Microsoft to launch Windows 10X as a web-first OS without local Win32 app support

Source: Daniel Rubino/Windows Central

What you need to know

• Microsoft is planning to launch Windows 10X without local Win32 support.
• Windows 10X will support streaming Win32 apps from the cloud instead.
• It will compete with Chrome OS on low-cost PCs in 2021.

Microsoft has remained tight-lipped regarding its plans for Windows 10X. After announcing a pivot from dual-screen to single-screen PCs, the company hasn’t yet detailed what to expect from Windows 10X when it launches next year, including how Microsoft plans to position Windows 10X alongside its bigger brother Windows 10, now that they both run on the same form factors.

I know many have been itching for new information regarding Windows 10X, as have I, and I’ve been keeping a close eye on Windows 10X development internally. Up until recently, not much had changed in the Windows 10X builds, but in the last couple of weeks I’ve had several trusted sources come forward to confirm the removal of a significant feature.

VAIL, the technology Microsoft uses to virtualize legacy Win32 programs on Windows 10X via containers, has been removed from the latest internal builds of the OS. I’m told that this is a deliberate change as the company moves to reposition Windows 10X as a platform designed to compete at the low-end, head-to-head with Chromebooks with web apps front and center.

The pivot to single-screen PCs is what drives this change. Originally planned as an OS for flagship premium PCs in the foldable space, Windows 10X will now be launching at the very other end of the spectrum, on low-cost tablets and laptops designed for the education and enterprise markets.

Microsoft’s local Win32 app layer will not be present when these low-cost PCs launch with Windows 10X next year. Users will be able to run UWP apps and web apps powered by Microsoft Edge, but not legacy Win32 programs. Web apps will be the driving factor for app availability on Windows 10X, just like Chrome OS.

Keeping Windows 10X ‘lite’

Source: Daniel Rubino/Windows Central

I’m told that the big reason why VAIL won’t be part of Windows 10X on these low-cost PCs is because of app performance and battery life. These low-end devices just aren’t powerful enough to virtualize legacy Win32 applications on top of Windows 10X without slowing things down, which defeats the purpose of Windows 10X being a modern, lightweight version of Windows.

However, Microsoft knows that shipping a product called «Windows» without some form of legacy app compatibility is suicide. As such, Microsoft is planning to ship Windows 10X with support for legacy app streaming using the cloud. My sources have confirmed this technology uses tech similar to the already available Windows Virtual Desktop, an enterprise service that lets companies run applications installed in the cloud on client PCs as if they were native.

Microsoft will be going after the Chrome OS market in a big way with this change. It will be targeting the people who only really use web apps in their daily workflow. I’m told Microsoft will be pushing the web versions of apps like Office, Skype, and Teams instead of their Win32 or UWP counterparts to really drive home the idea that Windows 10X is a web-first OS.

Interestingly, I’m told that with the removal of VAIL, Microsoft can now proceed with Windows 10X on ARM powered PCs in addition to Intel. Originally, VAIL was the reason why Microsoft was limiting Windows 10X to Intel-based PCs, but with ContainterOS gone, that limitation is lifted. We’ll have to see if any ARM based PCs will be ready when Windows 10X launches next year.

What does this mean for dual-screen PCs?

Source: Microsoft

My sources say that Microsoft still wants to launch dual-screen PCs eventually. With the ongoing pandemic and current economic conditions, Microsoft doesn’t know when this will be. Launching an experimental, premium PC market in these global conditions is risky, and Microsoft doesn’t want to launch Surface Neo until these conditions improve.

That said, I’m told that when Microsoft is ready to launch dual-screen PCs, it will be after 2021, and VAIL should be included. VAIL isn’t launching on low-cost PCs because of performance issues, but I’m told these performance issues are less of an issue on devices with more powerful specs, like many of the dual-screen and foldable PCs that are in the works.

