Newsletter Archives

• The future of Windows is spelled with an “S”ssssssssss

  Posted on February 4, 2018 at 06:09 CST by woody • Comment in the Forums

  Windows 10 S becomes Windows 10 Pro in S Mode becomes Windows 10 whatever in S Mode. Which you can turn in to Windows 10 Whatever by spending money (for Windows 10 Pro S to Pro conversion) or just being bright enough to run the right program.

  Confused? Hah. You ain’t seen the half of it yet.

  That’s the future of Windows, according to documents Paul Thurrott has seen, and shared with Brad Sams. To get the whole story, you need to subscribe to his site — which I’ve recommended many times before — then look at Microsoft Plots a Transition Year for Windows 10, and then A Welcome Emphasis on Consumers in New Windows Strategy.

  I won’t spill any beans, but Mary Jo has a good free overview on ZDNet:. She says that starting April 1 — apparently with the next version of Windows 10, version 1803, which doesn’t have an official “Win10 for Creative Creators Spring Followon to the Fall Update Update” name yet:

  Microsoft will be expanding its current low-end Windows 10 Home edition into three different variants: Windows 10 Home, Windows 10 Home in S Mode and Windows 10 Home Advanced

  It seems… that Windows 10 Home Advanced is to Windows 10 Home the same way Windows 10 Pro for Workstations is to Windows 10 Pro — something that will only work on higher-end hardware and might include a new feature or two

  As best anyone can tell, Windows 10 whatever in S Mode only runs Universal Windows Platform apps. Which means Win10 f(x) S in all its magnificent variants doesn’t run Windows programs. Stop me if this sounds like the Windows RT/Metro disaster all over again.

  That’s the future of Windows. But, as Brad Sams discusses on Thurrott.com (not paywalled), that ain’t all. We’re also going to get Win10 Entry, Win10 Value, Win10 Core, Win10 Core+ and Win10 Advanced.

  It looks to me like the distinctions there are pricing points for companies that make PCs. I doubt that they represent different feature sets. But, hey, I could be wrong.

  Microsoft is indicating that there will be a $49 charge for Pro S users to switch to the full version of Windows 10 Pro. So, for those users hoping that the upgrade would be free forever, it looks like that will not be the case according to the documents I was able to view.

  For device configuration in 2018, the company is pushing its partners to set Edge as the default browser, installing the LinkedIn UWP app, pre-install Office, and limiting app pinning to 1 legacy win 32 app on the desktop, 1 legacy app on the taskbar and for the Start menu, 25% Win32/75% Microsoft Store.

  Let’s hear it, once again, for Windows PCs that don’t run Windows programs.

  By the way… Paul lists some, literally, “incredible” conversion rate numbers, including

  60 percent of [those who have a new PC with Windows 10 S] stay on Windows 10 S. Only 40 percent upgrade to Pro.

  Although the conversion from Win10 S (er, Windows 10 Pro running in S Mode) to Win10 Pro is free, right now. No doubt Microsoft will swear by those figures, but my guess is that they’re highly skewed by the (few!) Win 10S machines bought by schools or organizations and locked down, so students can’t switch them to Pro.

  Uncategorized Windows 10 S

• Anybody out there running Windows 10 S?

  Posted on November 17, 2017 at 00:10 CST by woody • Comment in the Forums

  I’m trying to figure out which patches came out on Tuesday for Win10 S. If you know for sure, could you drop me a line?

  Windows Patches/Security Windows 10 S

• Where Windows for businesses is headed: Details about “Win10 Enterprise in S Mode”

  Posted on October 13, 2017 at 09:42 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  Yep, Win10S Enterprise will lock it down, give admins Group Policy control, and limit your users to Windows Store apps. For just $10/month. Coming this spring.

  Gregg Keizer has a good overview on Computerworld.

  I wonder what Chromebooks will be available by then?

  Windows News Windows 10 S

• Windows 10 S free upgrade to Pro extended until March 31, 2018

  Posted on September 5, 2017 at 14:21 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  All of you Windows 10 S fans, gather round…

  C’mon. There must be at least one of you.

  Anyway, Microsoft has announced that Surface Laptops are now available in more colors, in more countries.

  At the same time, they announced that the free upgrade offer (or maybe I should say “the ability to move from Windows 10 S mode, back to Pro”) has been extended by three months.

  If any of you are seriously considering buying a Surface Laptop – or taking the plunge with Windows 10 S — we need to have a serious talk.

