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Comment by muterad_murilax | Hacker News Reader

What exactly is this "Anniversary Update" anyway?

Windows 10 is supposed to be the last version of Windows. All new features from now on are going to be released in sub-versions of Windows 10, similar to how it is done on OSX.

The first such sub-version release was 1511 (i.e. a build from 2015, November), and this Anniversary Update is version 1607 and happens to be one year after the release of Windows 10, which is why they called it "Anniversary Update".

The name given to the semesterly release of Windows that came out a couple of weeks ago. Previously code-named "Windows Redstone".

Windows 10 SP1 with a fancy name.

It's a bit different to a service packs, service packs didn't usually include features, it's more like 8.1 was to 8.

That was true a very long time ago, but for example Windows XP SP2 added a firewall and Security Center. Big new consumer-oriented features.

And Windows 8.1 was effectively SP1 there too, which added back the start button and other features.

If there's anything Microsoft is consistent about, it's inconsistency.

So, what new features does it bring to Windows 10?

You can change your default audio output device from the volume icon in the notification area!

You now have the exciting ability to not anymore turn off Cortana!

Well, unless you fancy digging around in the Registry, but yeah, they removed the GUI-toggle for it.

More seriously, though, the biggest thing is that they added Ubuntu-support with this update. The rest of the features are pretty boring.

The new Linux subsystem, ability to package Win32 applications as UWP ones, improvements in the UWP gaming APIs, more desktop features brought into UWP, more application sanboxing...

Keep in mind that win10 is meant to be the last windows version. So that means that they're going to need to get good smaller, higher-frequency updates.

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