And now, for something completely different...Windows 10!

For those of you *cough everyone! cough cough* who didn't like Windows 8, Microsoft just announced a developer preview version of Windows 10 (entirely skipping the "Windows 9" name).

Screenshot from http://fortheloveoftech.com/2014/10/01/windows-10-on-laptops-first-impressions-and-screenshots/

There are many articles about this release; one of the better ones is at The Verge: http://www.theverge.com/2014/9/30/6868695/microsoft-windows-10-announced-official



Microsoft's VP of Windows, Joe Belfiore, gives a technical preview in the video at the top of that page, and once you cut through all the marketing hyperbole (and that awful color-changing background. Seriously, that was a really bad idea!) you can see a much more familiar, legacy-based design that marries many of the features that people liked about Windows 7 with some of the design language from Windows 8.

The Start Menu is back--the legit Start Menu, rather than Windows 8.1's poorly-done compromise (a link to the Metro interface's Search feature). It's bloated with customizable Windows live tiles, which unfortunately aren't going away. Apps from the Windows Store can now be reduced and moved around the desktop, rather than being stuck in full-screen (or requiring a third-party program to allow you to resize the apps).

Also, you'll be able to "snap" up to 4 windows on the same screen, as opposed to the old limit of two windows per screen. I'm sure that some users will appreciate this feature, even if many won't make use of it.

Essentially, Windows 10 looks like it's shaping up to be what Windows 8 should have been.

And if you haven't watched that video, you should. Seriously. I've included a YouTube link to that video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BMGPd6mqnI