Windows 9 first look: Microsoft analyst call and Q&A with Mary Jo Foley Join us for an exclusive Windows 9 analyst call and Q&A session with veteran Microsoft watcher, Mary Jo Foley. On Tuesday, October 14, Tech Pro Research will host a live, online event with Microsoft expert Mary Jo Foley. This analyst call and Q&A will focus on Windows 9, also code named Windows Threshold, and is exclusively for Tech Pro Research subscribers. During the first half of the event, Mary Jo will provide in-depth information on the following: What we known about Windows 9 so far What Microsoft is doing to win over enterprise/business users specifically with its next Windows release What's next on the Windows 9 timeline During the second half, she will answer attendee questions. So come prepared to ask about Windows 9 and all things Microsoft. Event details Date: Tuesday, October 14th, 2014 Time : 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM EDT Attendance: Attendance is limited to the first 120 Tech Pro Research members who register for the event Fuze : Online via Fuze (To join the online event, you will need to use either the Fuze browser interface or the downloadable Fuze app.) Joining the event: Once you register, you'll receive an email invitation for the event that includes instructions for joining the meeting and a URL. Meeting Number: 26270910 Dial-in: Toll / Intl #: +1 (201) 479-4595 (If you are unable to join the online event you can dial-in and listen to the event audio by providing the meeting number above.)
While some can't wait for the new name of the next version of Windows client to be revealed, and others are anxious to hear about the first of the new features aimed at business users in particular, I'm hoping to learn about what Microsoft has done on the back end to change the way Microsoft delivers operating systems, going forward. The unified Operating Systems Group has been working on new mechanisms for user feedback, testing new features in a way to gauge user acceptance, tracking bugs and rolling out new functionality and fixes starting with Threshold. Up until recently, Microsoft typically has taken three to six months to roll out new "milestone" test builds of Windows. But starting with Threshold, that window is going to become closer to one month between updates. Those Threshold testers enrolled in the Windows Insider program that Neowin wrote about recently will have those features and fixes pushed automatically to them after they download the Enterprise Technical Preview, which is expected by early October. These users will be getting the code that Microsoft is releasing from the main Windows development codebase almost as soon as it's ready. This means those willing to play along will be running code that is only weeks old. To pull this off, Microsoft has had to reimagine Windows engineering so that it treats Windows as a service, as I blogged recently. And that's a huge and much-needed change if Microsoft really is going cloud first/mobile first. I've heard Microsoft built a new real-time telemetry system codenamed "Asimov" (yes, another Halo-influenced codename) that lets the OS team see in near real-time what's happening on users' machines. This is how Microsoft may be able to measure how successful the features it "flights" with different user groups are. One of my contacts said Asimov is a system that the Xbox team originally built and used during its development process. I don't know if Microsoft Operating Systems chief Terry Myerson is going to give those of us attending the Threshold event in San Francisco on September 30 any information about these back-end changes, but I think he should. Microsoft needs to try to convince business users that signing on for monthly updates is worth the time and trouble. And given the trouble the Softies have been having in recent months with some of the patches and updates the company has been rolling out, corporate customers are likely to be skeptical. How and how often Microsoft plans to push updates and fixes to Threshold after it is deemed "done" is still up for debate. But given Microsoft's intention, at least according to my sources, to make Threshold the "last" major Windows release, I'd think the regular monthly rollouts are here for the duration. I'd assume business customers will have a way to opt out if they aren't ready or willing to get updates on a monthly basis. Again, I don't know what that will mean in terms of how and how often they'll get updates if they don't want to be on the monthly train. Mary Jo Foley
My understanding is that there is not going to be livestream but there are going to be live reports by different bodies attending the press event.
Wzór tweeted yesterday that Windows 7 users will have Windows 9 with a special price of around $ 30. He also tweeted that only users who have purchased a Windows 8.1 version box will migrate to Windows 9 free, and users with oem release will have to pay to upgrade to Windows 9 or Windows Treshold. What do you think ?