Microsoft has announced Windows 10 which is expected to be generally available “Later in the year 2015”. The successor to the poorly accepted Windows 8 will re-introduce the Start Menu. A feature which, when omitted by the software giant from Server 2012 and Windows 8, drew industry-wide criticism.
In an obvious tip-of-the-hat to consumer feedback, the start menu is joined by other familiar Windows features to reappear such as applications that run in resizable windows and not just in full screen mode. These, among other features, will make 10 look and feel more like previous versions of the desktop product and less like the tablet-centric experience that 8 attempted to deliver.
The big question now is will it be a free update?
Some high-level executives at Microsoft have been intimated that the 10 product might be distributed to 8 and 8.1 users as a free upgrade but at the time of this posting that has not been confirmed.
Microsoft will launch a Windows 10 “Insider Program” beginning tomorrow, which will give users a chance to try out and help shape the new OS before the general public gets it.
Microsoft says it will release more details about the new consumer features of Windows 10 early next year.