Microsoft has mostly kept details of Windows 10X – a version of Windows 10 that has been tailored to dual-screen devices – under wraps.
Now, a major leak has given us deep insight into the design and goals behind the development of Windows 10X.
Am I crazy for being interested in Windows 10X not for foldable devices or laptops, but for my desktop machines? If this information is accurate, it looks like Windows 10X will be a much more straightforward, simpler version of Windows that doesn’t come with 30 years of baggage and technical debt.
Assuming the container technology used to run classic Win32 applications – on which many people depend – doesn’t incur too much of a performance and compatibility penalty, and assuming Microsoft will actually make Windows 10X available for desktops, I’ll be excited to try it out.
The leaks are not really revolutionary, those of you with remaining Windows Surface RT devices will recognize much of the design.
When I broke out my old RT device after some of the new Surface device announcements earlier this month I was surprised to find some significant updates being pushed through, are they going to do some retrospective updates for the old hardware just because they can, could they, surely not!
I agree with Thom, the general success or failure of 10X depends on the Win32 bit containers. Ultimately it will tell us if they are serious or not and if they aren’t then I suspect the 10X project is ultimately doomed.
A version of Windows especially for dual-screen PCs? Why? They could do the same as Apple did and build support for dual screens into the OS as standard.
Virtually all modern OS already support multiple desktops by default, including the big three, that is nothing new from any of them.
It’s not multiple or extended desktops that are new, it is the variable functionality of multiple screens which is the newer concept in nearly all the major OSes. Turning a secondary screen into something functionally different to become more than just a display as required, such as a scratchpad, keyboard, trackpad, game or multimedia controller. I suppose this has become a possibility due to improved durability and power efficiency.
The people really nervous might be Wacom and other graphic tablet producers.