Windows 10 20H1 release will be first to RTM in December

[Porthos]

Microsoft's upcoming 20H1 release of Windows 10 will be the company's first version of the OS to be finalized in December, three months earlier than usual, as a result of Windows moving under Azure and adopting the "semester" based development cycle that Azure is already using. Mary-Jo Foley was first to reveal that the Windows dev cycle was being changed up earlier this year, but here's what this all means for Insiders.

In the past, Windows 10 feature updates were typically finalized in March and September, but now, these OS releases are expected to be done in December and June instead. This doesn't mean Microsoft is giving feature updates less development time; this is just a result of Microsoft outright shifting the development cycle of Windows 10 updates by two to three months. Each release still gets the usual seven to nine months in development.

Microsoft was able to make this change thanks to a decision it made when first moving Windows under Azure. To allow the Azure and Windows development schedules to align, it needed to skip a feature release. Windows 10's 19H2 release is the result of this, being an update that isn't a proper OS release like previous ones before it.

This means Windows 10's 20H1 release is just about done. It was marked as feature-complete internally back in August, and Microsoft has been mostly focused on fixing up bugs and polishing the OS for release ever since. This is why Insiders have not seen any substantial new features in 20H1 builds for a couple of months, because the 20H1 release is done. We've got a month or so left of development before Microsoft signs-off on 20H1 in mid-December...


Read more: Microsoft's Windows 10 20H1 release will be first to RTM in December under Azure schedule | Windows Central

 

[britechguy]

This is all very interesting (and I mean that, it's not snark) but in the final analysis Windows 10 Feature Updates are likely to remain a, "you'll get 'em when we decide to release 'em," proposition regardless of the target dates.

To me, that's a very good thing. I'd rather have something "ready for primetime" and late than released on some artificial schedule and a complete mess. And it seems that Microsoft has learned a thing or two from several instances of the latter.

 

[SAFCasper]

Fun fact
No feature update has ever been released in March or September.

 

[Sky-Knight]

And... now I'm screwed... because a June release update, means even if I keep things six months behind I've got all my gear updating during monsoon...

Job security I guess... but dang...

This also means Christmas borked boxes for all of us too.

But I suppose I'll just change my scheduling from a six months lag to a 4 month lag. That'll put me back into a Spring / Fall rotation.

 

[Your PCMD]

monsoon...

In Arizona? That climate change is something else. AOC and Greta are right!

 

[Sky-Knight]

@Your PCMD We get haboobs too, and none of that is climate change, it's life in the Sonoran Desert!

But it does pose a problem because we get serious inclement weather, almost always overnight, and it's known for blowing things up. Having the power go out during a feature upgrade is a terrific way to turn an entire fleet of machines into bricks when they're all updating at the same time!

 

[britechguy]

I have a cousin in Chandler and she's referred to "monsoon season" for many, many years now. Definitely a feature of the Arizona desert.