Microsoft delivers latest Windows 10 preview release to testers

Microsoft has issued the latest preview release of Windows 10 to the Windows Insider test community, just days after pushing out updates to the release version. The new build does not include changes that most people are likely to notice, but lays the groundwork for a more rapid pace of build delivery, Microsoft said.

The latest release, Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 11099, was announced on Microsoft's Windows Experience blog by Gabe Aul, corporate vice president for the firm's Engineering Systems Team.

Aul explained that the latest build incorporates features that will allow Microsoft to begin cranking up the pace of delivery for releases to Windows Insiders on the so-called Fast Ring of the preview programme.

"Our focus through the holidays was on structural improvements to OneCore, which is the shared core of Windows across devices. The code refactoring and other engineering work we've been doing to optimise OneCore is nearing the point where we will be ready for teams to begin checking in new features and improvements," Aul said.

It is expected that several builds will be delivered before any noticeable changes are introduced, but this depends on when the various development teams begin lighting up new features in their areas, Aul added.

The preview builds that go out to the Windows Insider community are designed to showcase changes that Microsoft intends to deliver in future to the release version of Windows 10, which is already running on millions of machines.

Aul explained that the criteria used to release builds to Windows Insiders in the Fast Ring will be much closer to the criteria for internal builds. This will allow more builds to reach Windows Insiders, but may also mean that testers experience more bugs, he warned.

Microsoft issued a minor Cumulative Update for Windows 10 earlier this week that delivered a number of fixes and brought the release code up to Build 10586.63.

The firm is expected to release at least one major update to Windows 10 this year, similar to the Windows 10 November Update, which was the first major change to the platform since it was released in July.

:story: V3.co.uk