The Future of Windows: Updates in the Background, Secure by Default

[The AchieVer]

The Future of Windows: Updates in the Background, Secure by Default 

 

In a blog post detailing some of the announcements made at this year’s edition of Computex, Microsoft also discusses its vision for a modern operating system, highlight some of the key attributes that it sees as the foundation of such a platform.

 

One of the most important points concerns the way updates are performed on a modern operating system, as Microsoft says that the updating experience should be entirely seamless, with everything happening in the background.

“The update experience is deterministic, reliable, and instant with no interruptions!” Nick Parker, Corporate Vice President, Consumer and Device Sales, explains.

As everyone knows already, Windows 10 itself is far from reaching this point, as the updating experience not only that has nothing to do with the term “seamless,” but is often considered a Russian roulette due to the number of bugs coming with updates.

 

Enhanced security

 

Microsoft says a modern OS needs to be secure by default, and in order to achieve this, the company explains that apps themselves must be separated from the operating system.

“A modern OS, is also secure by default, the state is separated from the operating system; compute is separated from applications; this protects the user from malicious attacks throughout the device lifecycle,” Parker says.

A modern OS also allows the user to be always connected, a concept that Microsoft pushed with Windows 10 on ARM, and requires a cloud engine and AI tech that could help it become “aware of what a user is doing tomorrow and help them get it down.”

Multi-sense is another key element of such a platform, with several input methods to be supported beyond the classic ones, and so is form factor agility.

While Microsoft doesn’t mention Windows 10 as the modern OS that it’s referring to, some of the improvements listed here would certainly be useful, especially the seamless update experience with everything happening in the background.

 

 

 

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[The AchieVer]

Microsoft reveals its vision for a Modern OS in which updates are invisibly done in the background

 

 

 

 

While highlighting the new set of Windows 10 PCs that were announced at Computex, Microsoft revealed its vision for a modern OS. Microsoft feels that future devices with advanced silicon will require a modern OS that will offer a set of platform features customers expect from their devices, and also offer a set of features that deliver innovative people centric experiences.

 

Microsoft’s vision for a modern OS should have the following characteristics:

• Seamless updates: With a modern OS updates are invisibly done in the background; the update experience is deterministic, reliable, and instant with no interruptions!
• Secure by default: The state is separated from the operating system; compute is separated from applications; this protects the user from malicious attacks throughout the device lifecycle.
• Always connected: With a modern OS Wifi, LTE 5G will just work – and users never have to worry about a deadspot. All of a users devices are aware and connected to each other.
• Sustained performance: From the moment a user picks up their device – everything is ready to go – without having to worry about the next time the PC needs to be charged. These enablers will satisfy customer’s basic needs, but to truly differentiate we must also delight them.
• Cloud-connected: Experiences that use the compute power of the cloud to enhance users experiences on their devices.? These experiences are powered by AI, so a modern OS is aware of what a user is doing tomorrow and helps them get it done, and it enhances applications making them more intelligent.
• Multi-sense: People can use pen, voice, touch, even gaze – what ever input method a user wants to use works just as well as the keyboard and mouse.
• Form factor agility: A modern OS has the right sensor support and posture awareness to enable the breadth of innovative form factors and applications that our partner ecosystem will deliver

Microsoft mentioned that it is investing to realize the above modern OS vision. Microsoft also highlighted some of the latest features in Windows 10 that are delivered based on this vision. Asian Inking platform, automatic photo tagging feature in Photos app and new Your Phone capabilities that let users mirror their Android phone screen on their PC are some of the examples.

 

It is not clear whether these features will be delivered to Windows 10 as a update in the coming years or Microsoft will reveal a brand new OS that will have all these capabilities. This modern OS could be Windows Lite, a real competitor to Google’s Chrome OS.

 

 

 

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