Windows 10X - Microsoft New OS - Preview

[GoodBytes]

Please note: Everything here is subject to change. Bellow may contains incorrect information as more details are being revealed, and is of my understanding.

 

Microsoft has finally released a beta version of its new OS based named Windows 10X (X as in the letter X, not Windows 10 10). Codename Windows Santorini. This new OS is not aimed to replace Windows 10 as we know it, but rather be an OS designed for new form factors (as Microsoft puts it), such as foldable laptop/tablets and dual screen devices like the coming up Surface Duo.

 

Clarification, when I said "new OS", Windows 10X a new OS as in it isn't an edition of Windows 10, but rather on its own, but it is still based on Windows 10, hence the name 10X. To be more exact, Microsoft has been working, since the release of Windows 10, in modularizing it, and create a common core that is shared on multiple platforms, which the company calls "OneCore". The idea is that the OS is customizable by the OEM adding the components that they need (for example LTE/5G modem capability), and dropping what it does need to keep the OS light in resources, maximizing battery life. More bellow... This modularity allows Microsoft to focus on making GUIs adapted to future devices without having to make a new OS for it.  

 

This version of the OS is aimed at developers and is in Beta. If you try it, you'll see that indeed it is very Beta.

But let's dive in:

 

"Zee backend!, I Vant zee dedails!"

Ok, let's start with back-end with the big questions:

• Q: Does it run standard Win32 programs from Windows 10.
  A: Yes!... and no.... mostly yes. Basically, if the app requires a special driver to operate, then it can't run on it. Why? Well it needs a Windows 10 X version of the driver to start, but also, because the OS runs Win32 programs under a container (a sandbox if you will). The moment you close the program, it's environment that the programs knows is gone. Yes, it open/save files on your system, but system level changes won't actually be applied, if does such things. This also means that system tweak utilities won't run or work either. This also includes Win32 application sending Mouse/Keyboard Hook events. So no AutoHotKey. Oh and, at least so far it time, the OS doesn't support WIn32 programs from running at logon. This may come, or may not. We don't know. Most likely no, because containers are demanding on the system as it needs to load all the legacy crap on the back, and the whole point of Windows 10X is to be light and maximizes battery life. Also, under the new GUI, the task bar, doesn't have a system tray.
  
  For the developer reading this: "Containers" is not exactly like Docker containers. The dev doesn't need to think about it. No configuration is needed. Also multiple Win32 applications will run on the same WIn32 containers, not separate. Why? Well, if they are separate you'll break many applications that uses process to process communication, but also load things more than once in memory. You can see it a very low level VM without resource reservation and minimal performance impact.
  If you want to dive in more on the container aspect for Win32 programs, here is a presentation from Microsoft: https://medius.studios.ms/Embed/video-nc/365DevDay-Peter-Torr
  
  
   
• Q: What is the main framework for applications?
  A: UWP and PWA (Progressive Web Apps) are the main framework for applications for the OS. They both runs on a container. Every application under Windows 10 X is under a container.
  Note that Win32 UWP wrap applications (MSIX) are loaded under the Win32 container, as they are, well, Win32 applications.
   
• Q: Legacy support?
  A: Beside Win32 container system for running legacy environment, the OS has no legacy anything. File Explorer and Regedit are reworked as modern applications (UWP), and all the back-end is all modern. Its interface is also not only different, but also built on new foundations (no more Shell32)
   
• Q: How updates are handled? Will it restart on my face?
  A: Same as Windows 10 now, well in terms of behavior... as the update process, Microsoft promise a target of up to 90sec for a complete version upgrade (system specs performance will vary this), but no more 5 to 30min waits. How is that possible? Well, beside drop in legacy crap, it applies the same model found on phones OSs, and that is thanks to GPT breaking the 4 partition limit, the OS downloads the OS and installs it on a newly created partition, and at restart restart, the partition is switch to the new one, and personal files/folders and programs are relink to the location. If you wonder about partition size and all that, well it really needs space of the OS update, the rest (to put it briefly) is all playing with addresses in storage, again, like your when you update your phone to a new OS version.
   
• Q: How are drivers handled?
• A: From my understanding, but this could also be that there is no outside driver availible as the OS is all new and well, not even out yet. Drivers are handled by Windows Update like it under Windows 10, but doesn't have the ability to be side-loaded like under Windows. It would be to the hardware manufacture to ensure bug free experienced, and not rely on their user to downgrade their drivers, but rather on the manufcature to fix it or pull the driver. Yes it isn't perfect, but so far, again, it doesn't aim to be an OS for desktops and your traditional systems. Maybe that may be the case, one day, once Microsoft resolve all these small issues.
   
• Q: Cortana?
  A: I could not find Cortana anywhere, not even as a process running.
   
• Q: Dark Mode?
• A: Yes, Start menu and all.

 

"I am bored with your blah blah… show me pictures!"
Heumm... alllriiidy then...

 

Note: On all the pictures bellow Forgive the blurry font. This is my screen not able to fit the device emulator.