Microsoft is essentially planning to sandwich both ends of the Windows market with Windows 10X. You will see Windows 10X at the very low-end, and at the premium high-end with experimental form factors like foldable PCs. I’m told you likely won’t see Windows 10X on traditional flagship PCs like the Dell XPS or HP Spectre line anytime soon. Outside of the low-end and experimental high-end, Microsoft wants OEMs to continue using legacy Windows 10.

In the last few months, Microsoft internally has «refocused» its efforts on legacy Windows 10. I’m told Microsoft is planning significant updates to the Windows 10 user interface and experience in the next year or so, but I’m still digging for information about that. Microsoft has already confirmed to Windows Central that it plans to bring some of Windows 10X’s innovations to Windows 10, and I would bet that includes some of Windows 10X’s modern interface changes.

My sources say that Microsoft is planning to reach RTM status with Windows 10X in December and begin launching the first low-cost Windows 10X PCs in the first half of 2021. Microsoft will likely use the Surface Go 3 to showcase Windows 10X, as it would look bad for Microsoft to launch a new version of Windows without its own hardware to go along with it.

Coming full circle

Source: Daniel Rubino/Windows Central

If you’ve been following along with Windows 10X’s development since before the product was officially unveiled, you’ll know that reports originally described Windows 10X (codenamed Santorini and Windows Lite at the time) as a Chrome OS competitor. This pivot to single-screen PCs that takes aim at Chromebooks isn’t a recent idea; it’s been part of the plan since the very beginning.

At some point between those initial plans and Windows 10X’s unveiling in October 2019, Microsoft decided to halt its Chromebook competitor plans and focus on the premium dual-screen market instead. A few months later, once the pandemic hit, Microsoft decided to go back to that original plan, launching Windows 10X on PCs that compete with Chromebooks first instead.

Of course, these plans could change again, but assuming they don’t, what are your thoughts on Microsoft’s repositioning of Windows 10X without local Win32 app support? Let us know in the comments.

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A Beginners Guide to Legacy Systems

The art of modern custom software development lies in staying on-trend. But what happens when you choose a different path?

We all have dealt with slow systems at least once in our lives, either at our homes, at our universities or work. We all have gone through the phase when our computers got stuck in the middle of an important task or our favourite application hung and the only option left was to restart it.

Have you ever wondered why this happened or still happens? Well, if you did and couldn’t find your answer or are generally interested to know, you are at the right place!

Through this article, we will try to solve this mystery as we first explore what is a legacy system. We will also look at its drawbacks and discuss why they are still in use. And lastly, we will look at some examples of legacy technology. We assure you that this will be an interesting read for you.

So let’s get started!

What Is a Legacy System?

A legacy system is an obsolete computer system, programming language, software application, process or technology that can no longer be maintained, replaced or easily updated. It certainly does not mean that the legacy system is not in good working condition. Many organisations or companies still find these systems essential to their daily work. Though, it depends upon the individual or the organisation to either upgrade or replace it.

What is a legacy system?

According to the definition of legacy systems mentioned above, ‘legacy system’ is a very broad term and can be applied to many systems out there. In this article, our focus will be limited to legacy software only.

So, how to tell if the software is a legacy software or not?

Usually, a software system is considered legacy software when it is older than ten years. The following factors contribute to determining a system as legacy:

• The system no longer supports the multiple software that an organisation or company requires
• The skills required to support the system are no longer available in the market or, in other words, have become obsolete
• The cost for maintenance of the legacy software is usually high as compared to that of modern software
• The performance becomes slower
• It cannot be extended or upgraded
• It takes longer than usual for maintenance
• It is unable to handle a large number of users

But to our surprise, these systems despite being unreliable are still widely used by many organisations.

Why Are Legacy Systems Still Used?

Believe it or not, many organisations and/or businesses still use legacy technology even when they can choose to migrate to the latest technology. But the important question is why do they still use it?

Difference between legacy system and a new system

There is a famous saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Hence, legacy systems are still used because they get the work done. Most of the legacy systems are so old that no one knows what specifications they work on. Therefore, many organisations either do not bother to disturb the process or prefer not to introduce a new technology altogether.

