Never, ever trust Microsoft. Was with them from the very beginning and they slowly turned the platform and the community into a horrible painful disaster.

Their leadership sucks and the company is driven by what is "good" for Microsoft, it partners and users come in last place.

The ecosystem is a total mess.

You have been warned.

Wade, there are 2 types of car buyers, the ones that buy it because it looks cool, and the ones that actually take a look under the hood. W 8.1 engine is way better than W 7, plus you can customize it to reduce and eliminate the metro environment, I was going to but after 8.1 it doesn't really affect me.

Jason, don't use a cheap mouse, after all it is something you use ALL THE TIME to interact with your computer, the M560 mouse from Logitech has the side buttons configured to Metro access and desktop (Alt-tap) with a single click, and the top one brings the right side search bar.

I have used Windows since 3.1 and have seen some good version and bad. Loved XP hated Vista, but putting tiles on a desktop is just wrong. On a tablet fine, but not when I want a desktop to run my programs and play my games. Being limited like with the Surface only being able to install and run certain programs and pushing me to the app store made me drop the Surface for an Android tablet. I do not what limitation, and is why I don't do Apple! I back reved from Win 8.1 to Win 7 as I prefer a real desk top not some lame patch job.

I like the win 8.1 fully updated ui with header enabled touch apps , it does really need virtual desktops .However my two biggest bug bears are the setting are still the same as in win 7 , a mess . they need to be properly integrated with the ui and touch friendlier . the second is accessing the app installed from the "metro" dash is a small button on the lower left . As a mouse user it should be a or a tile that run the length of the dash . if these were fixed and android app would run I potentially could Siriusly think about jumping ship .

I use wordpress and windows phone too. If it is right than it is really a bad news for all windows developers, I know it is difficult to develop on windows 8 but ended the development on windows platform is not the solution. Hope this won’t happen.
iphone development sydney

A bad OS ever.
I am prefer Android X86 or Ubuntu Linux OS's.

how did this get here?

Because it has features like virtual desktops, esposé, etc.

I like the new Windows 10 very much. I have it running on my main computer now. I also have the latest Ubuntu, also running on my main computer now. However, I prefer OS X Yosemite slightly more than they, as I also have it running on my main computer now. Having a Mac, if you can afford one, means never feeling sorry as it is the only system that can run all of the major OS's. Hackintosh's can do likewise, but they're a pain for most people to put together and even a bigger pain to keep upgrading. That said, all of the main OS's have their plus and minus's.

Got to say its looking good. Kinda excited... Cant believe i just said that!....lol

1 OS for all platforms. Sounds good. But lets say i have a desktop computer without touch capabilities. Do i need all these stuff that i cant use? Why hoard so many stuff on a release and then spend so much time to setup your system so it's exactly what you need? Sounds like too much trouble but we better wait to see the final product to come out.

It seems what Ubuntu Desktop and Ubuntu Phone had annoinced to be All in One is frank. Windows here you are.

If it can dual boot with Ubuntu, I migth give ti a try, it does look better than 8, but....

The thing I love about this next release of Windows is the unison of every Windows release on Desktop and Mobile. Hope they don't mess it up.

The reason for skipping Windows 9 is due to concerns for legacy programs from third party developers, specifically Java. According to PCWorld, It has to do with the way legacy applications were coded to see what version of Windows they were running on, as in Windows 9X or not Windows 9X. http://www.pcworld.com/arti...

Very good system I use it now and it is remarkably stable and reliable, that in contradiction to 14.04 LTS and 14.10. In 14.10 Beta2, I lost the launcher and topbar after an update and in 14.04 there is no program left, that can rip a CD to m4a/aac/mp4 format. The last years I used rythmbox, despite its lousy interpretation of wma tags with its confusion of album-artist and song-artist, but now rythmbox in 14.04 LTS can't read its own ripped m4a files anymore nor can any other program. Fortunately I could use good old Windows Media Player of Windows 10 for ripping a few CDs and that saved my day.

