8, but was distinct from Project Blue (which in turn became Windows 8.1).

The writer who broke the news, Mary Jo Foley, called Threshold a wave of operating systems that spans many platforms and services. The release date was tentatively set to be on the second quarter of 2015. Among the reported issues that Project Threshold was set to address was the creation of a unified development toolkit and overall platform spanning Windows, Windows Phone, and even XBox One. It is notable that all of these platforms use the same Windows NT kernel.

In April 2014s Build Conference, Terry Myerson of Microsoft unveiled a new update to Windows 8.1. This one gave the users the ability to run the Windows Store apps within desktop windows. It also featured a Windows 7-like Start Menu, replacing the Start screen that was a (less-liked) landmark of Windows 8. The new incarnation of Start used a Win7-style application listing, and used only a portion of the screen. However, it also featured Win8-style Live Tiles on its other half -- a precursor of the revamped Start that will be seen in Win10. At this time, Myerson said that all these changes will be rolled out in a future update. He did not elaborate on what he meant.

It was also around this time when Microsoft unveiled the Universal Windows App concept that allowed Store Apps native to the desktop 8.1 to be ported to the mobile 8.1 and the XBox One console. Apps were meant to share a common database, with an interface that morphs to fit different form factors. This also allows both the license and the user data to be shared across these platforms. When implemented, phones running the software would share almost 90% of common Windows Runtime APIs with PCs running the same program.

A few months later in July 2014, screenshots were leaked purportedly showing the current state of the Threshold project. This showed both Windows apps and the Start menu. In September, another screenshot labeled as a Windows Technical Preview showed a new system for virtual desktops, a new File Explorer icon, and a notification center.

D EBUT

Project Threshold was officially unveiled last September 30, 2014 during a media event. It was introduced as Windows 10, hailed by Myerson to be the companys most comprehensive platform ever. It has all of the features seen in the previews and screenshots, as well as the promise to restore Win7-like usability for non-touch devices without sacrificing touch intuitiveness for systems that support it. Joe Belfiore of Microsoft said that Win10 will be an extension of all the technologies introduced in Win7.

R ELEASE AND D EVELOPMENT

The new OS was scheduled to be released on July 29, 2015. An advertising campaign was started in different countries where the software will be released first, including France, Germany, Australia, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The commercials highlighted the OSs more personal approach to computing. Events were also held in thirteen cities across the world that centered on the role the Windows community played in the development of Win10.

In August of the same year, subscribers to the Windows Insider program began receiving new builds as part of the new Threshold 2 (TH2) program. This was meant to develop and test a new set of major updates. The updates are expected to come out to the general public on November. It was also reported prior that a couple of new updates will be released the following year, under the codename Redstone.