Windows 10's release date is getting closer and Microsoft is providing a few additional bits of information about what we should expect. For example, you undoubtedly suspected that several versions of the operating system would exist. Now we know how many. What we still don't know is when.
The answer is 5. For most people, 1 (and possibly 3) of the versions are non-starters.
So the choices that apply to most people will be Home, Pro, or Mobile.
Windows 10 will be released this summer, possibly starting in late June or July. Versions will be released in more than 100 languages and localized for use in nearly 200 countries. I am astounded by development efforts that large.
At this month's Ignite conference in Chicago, Microsoft managers and developers continued to emphasize that their objectives for Windows 10 include finding ways to make personal computing more personal, enhancing users' productivity, and leveraging cloud-based resources to provide access to files regardless of where users are or what devices they have.
Microsoft announced earlier this year that the full versions of Windows 10 Home, Mobile, and Pro will be available as free upgrades to customers running Windows 7, 8, 8.1, and Windows Phone 8.1. You'll have to upgrade within one year from when Windows 10 becomes generally available to qualify for the free upgrade. And once you upgrade to Windows 10, Microsoft will continue to provide updates without additional charge on that device.
Microsoft had also announced that it would upgrade pirated versions of Windows for free, but that was probably a public relations snafu. The company almost immediately began back-peddling and clarifying. Apparently someone realized that giving free upgrades to operating system pirates might be considered an affront by those of us who paid for it.
It's still likely, though that Microsoft will offer some path for pirates to obtain discounted versions of Windows 10. Having more users on the same version of Windows will be an advantage for Microsoft, for software developers, and for people who need help with their computers. Technicians now have to try to remember the differences between Windows NT and Windows Vista, between Windows 2000 and Windows 7, between Windows 8 and Windows 8.1. And I can tell you this: It's not an easy task.
So pirates won't get a free upgrade, but there are others in that same analogous boat: System engineers. Shortly after Operating Systems Vice President Terry Myerson announced the free upgrade policy for users of Windows 7, 8 and 8.1, the Director of Program Management, Jim Alkove, wrote on his blog that Windows 7 Enterprise and Windows 8/8.1 Enterprise are not included in the terms of the free Windows 10 upgrade.
Whether this is a good move or not is debatable, but it's understandable on some level. Enterprise software is where the money is and Microsoft probably doesn't want to set a precedent of providing anything free to this lucrative section of their market.
But the decision is baffling given Windows 8 and 8.1 adoption by corporate IT managers. The vast majority of large businesses have computers that run Windows 7 and some are still limping along with Windows XP systems. If Microsoft really wants to bring Windows Enterprise users on board with Windows 10, it would make sense to provide the upgrades at no cost. After all, the free upgrades are good only when an existing machine is updated.
Any company that's still running Windows XP has machines that are long overdue for replacement and that's true for most Windows 7 systems, too. Enterprise operations typically replace computers every 2 to 4 years, with most adopting a 3-year cycle. So how much income would Microsoft forego by rewarding their very best customers with free upgrades?
Apparently the belief is that Windows 10 will offer enough new security and management features that IT managers will be willing to put upgrade costs in their budgets. The Enterprise version of Windows 10 does offer a lot to IT managers, including more precise control of which machines receive various updates as new features and patches are released. Even with the extra cost of paying for the upgrades, IT departments might save money if support costs are reduced.
Microsoft's objective for Windows 10. (Image provided by Microsoft.)
Windows 10 will be released in stages. Some pundits have chosen to use "staggered" instead of "staged" so they could write about Microsoft "staggering to the finish line." That's fine for those who want to sow confusion by taking cheap shots. And it makes Microsoft sound like the company has no clue what's going on. Based on what I've seen of Windows 10 so far, nothing could be further from the truth.
A staged release makes a lot of sense. Instead of launching all versions of Windows 10 on all systems that will support it, possibly creating chaos and an overload for support teams, the objective seems to be creating an orderly and manageable process that will reduce frustration.
The first stage will be for users of "desktop" systems. Some notebook computers, hybrid devices, and possibly even a few tablets might qualify for this first wave of updates. That's the release that will occur "any day now" (a phrase old timers will recognize) -- probably late June or sometime in July.
Then what? Launches will be scheduled later in the year for phones, Xbox, and HoloLens. (Remember the HoloLens? If not, see my earlier report). When? Maybe late summer. Maybe early fall. Certainly prior to the holiday season because that's when lots of people buy new hardware.
This process is such a big deal for Microsoft, that there will probably be a launch reminiscent of the Windows 95 launch. Windows 10 is more evolutionary than was the revolutionary Windows 95, but the development of a single operating system that appears to be poised to function across devices from the largest server to the smallest phone means that there are certainly some revolutionary aspects to the release.
Microsoft showed off a functional HoloLens device earlier this year, but it was still a bit quirky even under highly controlled conditions. To be useful, the HoloLens will need applications that it will work with and to develop applications that will work with the device, software manufacturers need a HoloLens that's closer to production ready.
As fascinating as the HoloLens is, it's probably not going to be ready for release this year. And whenever it is ready for the market, it's going to cost far too much for anyone but the one percenters. The price will come down as economies of scale are factored in, but my recommendation is that you not plan to buy one this year.
NASA is using a prototype model of the HoloLens and users such as NASA will be the ones who will make the most use of it initially. Be patient, though. Consumer models will eventually be available.
The current fast-ring build is 10122 and, even though the browser is now actually "Edge", it's still being shown as "Project Spartan". Probably this is not a big deal.