Try asunder to rip your CDs. And mp4 isn't great quality, try flac

All my music is either m4a (new 1000 files) or wma (old 11000 files) and both are supported by many devices and systems. Asunder does not support m4a according to its own description and flac is not supported by my cellular. M4A is an international standard with a large support base and it is better then the ancient mp3 format. There is a trick using a nero codec, but I prefer to use wma with windows 10. I avoid tricks not supported by the design team responsible for the product, since it might stop working the next day.

Choosing windows media to rip files - fail.

Guaranteed not to work outside of Microsoft world.

Get real, ALL cellulars support the wma format. I use that format since 2004 and the last time I had any compatibility problem was at that same year. Since I have used it on Nokia, Samsung, Motorola phones and all Linux based desktops without problems.

Asunder does rip to AAC though, which is what most M4As are.

LIke I said: "I avoid tricks not supported by the design team responsible for the product, since it might stop working the next day". It is NOT officially supported, since it has not been mentioned in their description in the Ubuntu software center.

I'm not even touching that thing - even with my hand in a plastic bag!
Now get that article off this Ubuntu site before it leaves a mark.

I actually like the look of the UI quite a bit. Looks like they combined Metro and the Start Menu in a way that gives it a fairly cool visual experience. I only use 7 to launch games that are Windows only though so I won't be updating until 7 reaches its EOL, by then Windows 12 or 14 ought to be out I suppose.

Look at how many long-time GNU/Linux desktop features they finally implemented! :-D
I like the snap suggestions, though. This is something Unity could use, too.

Version number skipping? I remember WinAMP doing it too... They skipped v.4 back in the day. But maybe Microsoft did it also not to be confused with the 9x versions of Windows.
Anyway, Joey is right, they should have really called it 11, as it is really the 11th version of mainline Windows (so, not counting pre-XP NT's, CE's etc.): 1. Windows 1.0; 2. Windows 2.x (including Windows/286 and Windows/386); 3. Windows 3.x; 4. Windows 95, 5. Windows 98; 6. Windows ME; 7. Windows XP; 8. Windows Vista; 9. Windows 7, 10. Windows 8.x; 11. Windows 10.

So... yes. :-D

You should count the Windows NT line of system like Microsoft and forget the 16 bit systems and their Windows 9x/ME successors. The first release Windows NT 3 and 3.5. Windows NT 4, Windows 2000/XP or NT 5/5.1, Windows Vista or 6, Windows 7 etc.

Hmm... maybe. But why do you count 2000 and XP as a single milestone? And where are NT 1 and NT 2?
And Wikipedia lists all from Vista to 10 (including the latter) as NT 6.x variants. O_o
All in all, counting only NTs don't reduce the numbering confusion.

Basically the first NT release has been 3.1 and they started with that number because Windows 3.1, the 16 bits system running as desktop under MS-DOS had been a great success. After the debacle with Windows Vista, they used the commercial name Windows 7, because they wanted to remove any suggestion to Vista or NT 6.0. Just calling it NT 6.1 did not create enough distance with Vista. The same trick happens now after the debacle with Windows 8, they like to create some extra distance by calling its successor Windows 10. Of course all systems are based on the initial Vista design, so the formal name remains 6.x. So do not try to explain commercial names or commercial release number, marketing people don't think logically.

GNOME copy paste = win 10

Microsoft messed up with 8 im never going back to Windows and if i do i have a laptop with Windows 7 which i never use really.

But wait. Are you sure it's for ALL devices? On the video he just talks about all PCs with or without a touch screen and tablets. There are no words about phones.
And check the system requirements here:
"To access the Windows Store and to download and run apps, you need an
Internet connection, a screen resolution of at least 1024 x 768, and a
Microsoft account."
http://windows.microsoft.co...

Instead, they are talking about "next iteration of Windows Phone". It seems to have nothing more than the same NAME.
"…the company only noted that the new mobile UI won’t feature the OS’s desktop mode, and that it’ll TAKE AFTER the revamped touch-based UI that was briefly showcased today."
http://www.brighthand.com/n...

They're talking about only the appearance, not the code.

