[German]Microsoft plans to modify his Windows Insider program in the future. Versions that have made it into the Slow Ring for testing by users will also get updates (like regular Windows 10 builds) in the future.
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Announcement of the change
This is the result of the following tweet and the linked blog post, which was published a few hours ago.
Windows 10 Insider Preview Builds in the Slow Ring now get serviced just like regular Windows releases. Find out why that's big news.https://t.co/PfixO87s39
— Windows Insider (@windowsinsider) 14. Oktober 2018
Till now, insider preview builds only received updates in very rare cases (there had to be a serious issue and no successor build with a fix).
Insider Preview build rings at a glance
For blog readers who are not too firm with the terminology: Microsoft releases its Windows development versions, known as Windows Insider Previews, at regular intervals for interested participants of the Windows Insider Program. Microsoft uses a ring model to make the insider previews gradually accessible to an ever larger circle of users.
(Source: Microsoft, Click to open in tab)
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According to the diagram above, the daily Windows insider builds are first tested internally in the so-called Caary ring. If a build passes this test, the Operating System Group (OSG) takes care of the build. Only after this group gives green light, an Insider Preview build makes it to the Fast Ring for Windows Insiders. Largely stable insider preview builds will later be made available in the so-called slow ring. Under Windows 10, Windows insiders can choose in the settings whether they want to test in fast or slow ring. Then new builds will only be installed if they are released in the corresponding ring.
In the picture above, the release ring model for Windows Insider Preview builds are not complete. Microsoft introduced later two additional rings. One is the Release Preview ring, used for a build just before general availability. And there is also a so-called Skip Ahead ring. Builds appear there when two development branches of Windows 10 are to be tested in parallel. The Fast Ring then has builds in the development branch for the next Windows 10 version, while the Skip Ahead Ring already tests builds for the next but one Windows 10 version.
What is changing for the slow ring?
Microsoft has summarized the change in an info graphic. In the Fast Ring there will still only be new builds with bug fixes. Such fixes can then be packed with the last cumulative update (Latest Cumulative Update, LCU) and rolled out for the slow ring with a function update.
(Source: Microsoft, Click to zoom)
The change is intended to enable Microsoft to stabilize fast ring builds to send them faster to the slow ring. The change is planned in the upcoming RS6 release cycle for builds in the Slow Ring.
Interestingly, Microsoft continues to use the Redstone 6 name for a development cycle in its documents. According to reports Microsoft actually intended to go away from the nomenclature of the Redstone branches and name new development branches with 19H1, 19H2 etc.. Well, there must be a stable component in the process, and if it is the name Redstone.
Microsoft makes then still some interesting concessions, which I interpret as a (imho unfortunately not sufficient) answer to the disaster with the release of Windows 10 V1809 (which was stopped yet).
- All builds will receive the latest MSRC security fixes shortly after public availability.
- Microsoft wants to orient itself on the so-called B-week updates with regard to the release of the security fixes on patch Tuesday (2nd Tuesday of the month).
- It is planned to select a build in the Insider Preview branch once a month and to "stabilize" it with selective corrections in a short time.
- This build is then to be rolled out into the Slow Ring for the Slow Ring in the 'required quality' (whatever Microsoft may understand by that).
I don't know how you see this, I wouldn't use the word quality in the context of buggy Insider Preview builds, but rather write of 'stable enough for a test in the Slow Ring'. What's interesting is that Microsoft writes that they are anxious to slow down all FAST builds if they meet the 'quality criteria'. Unfortunately, I don't read the message that in the future, feature updates are only planned once a year or in a 2-year cycle. So I quote that as 'too late, too less'. Details can be found in the Microsoft article.
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