Windows 10 S

[Garacesh]

Not too bad a shout. Assuming that RDS is on the Windows Store, it's possible you could wangle W10S as a kind of thin-client setup to breathe some life into lower-end hardware or pseudo-upgrade machines that don't support Windows 10.

 

But then again, you can use Win7 as your shell too, so.. does the host machine OS really matter? It's not like you're going to have your VDI's running W10S is it?

Edited May 3, 2017 by Garacesh

[jthompson]

So is there anyway for us as domain administrators to get Win32 apps running on a Windows 10 S device? Or are we literally totally dependent on developers porting apps across to make them available in the Windows Store?

 

I suspect that if it was possible to do that legitimately, MS would have made a point of saying so. My understanding is that 10 S can be upgraded to Pro for a fee ($50?) to allow non-Store apps to then be installed and run. That sounds like a bit of a cludge, rather than an actual feature to allow sideloading when required (as with MacOS or Android).

[ellsandell]

So is there anyway for us as domain administrators to get Win32 apps running on a Windows 10 S device? Or are we literally totally dependent on developers porting apps across to make them available in the Windows Store?

 

I would guess not, would have to use Intune I imagine to manage / deploy. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/education/get-started/get-started-with-microsoft-education

 

Be interested to see if 10 S will be available to download/ install to have a play.

[Arthur]

Be interested to see if 10 S will be available to download/ install to have a play.

Wikipedia says it's OEM-only. Not sure if that's true though?

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_10_editions#Comparison_chart

[flyinghaggis]

So Windows 10 S :-

 

1) Can't join an on-premise domain to apply group policy settings

2) Can't run win32 apps/drivers or anything which isn't available from the Windows Store

3) Won't allow you to change the default browser from Microsoft Edge

 

.. and Microsoft believes this product is specifically designed to meet the requirements of the education sector. Did they actually speak to any schools/colleges

Edited May 4, 2017 by flyinghaggis

[TwistedHelixis]

They should have packaged this up as a completely new / separate OS and called it 'The Edge' or something. Calling it Win 10 S only makes everyone judge it against other windows systems and not against Chrome OS, which can't do all sorts of things either.

[DJ-1701]

I feel there would have to be a lot more apps on the store to even consider it as a real replacement for iDevices or Android devices, and Microsoft haven't even bothered to make some apps for their own devices, they still don't have OWA for their own brand phones...

[Arthur]

1) Can't join an on-premise domain to apply group policy settings

As of the Creators Update it's now possible to apply quite a lot of Group Policy settings through an MDM like Intune.

 

https://msdn.microsoft.com/windows/hardware/commercialize/customize/mdm/understanding-admx-backed-policies (see also: Policy CSP - ADMX-backed policies)

 

Starting in Windows 10 version 1703, Mobile Device Management (MDM) policy configuration support will be expanded to allow access of select Group Policy administrative templates (ADMX-backed policies) for Windows PCs via the Policy configuration service provider (CSP). This expanded access ensures that enterprises do not need to compromise security of their devices in the cloud.

[flyinghaggis]

As of the Creators Update it's now possible to apply quite a lot of Group Policy settings through an MDM like Intune.

 

That's useful to know. It still feels like a bit of a faff as it means having to effectively review all of the groups policies we currently have for Windows 10 in an MDM format. So it basically becomes as much work as having to roll-out a completely different device/platform like chromebooks/android/IOS in terms of managing Windows 10 S. That's before we hit the issue of not being able to use existing apps we currently have installed throughout our school.

 

Maybe, as @TwistedHelixis suggested, Microsoft would have been better re-branding it as another OS. Naming it "Windows 10 S" immediately gives people the expectation that it can run all existing software and will have all the features/functionality when this is clearly something very different from Windows 10. In fact you could level similar complaints against MS in general for slapping the "Windows" brand on every platform out there (Windows 10, Windows RT, Windows Phone) regardless of whether they're actually the same OS with the same capabilities. I think the "Windows 10 S" name is what's raised my hackles and why I'm sounding so negative about it

 

I get why they do it in order to try and push brand recognition and continuity between devices but IMO using the "Windows 10" name carries too much expectation. How are we supposed to go to teaching staff/ management (or your average layman) and explain that we've rolled out Windows 10 S, which looks exactly the same as regular Windows 10 they have at home, but it isn't actually capable of running any of their existing applications or hardware?

