Microsoft is preparing to bring to market a new version of the operating system - Windows 10. Its preparation and refinement are of a special, socially oriented nature. The American company gives users from all over the world a unique opportunity - to test the preliminary version of the new Windows 10 Technical Preview operating system for free in order to familiarize themselves with its main functions. Developers also expect to receive user feedback on the new product. This initiative is to some extent unique, as well as one of the proposed distribution channels of the new OS - free download, allowed for owners of the Windows 7 and 8 distributions. What are the features of the corresponding OS distribution provided by Microsoft? What new opportunities does the brand open for users?
Universal OS
Perhaps the key distinguishing feature that characterizes Windows 10 Technical Preview (the feedback of many IT experts regarding this option is very positive) - this OS will be implemented in virtually a single version on PC and mobile devices.
Of course, the interfaces will still be different, due to the need to adapt them to the specifics of using the corresponding devices. But the core of the OS, its platform, will be the same. This will determine the ability to run Windows applications on any device. Programs will also be distributed through a single store from Microsoft.
How to download the operating system?
Windows 10 Technical Preview (user reviews rate the feature as positive) can be downloaded for free. In order to do this, you need, firstly, to log into the Microsoft Live-account, and secondly, to give your consent to the Windows Insider program, initiated by the American brand. After that, the user will have access to the OS distribution adapted for 32- or 64-bit computers. Installing a new Windows in this modification is very simple - through the setup.exe file, which is present in the installation product. Some time after the announcement of the trial version of Windows 10, individual distribution assemblies appeared on torrent resources. So, among the popular ones - Windows 10 Technical Preview Build 9901 Rus X64 Torrent, adapted, in particular, for Russian-speaking users of 64-bit devices.
Different "builds"
What assemblies (also called “builds”) are there for the evaluation version of Windows? There are a lot of them. So, the assembly of Windows 10 Technical Preview Build 9888 is popular. There are other versions of the distribution. Among the common ones is Windows 10 Technical Preview Build 10009. In general, there are few differences between the builds. So, for example, in some versions you can drag and drop application shortcuts from the start menu to the desktop, in others this option is not provided. But in general, the interfaces of Windows 10 Technical Preview Build 10009, 9901, 9888 do not differ too much.
Regardless of which version of the OS the user has at his disposal, he will be able to fully explore the basic functions of the new operating system. Since the distributions under consideration - Windows 10 Technical Preview Build 9901, 10009, 9888 - are evaluation ones, it doesn’t matter what exactly is implemented in them. It is possible that, for example, the final corporate version of the OS - Enterprise - will be supplemented with options that are not represented in the corresponding assemblies, or have limited functionality.
It can be noted that the distributions under consideration for the new version of Windows are primarily aimed at system administrators. That is, an ordinary user may not even see the difference between the options implemented in different Windows 10 builds available for download. Having downloaded, relatively speaking, Windows 10 Technical Preview Build 9901 Rus x64 9901, he can evaluate it in the same way if he had at his disposal the distribution kit 10009 or 9888.
Interface
We study the specifics of the interface of the new OS from Microsoft. So, in Windows 10 the “Start” menu reappeared, however it is implemented in combination with the “tiles” present in the Windows 8 interface.
The start menu consists of two areas. In its left part - a list familiar to many users of early versions of the OS, in the right part - the very “tiles”. Nearby is a search bar, and its use involves accessing not only computer files, but also to the corresponding servers on the Internet. Moreover, a similar option is called not only using the start menu, but also through the search interface, which can be called up from the Taskbar.
Among the fundamentally new interface elements implemented in the new version of Windows is the Task View button. Using it, you can display information about running applications. Another notable feature of the new interface is the creation of groups of programs to perform various tasks. You can also switch between them using the Task View button. Another noteworthy option for working with running applications is Aero Snap. With it, the user can switch between programs and windows.
In the new version of Windows, the "Notification Panel" appeared, very similar to the one implemented in the Windows 8.1 interface. In order to call it, you need to press a special button, or, if the appropriate device is used, a gesture on the display. The notification panel also allows you to access some important OS settings.
If necessary, you can expand the windows of the operating system interface in full screen. Such an option can be especially useful and in demand among owners of mobile devices with small displays.
The “Computer” tab, familiar to users of previous versions of OS, has been replaced by the Home option. When it is activated, the built-in file manager of the operating system is loaded, and Favorites sections, recently opened documents and folders, which are often used by the PC owner, become available. Other notable explorer options include the One Drive cloud drive. Outwardly, it looks almost the same as the logical partitions of the hard drive familiar to users. There is an interesting Share tab, by using which you can send files by e-mail, or, if these are documents, print them. You can also direct files to other programs.
