Microsoft could split up Windows for faster updates
Future features could come as separate downloads
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It looks likeMicrosoftcould be planning a major overhaul of how new features and updates are delivered to Windows in a bid to make the update process faster, providing features and updates as separate downloads from the Microsoft Store, rather than a single big update.
Well-known Microsoft tipsterWalkingCathas noticed in a recent Fast Ring release of an upcoming Windows update that Microsoft could be making changes to the way it delivers updates, with a new app on the Microsoft Store called the “Windows Feature Experience Pack”.
While the app itself seems to be an unusable placeholder at the moment, in the ‘About’ section, the version number is different to the OS Build number.
the “Windows Feature Experience Pack” dummy app in the store recently changed its icon to a download icon, so its basically the “downloadable” part of Windows https://t.co/QYcXn66NGcDecember 21, 2019
This might not seem like much, but WalkingCat thinks that this could mean that Microsoft will deliver updates and new features separately in the future via this app.
so, the OS built-in ‘Suggestions’ System Experience is gone and is replaced by the ‘Suggestion UI Undocked’ app that can be updated at any time? guess that’s what ‘undocked’ means 🧐December 21, 2019
More streamlined
What this means is that Microsoft could release new features, update them (or even remove them) individually, rather than pushing out a major OS update.
Not only do these huge updates take time to create (and download and install for its users), but Microsoft hasn’t had much luck with recent majorWindows 10releases, with them often introducing new problems, so we can understand why the company would be keen to avoid them in the future.
In the future, we could also see a stripped down basic version ofWindows 10, that can be easily downloaded and installed, with extra features made available via separate downloads.
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This marks a big departure over how Windows 10 gets updated, but it has a lot of potential for making Windows users’ lives easier. Could it also spell the end for troublesome Windows 10 updates? We certainly hope so.
ViaMSPowerUser
Matt is TechRadar’s Managing Editor for Core Tech, looking after computing and mobile technology. Having written for a number of publications such as PC Plus, PC Format, T3 and Linux Format, there’s no aspect of technology that Matt isn’t passionate about, especially computing and PC gaming. He’s personally reviewed and used most of the laptops in our best laptops guide - and since joining TechRadar in 2014, he’s reviewed over 250 laptops and computing accessories personally.
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