11 ms·

I suspect, however, that Windows is a little more sophisticated in their implementation of the concept. "Starts with X" is a much wartier approach than (invente

I suspect, however, that Windows is a little more sophisticated in their implementation of the concept. "Starts with X" is a much wartier approach than (invented example) a rules-based framework that checks against exe metadata/checksum.

weberer 4y ago
Look up the story about why there was no Windows 9.
- bombcar 4y ago
  That's part of the reason, but they could have shimmed that, also. There was also the consideration to get it in line with "OS Ten".
  - Dylan16807 4y ago
    The relevant APIs were already shimmed.
- teh_klev 4y ago
  Maybe you could link to it? From my understanding this was a marketing ploy to distance the next version of Windows from Windows 8. If it's the comedy post on reddit[0] then that's not how you determine which version of windows you're running on[1][2]. [0]: https://www.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/2hwlrk/comment/ckwq83x/ https://www.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/2hwlrk/comment/... [1]: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/api/winbase/nf-winbase-verifyversioninfoa https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/api/winbase/... [2]: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows/win32/sysinfo/version-helper-apis https://learn.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows/win32/sysinfo/vers...
  - bztzt 4y ago
    Microsoft's head of marketing at the time posted about this on internal Yammer. He said there were two main reasons: first, "Windows 10" just did better in focus groups than Windows 9 or other alternatives; second, since the plan at the time was for all future changes to be delivered as updates rather than a newly branded Windows release†, it felt better to end on a round number. † btw, what became Windows 11 started development as just another Windows 10 feature update, and what gets branded as a "new release" vs an "update" is mostly a marketing decision.
    - tstrimple 4y ago
      > what became Windows 11 started development as just another Windows 10 feature update, and what gets branded as a "new release" vs an "update" is mostly a marketing decision. The move from Windows 10 to Windows 11 came with some pretty severe restrictions on supported hardware, so the version jump in this case makes sense to me. It would be a lot more difficult to push an "update" which obsoleted so much hardware like that.
      - teh_klev 4y ago
        > came with some pretty severe restrictions on supported hardware That's hardware, and just like with the Linux kernel you have some tough choices to make about what you continue to support. Apple rendered my Intel Mac Mini a brick because despite having a 64 bit CPU its BIOS/UEFI or whatever was 32 bit and I was stuck with MacOS 10.6, no way to upgrade to 10.7 Lion.
    - abhorrence 4y ago
      The 10 -> 11 bump also coincided nicely with the Mac OS X -> 11 bump.
  - fomine3 4y ago
    > that's not how you determine which version of windows you're running on It's true if every developer reads MSDN /s Some Java apps do `osname.startsWith("Windows 9")` https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8397664 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8397664 https://github.com/jenkinsci/platformlabeler-plugin/blob/platformlabeler-1.0/src/main/java/org/jvnet/hudson/plugins/platformlabeler/PlatformDetailsTask.java https://github.com/jenkinsci/platformlabeler-plugin/blob/pla...
    - teh_klev 4y ago
      I recognise the sarcasm, but this is MS's internal dev teams, and you know you kinda expect that wouldn't pass a code review. What Java devs get up to then that's their problem.
- chaorace 4y ago
  I don't really see how that's related, since -- as far as I recall -- that was Microsoft working around outside programs inspecting the kernel, rather than the kernel inspecting an outside program... but please feel free to enlighten me.
- throwaway129765 4y ago
  The number 9 is considered an unlucky number in some Chinese cultures. Same reason we never had an iPhone 9. Other companies skip the number 9 too for the same reason. Companies will not admit this in public as to not offend the CCP or it's people. It's why their reasons when questioned tend to seem a little odd or incomplete.

weberer 4y ago

Look up the story about why there was no Windows 9.

bombcar 4y ago
That's part of the reason, but they could have shimmed that, also. There was also the consideration to get it in line with "OS Ten".
- Dylan16807 4y ago
  The relevant APIs were already shimmed.
teh_klev 4y ago
Maybe you could link to it? From my understanding this was a marketing ploy to distance the next version of Windows from Windows 8. If it's the comedy post on reddit[0] then that's not how you determine which version of windows you're running on[1][2]. [0]: https://www.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/2hwlrk/comment/ckwq83x/ https://www.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/2hwlrk/comment/... [1]: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/api/winbase/nf-winbase-verifyversioninfoa https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/api/winbase/... [2]: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows/win32/sysinfo/version-helper-apis https://learn.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows/win32/sysinfo/vers...
- bztzt 4y ago
  Microsoft's head of marketing at the time posted about this on internal Yammer. He said there were two main reasons: first, "Windows 10" just did better in focus groups than Windows 9 or other alternatives; second, since the plan at the time was for all future changes to be delivered as updates rather than a newly branded Windows release†, it felt better to end on a round number. † btw, what became Windows 11 started development as just another Windows 10 feature update, and what gets branded as a "new release" vs an "update" is mostly a marketing decision.
  - tstrimple 4y ago
    > what became Windows 11 started development as just another Windows 10 feature update, and what gets branded as a "new release" vs an "update" is mostly a marketing decision. The move from Windows 10 to Windows 11 came with some pretty severe restrictions on supported hardware, so the version jump in this case makes sense to me. It would be a lot more difficult to push an "update" which obsoleted so much hardware like that.
    - teh_klev 4y ago
      > came with some pretty severe restrictions on supported hardware That's hardware, and just like with the Linux kernel you have some tough choices to make about what you continue to support. Apple rendered my Intel Mac Mini a brick because despite having a 64 bit CPU its BIOS/UEFI or whatever was 32 bit and I was stuck with MacOS 10.6, no way to upgrade to 10.7 Lion.
  - abhorrence 4y ago
    The 10 -> 11 bump also coincided nicely with the Mac OS X -> 11 bump.
- fomine3 4y ago
  > that's not how you determine which version of windows you're running on It's true if every developer reads MSDN /s Some Java apps do `osname.startsWith("Windows 9")` https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8397664 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8397664 https://github.com/jenkinsci/platformlabeler-plugin/blob/platformlabeler-1.0/src/main/java/org/jvnet/hudson/plugins/platformlabeler/PlatformDetailsTask.java https://github.com/jenkinsci/platformlabeler-plugin/blob/pla...
  - teh_klev 4y ago
    I recognise the sarcasm, but this is MS's internal dev teams, and you know you kinda expect that wouldn't pass a code review. What Java devs get up to then that's their problem.
chaorace 4y ago
I don't really see how that's related, since -- as far as I recall -- that was Microsoft working around outside programs inspecting the kernel, rather than the kernel inspecting an outside program... but please feel free to enlighten me.
throwaway129765 4y ago
The number 9 is considered an unlucky number in some Chinese cultures. Same reason we never had an iPhone 9. Other companies skip the number 9 too for the same reason. Companies will not admit this in public as to not offend the CCP or it's people. It's why their reasons when questioned tend to seem a little odd or incomplete.