Open Windows … Microsoft Windows boss Terry Myerson says forcing every Windows 10 user to update software automatically will create a safer system.
MICROSOFT’S Windows boss has defended the company’s decision to forcibly install all software updates in Windows 10, saying users cannot “take the roof but not the sides of the house” and expect it to be secure.
But the company also seems to be backing away from its controversial stance as it launches Windows 10 today, introducing a way to “hide” some software updates in test versions of its software.
READ BEFORE UPGRADING: Seven warnings about Microsoft Windows 10
WINDOWS QUEUE: Windows 10 updates will be issued in ‘waves’
Microsoft will launch its Windows 10 operating system in 190 countries today, offering the software as a free download for the first time.
Windows shopping … Microsoft Windows executive vice-president Terry Myerson (left) says no one who reserved a Windows 10 update will wait long for it.Source:Supplied
Existing Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 qualify for the free upgrade and those who “reserved” a copy of the software will receive a desktop notification when they can download it.
In an exclusive interview, Microsoft Windows and devices group executive vice-president Terry Myerson said offering Windows 10 as a free upgrade and “as a service” was a completely different approach for the technology giant that traditionally staged midnight launches and sold boxed copies of operating systems.
Microsoft also sought an unprecedented amount of feedback from testers on Windows 10, Mr Myerson said, to refine new features and ensure no repeats of the stir created when it removed the Start Menu from Windows 8.
“The (Windows) Insiders program now has five million people and it has been integral to how the product has been built,” he said.
“There really isn’t an area that hasn’t been touched by Insider feedback.”
New features in Windows 10 include a revamped Start Menu, a voice-activated personal digital assistant named Cortana, an Action Center for notifications, and the ability to play Xbox games and set up and swap between several “virtual desktops”.
Talk to me … Microsoft will launch a personal assistant named Cortana in Windows 10.Source:Supplied
Microsoft will also ditch Internet Explorer, replacing it with an entirely new internet browser called Edge that offers a reading mode and ways to mark up and share websites.
In order to use Windows 10, however, Microsoft will insist users agree to download and install all software updates automatically, including device drivers that run computer accessories.
Mr Myerson told News Corp the change was designed to create a more “up-to-date” and secure Windows platform that could not be maintained if users picked and chose from available software updates.
“The idea that you’ll be able to take the doors but not the windows, take the roof but not the sides of the house, that doesn’t lead to security,” Mr Myerson said.
“There is tremendous application in terms of having one safe and secure platform evolving together that we believe is the right approach for Windows.”
Users testing Windows 10 have already reported mandatory driver updates causing problems, however, including a Nvidia software update that stopped multiple monitor setups working correctly.
Fresh Start … The new Start Menu in Windows 10 is designed to be familiar to Windows 7 and 8 users.Source:Supplied
Microsoft appears to be backtracking on its policy, however, after it released a new “troubleshooter package” to temporarily “hide or block” software updates yesterday.
It’s not clear if the tool will be part of the final Windows 10 software.
While Microsoft’s thirteenth Windows operating system could be used to upgrade existing computers, Mr Myerson said he hoped older Microsoft customers would use its release to update their hardware.
“There are still people on Windows XP but most people are using Windows 7 or Windows 8,” he said. “I hope those Windows XP users choose to buy a new Windows machine.”
The computer industry is also banking on Microsoft’s Windows launch to turn around its fortunes after worldwide PC shipments fell 9.5 per cent in the last quarter of the year, according to Gartner.
The research firm predicted PC sales would fall by 14 million this year, but return to “slow and steady” growth next year with 311 million sales worldwide.
Windows 7 and 8.1 users can upgrade their machines to Windows 10 from today by selecting the Windows icon in the right corner of their screen and waiting for Microsoft to send them an upgrade notification.
Notifications will be issued in “waves” but Mr Myerson said “no one who really wants Windows 10 is going to have to wait long for it.”.
[Source:- news.com]