Thus, in the Windows 10 Technical Preview interface (expert and user reviews are also accompanied by a very positive assessment of the corresponding characteristic), on the one hand, classical elements familiar to many users, such as the start menu and desktop, are implemented, on the other hand, “tiles” and other innovative elements. In this case, the owner of the OS can, if necessary, create several desktops at the same time. In previous versions of Windows, this was not possible. Except, of course, switching between different user accounts - each had a separate desktop.
Synchronization
Among the notable features of Windows 10 Technical Preview (many users’ reviews include very positive ratings) - synchronization of devices using branded applications from Microsoft. It is assumed that they will be available for download in a single store. The user, therefore, should not feel the difference between the level of comfort of access to the relevant applications, regardless of the device that he is using at a particular time.
Synchronization is one of the aspects of cloud technologies already implemented in Microsoft solutions. So, for example, users of mobile and desktop Windows can use the One Drive file storage and access it from any device. Thus, it is assumed that the introduction of similar concepts in other brand solutions. This feature as a whole is fully correlated with the concept of a universal OS, which we mentioned above.
Universal applications
It is clear that to run on any device will need special, universal versions of applications. Their main feature is that the source code is 90% the same. The rest of the program will adapt to the interface of a particular device, or to the needs of a particular user in terms of design. The peculiarity of the new concept is that a person, having paid for the application once, will be able to use it on any device. Already now, as market experts say, this idea is implemented in new Microsoft Office distributions. It remains only to wait for the final version of Windows 10 to appear and make sure that the corresponding concept is effective in practice.
What will be in the final version of Windows?
So, we examined the key features of the evaluation version of the OS from Microsoft, Windows 10 Technical Preview. Unlike Enterprise - the corporate version, in adaptability to user needs. However, it is hard to say whether they will be so significant in the final version of the OS.
Trial versions do not have some critical options. Which for example? In the final version of Windows will be implemented virtual assistant Cortana, familiar to users of mobile devices. This program is designed to facilitate the work with the device on which the OS is installed. However, as some experts who examined the Windows 10 Technical Preview note, the Russian language will not be initially supported in it. In addition, it is assumed that Cortana will be integrated with the Bing search engine, which is not very popular in Russia and other Russian-speaking states - Ukraine, Belarus.
Free update from old versions
Microsoft, with the announcement of the Windows 10 Technical Preview (user reviews and analysts on this subject is absolutely enthusiastic), announced that for owners of Windows 7 and 8 distributions, downloading the new OS will be free - within a year after the final version of the operating system is released. The Microsoft brand did not open such an opportunity for users of the OS earlier. Apart from, of course, a free upgrade from Windows 8 to version 8.1.
Features of Cortana
Learn more about the facts about the Cortana program. It is a voice assistant, in features very close to Apple's Siri interface. Traditionally, it is used with smartphones, but Microsoft plans, as we noted above, to include it in the final version of the OS. It is not installed in the Windows 10 Technical Preview. Enterprise, as well as other versions in the final distribution, is expected to be equipped with the Cortana assistant.
The user will be able to call the program in question through the search bar. The corresponding option is also not yet implemented in Windows 10 Technical Preview. Enterprise and other final distributions are likely to be characterized by this feature. Turning to Cortana, the user will be able to run files - music, documents, create reminders. It may be noted that the analogue of Cortana from Apple, Siri's assistant, has not yet been implemented on desktops. In this sense, Microsoft, as experts say, is ahead of the competitor. By the way, Google has not yet developed solutions for “desktops” that are close in function to the Cortana program - there are only corresponding web interfaces.
New browser
Among the new products implemented in Windows 10 is the Spartan browser. It is not clear yet whether it will replace the traditional one used in previous OS Internet Explorer. Which of the remarkable Spartan browser options are worth mentioning? These include the note mode, which allows the user to make comments that are located on top of web pages. Subsequently, a person can share them on social networks or send them by mail.
Corresponding notes can be written both from the keyboard and using the touch screen - with your finger or stylus. It is expected that the Spartan browser will implement a reading mode - when the contents of a web page are converted to the appropriate format and saved simultaneously for offline viewing. It can be noted that the browser will be integrated with Cortana.
OS and Xbox Integration
It is assumed that the new version of Windows will be integrated with the Xbox - Microsoft's popular game console. In particular, the Xbox application is available for users of the OS under consideration. Already integrated functions related to the category of social - for example, the activity ribbon of players, something similar to Twitter. Users of the new OS will be able to broadcast the gameplay on any device that is controlled by Windows 10.