 

It's going to result in some very awkward conversations......

Edited May 4, 2017 by flyinghaggis

[Michael]

Cheap does not mean better. I think Microsoft just don't accept that their Store is rubbish compared to Google Play or the App Store. A lot of the time developers only focus on Google/Apple and have discontinued developing Apps for Windows.

[Arthur]

Google Chrome won't be allowed on Windows 10 S

 

Microsoft's newest Windows 10 edition is designed to allow desktop apps that have been converted to packages for the Windows Store. But a provision in the Store policies blocks desktop browsers like Chrome.

 

^ ... or Firefox.

[ellsandell]

Surprise! Microsoft announces that Apple's iTunes is coming to the Windows Store.

 

 

https://www.neowin.net/news/surprise-microsoft-announces-that-apple039s-itunes-is-coming-to-the-windows-store

[Arthur]

iTunes (and Spotify) are coming to the Windows Store...

 

 

Edit. Beaten by @ellsandell by less than a minute.

 

Edit 2. Ubuntu, SUSE and Fedora too!

 

Edited May 11, 2017 by Arthur

[jmak]

Surprise! Microsoft announces that Apple's iTunes is coming to the Windows Store.

 

 

https://www.neowin.net/news/surprise-microsoft-announces-that-apple039s-itunes-is-coming-to-the-windows-store

 

iTunes (and Spotify) is coming to the Windows Store...

 

 

Edit. Beaten by @ellsandell by less than a minute.

Kudos to @ellsandell! It's rare to ninja @Arthur [emoji2]

[ellsandell]

Kudos to @ellsandell! It's rare to ninja @Arthur [emoji2]

 

- Its been a life long dream...

[2ilent8cho]

Surprise! Microsoft announces that Apple's iTunes is coming to the Windows Store.

 

 

https://www.neowin.net/news/surprise-microsoft-announces-that-apple039s-itunes-is-coming-to-the-windows-store

I was expecting this as Apple and Microsoft have a relationship, a strange one, Microsoft seem to give Apple's iOS preference in the mobile world, and Microsoft Office did start life on the Mac and they still make Office for Mac and iOS to this date, with good iPad Pro support. So guessing it would not take much for Microsoft to get Apple to put its iTunes in the Windows store, as they do kinda get along.

[Duke5A]

Didn't get here in time to vote, but count me as a no. MS has been playing catchup with its rivals for years now and has a history of abandoning those projects not long after they debut. As if there wasn't enough disincentive to jump on now, I would put money down that this Win10S experiment of theirs ends up forgotten in a couple years. I would hate to be the poor guy holding onto a bunch of these devices when that happens.

[JasonNVSD]

So Windows 10 S :-

 

1) Can't join an on-premise domain to apply group policy settings

2) Can't run win32 apps/drivers or anything which isn't available from the Windows Store

3) Won't allow you to change the default browser from Microsoft Edge

 

.. and Microsoft believes this product is specifically designed to meet the requirements of the education sector. Did they actually speak to any schools/colleges

Those things are all true for Chromebooks and they're taking over K-12. Windows 10 S, Office 365, and Azure AD is all part of Microsoft's plan to compete against Chromebooks in K-12.

[thienlyma90]

Windows 10 S - can it be put on the Surface 2?

[Jawloms]

I might be being thick, but where can I get it? We have an EES and if it's aimed at education (however badly), shouldn't we be able to download it?

[Jawloms]

I might be being thick, but where can I get it? We have an EES and if it's aimed at education (however badly), shouldn't we be able to download it?

 

Anyone please?

[localzuk]

Anyone please?

I'm pretty sure its an OEM only OS. IE. It will come on Chromebook like devices only.

[Garacesh]

I'm pretty sure its an OEM only OS. IE. It will come on Chromebook like devices only.

 

Since I'm not interested in using it in our environment, I haven't done a lot of digging, but this was my understanding too.

[Jawloms]

I thought I'd seen somewhere that as it was so lite, it would be able to be installed on old kit! Guess I've made that up in my head sometime then.......

[Arthur]

I thought I'd seen somewhere that as it was so lite, it would be able to be installed on old kit!

Nope.