  The fact that the free upgrade extension announcement came buried in one of the final paragraphs of an official blog post entitled “Surface Laptop colors arriving in additional countries” should give you a clue.

  Windows News Windows 10 S

• ZDNet: Windows 10 S, the safest Windows yet, can be hacked

  Posted on June 24, 2017 at 12:01 CDT by PKCano • Comment in the Forums

  Microsoft says ‘no known ransomware’ runs on Windows 10 S — so we tried to hack it

  By Zack Whittaker | June 24, 2017

  We enlisted a leading security researcher to test if Microsoft’s newest, locked-down version of Windows 10 is protected against all “known” kinds of ransomware, as the company claims.

  Microsoft claims “no known ransomware” runs on Windows 10 S, its newest, security-focused operating system.

  The software giant announced the version of Windows earlier this year as the flagship student-focused operating system to ship with its newest Surface Laptop. Microsoft touted the operating system as being less susceptible to ransomware because of its locked-down configuration — to the point where you can’t run any apps outside the protective walled garden of its app store. In order to get an app approved, it has to go through rigorous testing to ensure its integrity. That’s one of several mitigations that helps to protect the operating system to known file-encrypting malware.

  We wanted to see if such a bold claim could hold up.

  Spoiler alert: It didn’t.

  Read the full article on zdnet.com

  Other Ransomware, Win 10 S security, Windows 10 S

• IFIXIT gives the new Surface Laptop 0/10 repairability score

  Posted on June 20, 2017 at 08:58 CDT by PKCano • Comment in the Forums

  Microsoft’s new Surface Laptop starts at $999.00 in the Microsoft Store.
  That price will get you a 3.1GHz i5 Intel Sky Lake processor, 4GB RAM, a 128GB SSD and Win 10 S. The top-of-the-line Surface Laptop runs $2199.00 for a 4.0GHz i7 Sky Lake processor, 16GB RAM, a 512GB SSD, and Win 10 S.

  IFIXIT recently tore down the new Surface Laptop with its Alcantara fabric-covered keyboard to determine its repairability. They gave it a score of 0/10. Yes, 0 (zero).

  Verdict: The Surface Laptop is not a laptop. It’s a glue-filled monstrosity. There is nothing about it that is upgradable or long-lasting, and it literally can’t be opened without destroying it.

  It would seem Microsoft has created a $1000.00 (minimum) disposable laptop. Read the teardown notes on IFIXIT.com

  Microsoft News IFIXIT, Surface Laptop, Surface Laptop Repairability, Windows 10 S

• Google Chrome won’t be allowed on Windows 10 S

  Posted on May 10, 2017 at 05:05 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  If you haven’t read Ed Bott’s latest ZDNet article, and you’re even remotely interested in Win10 S, hurry over there and absorb it.

  The approach — forcing browser makers to use the native plumbing — isn’t new. Apple requires iOS browsers to use WebKit, for example (see Paul Krill’s article). We saw something similar with the IE-as-default wars in Windows 8.

  Microsoft’s between a rock and a hard place, but the decision doesn’t surprise me at all. What does surprise me is that it’s laid out in black and white. I expected to see months of waffling.

  In my opinion, keeping Chrome off Win10 S is just another nail in Win10 S’s coffin. But it really couldn’t be any other way.

  Windows News Chrome, WebKit, Windows 10 S

• What is a mention of IE doing in the Win10 S discussion?

  Posted on May 3, 2017 at 08:46 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  Microsoft’s Windows 10 S FAQ says

  Microsoft Edge is the default web browser on Microsoft (sic) 10 S. You are able to download another browser that might be available from the Windows Store, but Microsoft Edge will remain the default if, for example, you open an .htm file. Additionally, the default search provider in Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer cannot be changed.

  I get that you can’t change default browsers in Windows 10 S. I figure there’s about a 0.000% chance Google’s going to make a UWP Chrome browser, so I can live with that. (Apple hobbles alternate browsers in iOS by restricting rendering engines.)

  I get that you can’t change Edge’s default search provider. Microsoft’s just turning the screws on that one.

  But what’s this “Internet Explorer” stuff?

  IE isn’t part of Windows 10 S, as best I can tell. It isn’t in the Store. UWP IE? Snort.

  Is that just a frequently-quoted typo, or is there something else afoot?

  (Yes, the FAQ says “web browser on Microsoft 10 S.” Look it up.)

  Windows News Internet Explorer, Windows 10 S
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