Can I have your engagement, please?
Aah Microsoft.
Windows’ update schedule has been ever changing, but in some ways it has always made sense. We could predict what was going to happen. Microsoft often wouldn’t tell us until the day was there, but we’d often know it, be it from rumors or logical thinking…
Windows 10 was at first meant to see 3 to 4 updates, an idea that was dropped after the first time they tried with version 1511. We then got the irregular 1607 update, after which Microsoft released a new update every 6 months, starting with version 1703. Until that stopped after 1903.
“No no no, there’s 1909!” Yes, but not really. 1909 was the first time we saw Microsoft use what it calls an “enablement package”. Basically, you’re still running 1903, but now there is a hidden switch with which it will pretend to be 1909. These enablement packages added a handful of features, but they also had their own life cycle. For version 2004 it was back to a big update, which was then followed by a enablement package for 20H2, 21H1, 21H2 and then a year skip to 22H2.
Meanwhile, back in 2021, Microsoft introduced Windows 11. Windows 11 would only receive 1 feature update every year. And so it did with version 21H2 and 22H2, and soon 23H2. Right…?
Lol no, what’d you expect?
A while ago, I made this tweet:
This is what Windows’ versioning would look like if it followed the same system as macOS, roughly, of course. Every time macOS gets a (very small) feature update, the minor version goes up by one. You may notice something: I labeled the then-current version of Windows 11 21H2 as version 11.14.1. Yes, Windows 11’s original release had seen 14 different feature updates (and if I’d been really strict with it, it would have been more). And while these updates have become smaller over time, the first few were quiet big.
With Windows 11 version 22H2, we got a new system. Microsoft called that internally “Moments”, instead of the irregular updates with the original version of Windows 11, Microsoft would group updates together in these “Moments”. 4 were planned, in October 2022, and March and May 2023. The 4th Moment was set for September/October 2023 and would actually be Windows 11 23H2 (these dates were not announced in advance).
These were sizeable updates, once again using enablement packages. But this time around, they were mandatory if you wanted to continue receiving security updates instead of optional. And so, Moment 1, 2 and 3 were forced feature updates. Microsoft — unsurpisingly — wasn’t consistent with this. You’ll notice that the tweet labels “Moment 3” (10.0.22621.1928) as version 12.6 (version “12” in this macOS-based system is Windows 11 22H2). If Microsoft actually followed its own system, it would have been 12.3.
Meanwhile, Insiders have been testing out a major feature update “version 23H2”. This was Moment 4. It would have been an optional update. At least, we thought. Because instead, Moment 4 is now being tested as an update for 22H2, leaving the 23H2 release practically empty. All 23H2 will do, as far as we can tell right now, is just reset the life cycle to start over again. If that happens at all…
And mind you, Insiders have been testing this update for months now in both the Beta and Dev channel. Both have different feature sets, and I’m happy to report that the Release Preview Channel is getting its own feature set too. These 3 channels are all testing the same update, each one down just has a few more features. What will eventually be this big “Moment 4” update? We’ll know when Microsoft actually rolls it out. And I guess that too is part of the problem.
So what was the point again?
So, Microsoft’s original argument for enablement package updates boiled down to “you upgrade to the latest version with minimal disruption and the same code base, and old versions don’t see feature changes”. Okay… weird, but simple. So the feature set of every version remains static and only changes when you do the faux upgrades through enablement packages.
Except…
Microsoft managed to do that exactly 1 year. Soon before the release of Windows 10 version 21H1, Microsoft started rolling out a new feature to 20H2: “News & Interests”. And soon, that feature would also appear in version 1909 and 2004.
So… if version were supposed to have stable feature sets and these enablement packages where explicitly meant to enable new features, why was a random feature from 21H1 suddenly being back-ported to older version? And why only that feature?
Now I think the answer as to why News & Interests was the one feature Microsoft back-ported is very simple: engagement. Every time someone hovers over that big button? Bham, MSN engagement. Every click within it? Bham, Edge engagement. Every info card? Bham. Bing engagement.
It never was about bringing a great feature to users. It was about shoving MSN in peoples face. It was about bringing a feature likely developed for what was to become Windows 11 (namely Widgets), and making sure as many people would see it as possible. It just lacked the excuse of having widgets. No, the Windows 10 version was purely an MSN feed. But I digress…
To Moment, or not to Moment
Windows 11 23H2 was supposed to be a major update, yet Microsoft instead decided to roll all off these out to 22H2. And the reason is very simple yet again; engagement. The updates introduces Windows Copi- erm, excuse me “Copilot in Windows”. What is that? Well, an “AI chat bot”, but — more importantly — its engagement.
