(The following content has been taken directly from Wikipedia topic entitled Windows 10).
Windows 10 is a personal computer operating system developed by Microsoft as part of the Windows NT family of operating systems. it is scheduled to be released in 2015, and is currently in public beta testing.
Windows 10 aims to address shortcomings in the user interface introduced by Windows 8 by improving the user experience for non-touchscreen devices including a revival of the desktop Start menu seen in Windows 7, a virtual desktop system, and the ability to run Windows Store apps within windows on the desktop as well as in full-screen mode. Windows 10 will also mark the culmination of a plan by Microsoft to unify the Windows, Windows Phone, and Windows Embedded product families around a common internal core.
Microsoft also unveiled the concept of a “universal Windows app,” allowing Windows Runtime apps to be ported to Windows Phone 8.1 and Xbox One while sharing a common codebase, and allowing user data and licenses for an app to be shared between multiple platforms
Project Threshold was officially unveiled during a media event on September 30, 2014, under the name Windows 10; Myerson said that Windows 10 would be Microsoft’s “most comprehensive platform ever,” providing a single, unified platform for desktop computers, laptops, tablets, smartphones, and all-in-one devices.
A
public beta of Windows 10 branded as “Windows Technical Preview” was
released on October 1, 2014. Testers who opt into the “Windows Insider”
program receive occasional automatic updates to the Windows Technical
Preview, allowing Microsoft to collect feedback on changes throughout
development of Windows 10. In previous Windows beta programs, public
preview builds were released less frequently.
For non-touch devices, a new iteration of the Start menu is used as part of the desktop interface, with an application list and search box on the left side, and live tiles on the right. This menu features a responsive design that allows the user to set a custom menu size, by dragging the top of the menu up or down with the mouse. The Start screen is still used in touch environments: current Windows 10 builds use the same Start screen layout as Windows 8.1, but Microsoft has demonstrated a newer Start screen design that includes a column at its left to display shortcuts and the “All apps” button, similarly to the Start menu.
Windows Store apps, which previously could only be used full-screen, can now be used in desktop windows. An “App Commands” menu on the app’s titlebar is used to activate functions previously seen on the charms bar, or to switch between windowed and full-screen modes. Program windows can now be snapped to quadrants of the screen by dragging them to the corner. When a window is snapped to one side of the screen, the user is prompted to choose a second window to fill the unused side of the screen.
Windows
10 will ship with DirectX 12.Unveiled March 2014 at GDC, the new
version aims to provide “console-level efficiency” with “closer to the
metal” access to hardware resources, and reduced CPU and graphics driver
overhead.
Windows 10 adds platform-level support for the FLAC, HEVC, and Matroska media formats, allowing them to be opened in Windows Media Player and other applications natively