Linux is my OS, and im sticking to it. Dont have to worry about viruses, adware, and NSA backdoors. By the time this gets released Linux will be much farther ahead in the game. Microsoft is just a single corporation, where Linux is the entire world, plus I like my ability to customize my OS to however i want it.

I'm embarassed to say that i installed the tech preview and I'm gpnna stay. Ubuntu has been my main desktop since 8.10 and i just can't do it anymore. I've suffered show stopper bug after show stopper bug hoping each release will finally be "the one" and it never happens. Truth be told there's nothing Ubuntu i can't get on Windows anymore. Ironic really as its on the verge of going the other way too. Even the Win10 tech preview has less rough edges than Ubuntu 14.04

This is a sad day. Now to go play the dozens of windows only steam games that have been sitting in my library untouched just waiting me.

Windows is an operating system consolidated and valid as main alternative.
This story of Backdoors, viruses, and Improper Access to common user is not us we already are "advanced users". This war between Linux, Windows or Mac users is more than annoying. Not even creator of Linux Kernel, Linus Torvalds, considers Windows a bad alternative.
We have to be honest that Windows will never lose the market has currentlyand Linux will never win a bigger market than it already has. Even with all the future projects (the SteamOS) or any other alternative to raise Linux is valid this is unvarnished truth.
I'm a Windows user. I used Linux and have never used Mac OSX.

Please forgive my English "basic" I'm still learning a lot.
Thank you.

I agree with you that OS'es war is a silly thing, but you can't just say that Windows will preserve its users and Linux won't grow anymore. Remember that MSN Messenger was the most used IM service? Where is it now? Nothing is settled down by this time. Anything can happen and things in 5 years can be very different from today's.

I switched too. I had to do a school project and couldn't find a good video editor. Imagination is the only one I could find for Ubuntu, and that was a joke.

I don't want to sound mean, but, your google searching skills are terrible if you were looking for a linux video editor and came up with Imagination, which is a DVD Authoring app. Imagination is used more for creating simplified, dvd menus for finished edited work and image slideshows, more than anything else.

I find it hard to believe you couldn't fine Kdenlive (which I believe is the closes thing to Sony Vegas), Openshot, Avidemux, Cinelerra (for more professional work), Kino, LiVES & Lightworks (again for professional editing).

Happens, no OS is perfect, I had problems with windows and changed to Ubuntu, installed Kubuntu in my computer and works ok. I installed lxde, xfce and enligthenment because don't like the gnome style; the good thing is that you can select a different desktop when you want.

Many of us know that Ubuntu is not 100% as reliable as Windows, but we choose it because it's free (libre). It's too bad that we lost you, I hope you will continue to stay interested and check out Ubuntu occasionally, and that even on Windows you will choose to use free software instead of proprietary lock-ins.

By the way, many Steam Windows games run fine in Ubuntu if you install the Windows Steam Client in CrossOver. You can check compatibility on WineDB. I recently played The Walking Dead, and it worked perfectly!

You must be joking. Ubuntu 14.04 is the best release of Ubuntu ever, if you have bugs maybe it's something you did wrong. I and many others have never had a problem.

I appreciate you and many others have had no problems. I and many others have. To say that i did something wrong after learning I've been using it daily for 6 years is just ignorant and mean.

How is anything I said ignorant or mean? No matter how long you used a OS you can still make mistakes. I have used Linux longer than 6 years and I still have problems sometimes. I'm sorry if you took what I said as an insult but that was not my intention. You come on here making the statement that a preview of Windows is less "buggy" than the current LTS of Ubuntu and if anyone questions it, you take it wrong. I use Ubuntu 14.04 everyday and in my opinion it is far better than anything Windows has to offer. I know we see it differently and that's OK, all I ask is to tell us what problems you have had because it could be hardware error or user error or a number of other things that could be easily fixed.

Well I wish you well... Good luck with Win10! I'll be using it once in a blue moon, myself. I've never stopped using windows or mac osx or linux.

Linux is my main go to OS, for everything, then comes OSX for some easy peasy media editing and coding and last but not least Windows for the games (I can't play on linux or mac) and for testing corporate software for my clients.