One problem that has surfaced in recent builds is one that causes crashes on computers with AMD processors. Microsoft is working with AMD to resolve the problem. This version of the Technical Preview consists primarily of cosmetic changes.
The power functions moved to a more accessible location in a previous build and build 10122 moves the File Explorer and Settings options to a nearby location and the button that expands the Start Menu to the full touch-enabled version has been eliminated unless you specifically request it to be present in Settings > Personalization > Start.
BlueHost is one of the larger hosting services and it happens to be the one that hosts TechByter Worldwide. The company occasionally sends informational messages and one arrived this week regarding a site that I help maintain. "Your account contains more than 2692 directories and may pose a potential performance risk to the server. Please reduce the number of directories for your account to prevent possible account deactivation." The message seemed strange, but appeared to be legitimate.
It wasn't. A link was provided to the domain's control panel (all BlueHost control panels for all domains are at my.bluehost.com). I didn't click the link, of course, but I did open the control panel to take a look at the directory structure. Nothing appeared to be wrong, but I wanted to be sure. After logging on via what's called secure shell (envision an DOS command screen) and running a command that counted directories. 1281.
That's not a huge number of directories for an account that hosts 3 websites, 2 of which are based on WordPress. It's also nowhere near "more than 2692". I was beginning to notice the odor of a rat, so I contacted BlueHost support. While I was waiting for a technician to come online, I looked at the message a bit more closely.
The subject, for example: Account Notice : Error № 1087. The elevated O in "No" is not common in US English, but it is very common in English translated from Russian. Also note the spaces before and after the colon. That's non-standard, too. Some clunkiness is apparent in the message, too, "Your account contains more than 2692 directories." Why that exact number? Additionally, the number of directories has no effect on system performance.
By then, the technician was online and explained that the message was part of a targeted phishing campaign. The objective was to obtain cPanel usernames and passwords.
When I examined the actual target lurking below the BlueHost link, all questions were answered.
The domain credentials were never in jeopardy because I didn't click the link, but I also didn't take the simple action that would have immediately revealed the scam for what it was: Reviewing either the message headers (which would have revealed immediately that the message didn't originate at BlueHost) or examining the message's raw code (which would have shown that the purported BlueHost link wasn't pointed at BlueHost) -- either step would have short-circuited the discovery process.
And it's a good reminder to be careful.
Many of us like to think that spammers in eastern Europe and China are responsible for most of the dreck that arrives on our computers, but it's not so. According to Kaspersky Labs, the United States has once again retained its position as the biggest source of spam, sending more than 14% of all the junk.
And the new top-level domains launched in January are making it easy for spammers to create legitimate-looking addresses that are fraudulent. Kaspersky's first quarter report says that the new domains represent an excellent tool for promoting unwanted or illegitimate advertising campaigns.
In a word: Ugh, but things have improved slightly. The proportion of spam in e-mail traffic according to the figures for the first quarter of 2015 was just under 60%. That's actually 6 percentage points lower than in the previous quarter.
But phishing is becoming even more of a threat. Kaspersky says its applications recorded more than 50 million instances that triggered its anti-phishing system. That's 1 million more times than in the previous quarter, so an increase of about 2%.
Nearly 40% of the recorded incidents were attempts to gain information from customers of financial organizations. You, of course, recall Willie Sutton's explanation that he robbed banks because that's where the money is.
One of the more interesting conclusions of the report dealt with the new generic top-level domain registration program that has created domains such as .work and .science. Business opportunities are provided by the new generic top-level domain names, but there's also a great opportunity for crooks.
The report says that spammers and cybercriminals have also been quick to react to the trend. As a result of their activities, new domain zones almost immediately became an arena for the large-scale distribution of advertising spam, phishing, and malicious e-mails.
According to Kaspersky Lab's e-mail traffic data, the number of new domains that sent spam was up sharply in the first quarter: Messages sent from the .work domains generally contained offers for household maintenance, construction, or equipment installation. Many messages from the .science domains were advertising schools that offer distance learning, colleges to train nurses, criminal lawyers, and other professionals.
Insurance was one of the hottest topics in terms of the number of messages and the number of domains used for spam.
Tablet sales, generally, have slowed but there's growth for some of the smaller vendors in the small tablet space. According to Strategy Analytics, Apple and Samsung sales dropped more than 10%, but overall sales increased by about 8%.
Companies such as Huawei, TCL-Alcatel, and LG have seen sales increase, but both Apple and Samsung have suffered substantial drops. Two new Tablet & Touchscreen Strategies reports by Strategy Analytics note that smaller vendors are picking up steam in this environment while the larger players are using 2015 as a rebuilding year for future growth.
The reports suggest that Samsung will reduce its large product portfolio to focus on a tighter circle of strong performers in the mid to low price tiers such as Tab S, Tab 4, and the new Tab A.
Samsung's family of hand-held devices.
The reports note that Huawei had a good first quarter, having shipped 1.3 million units, a 147% year-on-year increase. Despite the huge increase, Huawei's total tablet market share is sill only 2.4% overall and 3.5% in the Android tablet market.
North America is predicted to account for 28% of global tablet shipments in 2015 and tablet penetration will reach 49% this year.
Strategy Analytics Service Director Peter King says that Apple has begun a marketing campaign to revive sales after a 5-quarter slump. Slightly thinner and faster tablets aren't likely to restore growth for the Ipad, but Apple's "work to address enterprise tablet usage with IBM on the MobileFirst partnership and some new features rumored for upcoming models will position the company well for long-term growth."
