Coming Soon: Windows 9 currently codenamed "Threshold" Public Preview

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Looking for something to take the sting out of a drastically reduced Windows 8.1 Update 2? Then consider this: According to reliable reports, Microsoft will issue a public preview of Windows 9—currently codenamed "Threshold"—as soon as next month, giving everyone an opportunity to check out the new Start menu, floating Modern apps on the desktop, virtual desktops, and other new features and changes.

News of the long-rumored public preview comes via Mary Jo Foley. I was on vacation this week, so I haven't had a chance to discuss this information with any of my own sources. But I do know that Mary Jo's source(s) for this information have been quite reliable.

So here's what we've found out:


Technology preview. The public preview of Threshold will be described as a "technology preview" and is aimed at early adopters and tech enthusiasts, not Joe PC user. You'll see why in a moment.

When? Late September or early October.

Who? The Threshold technical preview will be public and open to anyone interested in testing it. However, you will need to agree to the next item (see below) and, as always, I would only recommend that technically competent people try testing this product. If you're reading this site, you're good to go.

Monthly updates. When the Windows team defanged Update 2 and repackaged it as "the August update rollup," it signaled that it was moving to a monthly update cadence for Windows, similar to other Microsoft products. So anyone who installs the Threshold technology preview will need to agree to install the monthly updates that Microsoft will provide for the course of the preview (approximately October 2014 through April 2015) so that the software giant can test how well this radical new updating process works on its most-used product.

New features. While it's not clear if all of these features will be available in the initial public preview, Threshold will include a new Start menu that replaces the current Start screen, the ability to run Modern apps on the Windows desktop in floating windows, and virtual desktops. This release will also replace the reviled Charms interface with some new way of accessing system-wide options.

Final release. Threshold is still expected in April 2015. That date is one year from the inception of this product and will be about six months after the start of the public preview. That's an incredibly short window for a major Windows version, obviously. But given the importance of this release—washing the awful taste of Windows 8 out of everyone's mouths—it's even more radical than is immediately obvious. I'm curious how "major" such a release can really be and am thinking it will be close to Windows 8.1 in terms of actual changes.

This has already been an interesting year for Windows. But it looks like things are really going to heat up in the fall. I can't wait.

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c627627 said:

They're fast tracking Windows 9... I suppose it makes more financial sense to do that rather than include Classic Shell option (just the option) with Windows 8 and pretty much resolve all Windows 8 problems with a three second Windows update which would give users the option to switch on Classic Shell instead of waiting for Windows 9.

When talking to people, you hear that vast majority of users have their eye on Win9 because they think it will bring back the full Start Menu, they don't even know or care about any other Win9 features...


Interesting read, thanks for posting 'Cuda340.

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Microsoft set to unveil Windows 9 on September 30th

By Tom Warren on August 21, 2014 10:25 am



Microsoft is planning to unveil its Windows 8 successor next month at a special press event. Sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans tell The Verge that the software maker is tentatively planning its press event for September 30th to detail upcoming changes to Windows as part of a release codenamed "Threshold." This date may change, but the Threshold version of Windows is currently in development and Microsoft plans to release a preview version of what will likely be named Windows 9 to developers on September 30th or shortly afterwards. The date follows recent reports from ZDNet that suggested Microsoft is planning to release a preview version of Windows 9 in late September or early October.

"A very early Windows 9 version for developers"

The early technology preview will give developers a first look at the new mini Start Menu in Windows 9, alongside the removal of the Charms bar feature and several UI changes. Microsoft is currently compiling builds of Threshold ready for the preview that include an early version of Cortana, but it’s not clear if this particular feature will be made available as part of the technology preview.

While Threshold is likely to be named Windows 9, it’s unlikely that Microsoft will name its upcoming Windows release at its press event. Instead, Microsoft is said to be planning an overview of key new features of the upcoming operating system, with a technical preview ready for developers and enthusiasts. Microsoft is also building a separate combined version of Windows RT and Windows Phone, and the company may take the time to detail this work during its press event. Either way, Microsoft’s next version of Windows is nearing completion and the company will be ready to talk more about it next month.

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firesoul453 said:

Hopefully this makes windows 8 look like crap in comparison (as opposed to just being a slight improvement)

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c627627 said:

Ha. They are nuking the Charms Bar!
Good riddance!

What do you guys think of what Windows 9 Start Menu looks like?
Can anyone point to why Windows 9 Start Menu is better than Windows 8 Classic Shell Start Menu options?



EDIT: You are correct as far as regular users go but for us the benchmark is not Windows 8 - the benchmark is Windows 8 + Classic Shell. That's what windows 9 is being compared to.

Windows 8 is excellent once Classic Shell is properly installed.

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c627627 said:

EDIT: You are correct as far as regular users go but for us the benchmark is not Windows 8 - the benchmark is Windows 8 + Classic Shell. That's what windows 9 is being compared to.

Windows 8 is excellent once Classic Shell is properly installed.

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doublejack said:

I respectfully disagree.

The problem with classic shell is that, as an app that overrides parts of the OS, it is prone to breaking and requires constant updates to keep pace with changes Microsoft makes to windows. It also introduces bugs of its own, on top of any potential bugs already in windows.

It would be far better, for everyone, if windows 9 itself didn't require anything like classic shell to be usable in an efficient way. So is the bar windows 8 + classic shell? No, not really. If windows 9 comes "close" out of the box that will suffice.

Further, there are many cases where even people "in the know" have to deal with the base windows interface. I work on servers running 2012 and 2012 R2 every day, and installing classic shell is simply not an option. So in these types of situations the bar is windows 8 / 8.1, and classic shell is a complete non-factor.

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