 

The new Start Menu:

As you may have noticed, Microsoft dropped live tiles, and you can see a new icons being used throughout the OS.
 

 

The start menu can be opened on either screen by swiping up on the white bar or bringing your mouse to it.

There is a horizontal view of the start menu if you turn the screen, if you wonder. Looks the same.

 

The dual screen start menu, allows you to easily launch a program on each screen.

 

Bellow I started Settings panel, showing that it is the same or very similar to Windows 10, and Maps.

 

Beside running things side by side, applications can adapt themselves to a dual screen design, providing different information per display once the application is expended on both displays.

An example that Microsoft implemented to showcase this feature is with the Mail app, where instead of having an email take teh whole screen when you open one, it displays it on the second screen allowing you to see incoming emails and easily navigate or jump to a following mail for instance.

 

 

The new Edge (Chromium based) is there, and you can span any app on both screen if you want. Simply drag the title bar of an app down to the border between the 2 screens, and it will expand. This is great for apps that do support dual screen, where content between the 2 screen is different, but on an app like a web browser, you'll enjoy the border in between, maybe something to keep more for foldable screen devices. For the New Edge, if you wonder, yes extensions works like it does under Windows 10. 

 

Saving a file?

Seem to be using Windows 10 Mobile File Explorer. Its style hasn't been updated with the Fluent Design, and stuck with the Metro look from Windows 10 early days.

Hopefully it will be updated before the OS is released.

 

Is it steamy enough to run Steam?

Yes! As for games, I have no problem downloading and installing them (at least the ones I tried... I tried only small games) but I can't start them due to lack of GPU support from the VM, so I can't say if they actually work or not.

 

And yes, HWMonitor works... well it's hard to say if it can pull CPU temps, as it is running under a VM, but it seems to get CPU utilization just fine, so probably it will work.

 

The new Action Center:

 

 

I wanna try!
Requirements:

• The VM itself needs 4GB of RAM, so your system needs well over that amount.
• 64-bit Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise, or Education (version 2004 Build: 19555 or later - Insider)
• Hyper-V need to be enabled

Downloads:

1. Microsoft Emulator: https://aka.ms/emulator/app
2. Windows 10X Emulator Image (#1 required first): https://aka.ms/emulator/latest

My recommendation: Once you start the VM, go to the Store, and update all apps, you'll thank me.

 

Got any questions you want me to answer about the OS?

 

Video showing the OS in action

 

 

[williamcll]

Could it be the return of windows mobile? I certainly hope so, I liked my HTC HD2

[Arika]

30 minutes ago, williamcll said:

Could it be the return of windows mobile? I certainly hope so, I liked my HTC HD2

certainly looks like it. it's like the windows version of chromeOS

[Letgomyleghoe]

Looks like Mac OS imho

[RejZoR]

Oh boy, I can't wait to have everything fucked up and broken again because of this stuff (remember the transition from Win9x to Win2000 and beyond?). You know, like games filled with DRM drivers that will refuse to function with Win10X and no one will ever update them. Also can't wait for all the performance penalties because of sandbox fuckery. All the tiny gains we got over time with Win10 will be gone with this one. It's gonna be great!

[SkilledRebuilds]

26 minutes ago, RejZoR said:

Oh boy, I can't wait to have everything fucked up and broken again because of this stuff (remember the transition from Win9x to Win2000 and beyond?). You know, like games filled with DRM drivers that will refuse to function with Win10X and no one will ever update them. Also can't wait for all the performance penalties because of sandbox fuckery. All the tiny gains we got over time with Win10 will be gone with this one. It's gonna be great!

When you said I... it made me think of your daily PC/laptop device ..

Whch this isn't for.

Your not affected by this Beta.

 

I do understand the frustration.

But thats another topic.

[mr moose]

2 hours ago, williamcll said:

Could it be the return of windows mobile? I certainly hope so, I liked my HTC HD2

 

2 hours ago, Arika S said:

certainly looks like it. it's like the windows version of chromeOS

 

The thought of having a phone running windows gets me excited.   Mainly because it means I have an option that isn't google or apple.

[RejZoR]

20 minutes ago, SkilledRebuilds said:

When you said I... it made me think of your daily PC/laptop device ..

Whch this isn't for.

Your not affected by this Beta.

 

I do understand the frustration.

But thats another topic.

No, this here is just because of VM. But Win10X will have VM's (or sandboxes) inside itself. And that's gonna break shit...

[SpikeSpiegel]

X

Designed for use on the upcoming Surface Neo, future dual screen devices, and other potential form factors; X features custom functionality to support dual screen devices with context specific interactions or "postures"; this version is an initial step towards a more modular Windows 10.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_10_editions

[LeSheen]

Is it a normal iso or a snapshot? If possible I would like to try booting it in VMware and pass through my gpu. Why isn't it possible to boot the games? You obviously still have some sort of graphics driver.

[hobobobo]

I almost shat myself when i read that the tray is gone... Thank god this is only mobile. Kinda makes me wonder with all this sandbox fuckery why is surface neo running an intel chip instead of qualcomm one, compatability should be way less of an issue. Kinda leads me to a thought that this shit is coming to pc sooner or later and i cant help myself being a bit aprehensive about this.