So whenever you see software or a system still in use despite it being old, do not judge the organisation or the company right away. Instead, think about the reasons which we have listed below:

Change Is Not Good

As we briefly discussed above, many organisations do not prefer change. Hence, they barely switch to new systems. Also, changing their systems means providing training to the users, which might cost them both time and money. Moreover, chances are that the users might resist change. Therefore, many organisations resort to legacy technology as long as it serves their current needs.

Windows XP as an example of a legacy system

For example, Windows XP was first introduced in 2001 and was widely used by a lot of users globally. In 2014, Microsoft ended its support for Windows XP and launched newer versions of it. However, Windows XP is still used, if not widely. The main reason is that the users cannot afford to upgrade their systems or are not ready for change.

Tailor-Made Software

Most of the legacy software is customised according to the organisation’s needs at the time of development. The company may have paid for pricey bespoke software that would function for a long period of time without requiring major changes.

Meeting between a client and a developer for custom software development

Since organisations customise their software, which eventually becomes part of legacy technology, therefore it can provide the organisation with a competitive advantage over others. Hence, we still see the software functioning well even after 6-7 years. Of course, they need timely maintenance.

Bridging Older Technology With the Newer Ones

Legacy systems are still in use because there are different types of software available that bridge the gap between older technologies with the newer ones.

Bridging older technology with the newer one

They do so by providing a framework on which newer versions are developed to continue the legacy of older technology which might not exist but act as a precedent.

Reliable

When we talk about change, we also implicitly refer to the reliability aspect. For many organisations, the durability and reliability of software or a system are of utmost importance. Because they have been using the software for a while, which has now become a legacy. They are afraid to test out a new system or software because they are sceptical of the new technology not working as robustly as their old legacy software did.

Legacy system is reliable

With the legacy software, they already know how to handle it and hence there is a predictability to how the software will react in different circumstances. Most importantly, they feel at ease when using a well-known software or system rather than familiarising themselves with the new one.

What Is an Example of a Legacy System?

So far, we have understood what legacy technology is, but to make it easy for you, let us explain it through an interesting example.

You must have heard about NASA’s Space Shuttle program, which was an Earth-to-orbit spaceflight. Initiated in 1972, through Space Shuttles, NASA used to transport cargo and crew members to the International Space Station. The program was based on multiple legacy software but mainly on Flight Analysis and Design System (FADS).

NASA’s Space Shuttle Program

NASA’s Space Shuttle Program was developed with an aim of 10 years of operational life. Even though the program retired in 2010, it worked on the same software during those 10 years rather than upgrading to the newer one.

According to research on the use of legacy systems in space exploration, legacy software can only be reused if an organisation is capable of the following, which increases the reliability and quality of the software:

• Verification
• Validation
• Testing
• Operational history

These must be incorporated in SDLC phases such as

• Development
• Implementation
• Usage
• Maintenance

Here are a few additional examples of legacy software that you might be interested to know about:

• The traffic signals that we follow are still based on legacy technology.
• US Military, Britain’s Atomic Weapons Establishment and Airbus still use DEC manufactured PDP minicomputers which were developed in the 1970s.
• Banks still function on legacy technology. Whenever you transfer your money, the transaction happens through a legacy platform.
• COBOL programming language is still used in many software even though it is an outdated language.
• Worldwide, sales terminals at various marts still use Intel 286 computers because the software might not work in advance computers.

Let’s Have a Recap!

To summarise what legacy technology is, it is an outdated technology, which does not support the modern-day needs of the businesses or organisations. Why do some people still depend on these systems? Because they are accustomed to it and hardly will ever switch to the latest option.

It is entirely up to you whether you opt to keep using legacy technology or not. This decision depends on your requirements. We cannot completely rule them out since they are still useful in many ways such as being reliable, cost-effective, customisable and most importantly, they get your work done! Yet, we cannot also deny the fact that these do not meet the modern-day requirements.

Let us know what is your take on legacy technology and this entire debate of keeping them or not. Leave your comments or reach out to us via email. We will be glad to know your thoughts on this crucial debate.

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