But this of course flies directly in the face of every system manager, and frankly, every user on Windows 11. Microsoft is now pretending that the entire feature-set for Windows 11 23H2 is actually just an update for 22H2.
What’s the difference, you ask? Isn’t this just a different name? Well, no. This feature set is being rolled out as an enablement package, that would always be the case, whether it was “Moment 4” or “23H2”. The difference is, 23H2 reset the life cycle and is an optional update. You don’t want “Moment 4”? Good luck with that, its mandatory.
And the reason is simple, where version 23H2 can be safely delayed until people and enterprises want to upgrade, the Moment 4 update cannot. It will roll out on September 26th as an optional update for Windows 11 version 22H2, but come October 10th and you will not be able to ignore it anymore if you want to keep your computer safe.
23H2 would have given people an easy way out of having Copilot suddenly on their taskbar, people could delay upgrading to 23H2 for another year, enterprises for 2 more years, without losing support. Moment 4 sidesteps the entire process.
All of that for some sweet engagement
The “real” 23H2 update is now left with nearly no new features to speak off. All that would be left is a version bump and, as mentioned before, resetting the clock on its life cycle; a fresh new 2-year period of support for consumers and an additional year for enterprise.
Copilot drives engagement with Microsoft’s services. Be it Bing, be it Microsoft Start/MSN. But Microsoft is, yet again, pushing a feature onto its users. And to be clear; there is nothing wrong with that. The problem is that Microsoft is incapable of taking “No” for an answer. They’ve shown this with Windows, they’ve shown this with Edge, they’ve shown this with Bing, they’ve shown this with MSN, and now they’re doing it with Copilot.
Try to do anything that remotely hints that you want another browser, and both Bing, Edge and Windows will start shoving in your face how good Edge is. Windows and Office of course both pretend that “microsoft-edge” is a protocol that replaces “https” and force everything to open in Edge instead of your default. Windows’ “Widgets”, Edge (in multiple places), and even Skype — for some fucking reason — now of course shove Microsoft Start in your face every chance they get.
Edge’s entire sidebar gimmick is about getting you to engage with as many aspects of Bing, MSN and Bing Chat — aah snap, I meant Copilot with Bing Chat — as possible. It doesn’t exist because the Edge team thought it would improve the experience of users. It exists because it brings engagement.
And let’s be absolutely clear about something: Windows is a great OS. Bing is a great search engine. Edge is a great browser. Copilot is an amazing AI chat bot.
At least they would be if all of them would stop pushing for engagement instead of being just a great OS, search engine or browser to begin with.
I’ve said it to many people before and I’ll say it again; I didn’t stop recommending Edge, Bing and even Windows updates because I think they were bad products. I stopped doing it because I don’t want to bother people with the constant nagging Microsoft gives you when you actually do use them.
And not even only if you’re not using one of them. Even if you’re fully in Microsoft’s ecosystem, I’ve never seen a company be so obnoxious about pushing you to use features you’re already using. No Microsoft, just because I opened Chrome doesn’t mean I need to “try the new Microsoft Edge”, I’m a web developer, I’m just trying to do my fucking job.
And while I wholeheartedly hope that the day that MSN goes do die in the fiery pits of hell, for the others; I just want to use them and not be bothered with why I haven’t engaged with any of them. I’ve used Windows for all of my behind-a-computer life, and Internet Explorer and later Edge have been my primary browser ever since the modem in my house made its first iconic beep. But over the past year and a half, I’ve found myself seriously considering switching to Firefox, because Edge is becoming increasingly obnoxious with features that don’t actually improve the browser experience — if anything, they make it worse — all in the name of engagement. (Why does my browser have a god damn built-in game hub?)
Not the first, not the last
Anyways, Windows 11 22H2 “not 23H2” Moment 4 is happening not because Microsoft believes its the best customer experience, as a matter of fact, I’d be surprised if they aren’t already getting ready for the shit storm that will hit next week when IT admins get back to their jobs. It’s happening because some random manager has decided that their bonus this year can be bigger if they push for more engagement. That is at least what this feels like.
This isn’t the first time this happened — again “News & Interests” happened for the very same reason — and at this point I’m not gonna put any hope in thinking it will be the last.
I *want* to love these products and I want to recommend them, but boy Microsoft, you’re making it hard. If not impossible.
Ooh, there is a great deal on the MacBook Air 15".