 

Also, what are the security implications of running everything in a container? On the surface it seems a more secure option since the container got limited access to the OS itself, but there is bound to be some fuckery

[porina]

3 hours ago, williamcll said:

Could it be the return of windows mobile?

That was my first thought, but not in a positive way. Will this attempt get any traction?

[snortingfrogs]

I hope this comes for the Surface Duo Phone as well.

[Dabombinable]

Glad to see live tiles go, and the problem with not being able to side load drivers, is the possibility of not being able to update to non-broken or better ones (something that even now can be a challenge on Windows tablets).

[GoodBytes]

4 hours ago, LeSheen said:

Is it a normal iso or a snapshot? If possible I would like to try booting it in VMware and pass through my gpu. Why isn't it possible to boot the games? You obviously still have some sort of graphics driver.

It's not a normal ISO. It is a VHDX that is being extracted.

The games I tried report incompatible OpenGL version. Steam is not telling me which games I have are OpenGL or DirectX, and I can't download everything and try.

 

 

[GoodBytes]

2 hours ago, snortingfrogs said:

I hope this comes for the Surface Duo Phone as well.

Nope. Surface Duo, while will have a similar experience to teh untrained eye, it runs Android.

Microsoft wants app support.

[GoodBytes]

1 hour ago, Dabombinable said:

Glad to see live tiles go, and the problem with not being able to side load drivers, is the possibility of not being able to update to non-broken or better ones (something that even now can be a challenge on Windows tablets).

Under Windows 10, Microsoft is recently started working on the return of making driver updates optional, with it's own sub section under Windows Updates. It is apparently coming, but the target release date is end of the year. So maybe they'll bring the same feature to Windows 10X

 

[snortingfrogs]

32 minutes ago, GoodBytes said:

Nope. Surface Duo, while will have a similar experience to teh untrained eye, it runs Android.

Microsoft wants app support.

I know it's running android (for now) but it would be a great business/prouser phone if it ran Windows instead imho.

[C2dan88]

So this is gonna be a Windows version of Chrome OS?

[GoodBytes]

14 minutes ago, C2dan88 said:

So this is gonna be a Windows version of Chrome OS?

No. While they are a lot of similarities between the two, ChromeOS is designed for low cost traditional devices, with a focus on requiring a constant web connectivity.

Windows 10X is designed for devices that Windows 10 doesn't play nice with while understanding the target market of such device (you won't be coding, AAA gaming or video rendering, etc.. on a dual screen device or foldable device, but you'll check your e-mail, take notes, takes pictures to add to your notes, surf the web, listen to music, and view mostly documents on the go (like on your phone, you won't write a novel on it.. while you can, you'll probably wish for a proper keyboard)).

 

In other words, this device is, in my opinion, closer to a modern implementation of the Microsoft Courier that never saw the light of day thanks to visionless CEO at the time.

[GoodBytes]

Windows Central has released a video tour of the OS if you want to see it action:

 

[Colonel_Gerdauf]

How usable is 10X in regular desktop?

[Doobeedoo]

Hmm, definitely need more work on UI in general, I mean so does desktop one. Though, we'll have to see finalized device and OS to see the more clear picture. Though all the container stuff, hmm not sure how that will pan out in time. I get the limits for the device and actual end usage, but still. Even for such tablet like or 2 in 1 laptop like device, full W10 x86 would be great. So far looks better than any tablet OS wise, feels more regular Windows yet still not complete. I'm personally not into Win on ARM too so there's that.

 

I get the "OneCore" idea, though it shouldn't feel limited per say cross-device in a way. 

[Commodus]

1 hour ago, snortingfrogs said:

I know it's running android (for now) but it would be a great business/prouser phone if it ran Windows instead imho.

Why would it be, though?  Office and other Microsoft productivity apps are already on Android and iOS, while apps that would genuinely need a desktop OS would be hindered by a phone screen.  And phone-as-PC efforts like Continuum or Samsung's DeX have never really fared well.

 

We need to get away from the '90s mindset that productivity means Windows.  It hasn't for a while!

[dalekphalm]

28 minutes ago, Commodus said:

Why would it be, though?  Office and other Microsoft productivity apps are already on Android and iOS, while apps that would genuinely need a desktop OS would be hindered by a phone screen.  And phone-as-PC efforts like Continuum or Samsung's DeX have never really fared well.

 

We need to get away from the '90s mindset that productivity means Windows.  It hasn't for a while!

I do think that Continuum and DeX like functionality is ultimately the future though.

 

Hell, I run my workstation laptop on a TB3 dock, with the laptop lid closed 99.9% of the time at work - that's my workstation. And with the dock I have triple external monitors, KB+Mouse, etc.

 

Granted, this laptop is a 6c/12t beast, but eventually performance of mobile devices will get to the point where they can comfortably run a small desktop environment for normal daily use (non performance intensive tasks).

 

We're not there yet, but we will be eventually.