I don't understand why you wouldn't just dual boot to have the best of both worlds, something that is very easy to do.

Rewarp has a very valid point, you've made a general statement (without any proof) about a product that most people (and clients) I know, are delighted with... To be fair, even after 6 years of using any OS, doesn't mean there are things you haven't missed.

As well... just because you're making the switch, doesn't mean you're out of the clear when it comes to issues.

If you can show your showstopper bug reports, perhaps I would not be as incredulous as the previous commentator. You must have some inkling of how a passing commentary without evidence in a tech community site will be perceived.

"No! Really! We just KNOW you'll like the new, improved Windows! And you'll pay for it, too, and you'll have programs it won't run, and you'll get badly infected before we get a patch out next Tuesday, and you'll be SO much better off than if you use that nasty Linux! You know, we heard that Linux doesn't work! Really!"

Windows 10 is a pure example of a kludge. They've taken two divergent paradigms and mashed them together. Windows 8, for Microsoft, was a bold step, they decided to bring something new to the table which Canoncial figured out some time ago, a design language. The Metro interface was quite innovative for them, creating something which is the closest thing I've seen to Star Trek so far, but some could not cope with it. I tried it with a keyboard and mouse just fine but apparently it was beyond the capability of some of it's users - I don't know what that says, and they could not let go of their 20 year old Start menu. In mashing both approaches for Windows 10, parts say click-me others say touch. It's just a damn mess.

Now they talk about one OS to rule them all. What does this mean for mobile devices? They keep bringing OSes out then scrapping them completely. Windows CE - binned, Pocket PC - binned, Windows Mobile - binned, Windows Phone 7 - binned and now Windows Phone 8/8.1 is destined for oblivion. Will the apps that Microsoft tried to tempt devs to make also end up being consigned to nothingness? Will they need to be re-written, are proprietary devs going to fund that themselves? What of the apps people have bought, will they be refunded if they don't work on the new platform? Where does RT, the unloved ugly duckling of the family fit into this menagerie of woe? I also hear talk of subscriptions coming for Windows, will we be asked to pay for the year? hour? or GB? They can literally poke that idea.

The truth is Microsoft have always played the catchup game, arguably maybe their only useful contribution was Microsoft BASIC, the company now doesn't seem to know where it is going, the strategy changes constantly as it struggles desperately to remain relevant.

Oddly enough, notwithstanding Canonical's talk of convergence, there is already an operating system that can work on all devices. From watches and credit card sized computers, to mobile devices, domestic appliances, gaming devices, routers, desktops, laptops, servers, satellites, robots and supercomputers. It's scalable by design and called Linux. :-) It must make Microsoft's engineers green with envy.

I have to agree with your rant about people hating on Metro. I thought it was refrshing that they finally changed things up. It reallly works on a touch capable laptop. Never tried it on a desktop. Though i have installed win 10. I kind of miss a lot of the metro features.

Dropping full screen metro is kind of silly. And i miss the stuff on the edge of the screen like the open apps or the right hand side menu thing (maybe its because im on a non touch desktop)

Anyway i hope they lean back towards the metro interface and then just make the settings really good.

Quick note... the metro interface isn't gone, it's just hidden. If you really want it back... just right click the task bar and select the "Star Menu" tab, and uncheck the "Use the Start menu instead of the Start screen" checkbox.

The metro interface is decent enough for a tablet use, but it's terrible for desktop use, especially if you like to multi-task with more the 2 applications (metro apps especially). Gesture movement with a low dpi mouse is an absolute nightmare.

As well all the power users features were all hidden and hard to get to in Win8/8.1. You should try using it on laptop that doesn't have touch screen and no external mouse. I've seen users ready to throw their laptops out the window (no pun intended).

You sir are only one person (looking from only one pair of eyes), you seem to be coming from a dedicated group users that don't have difficulty using the interface and that's fine. I don't know what you do for a living but I have 100's of systems going through my company's support bench a month and I'm just relaying our observations from everyday users.

I totally agree with your second paragraph. Please also keep in mind my company supports all os's and windows users seem to be the most unhappiest out of the lot.