The Russian site OneTile.ru have posted an article about two new apps located in the Windows 10 (beta) Store. The apps cannot be downloaded at this time, but their names suggest they may be related to upgrades and licensing of the Windows 10 operating system.
The apps go by the straightforward names of 'Windows 10 Core' and 'Windows 10 Pro'. No other details about the listings, including images or size can be learned. The links to the listings also cannot be opened in the Windows 8.1 Store, at least not yet.
Oct 03, 2017 What is the difference between Windows 10 IoT Core versions. The growth of internet of things (IoT) has created a market for IoT support. IoT devices have limited resources. So companies need real-time operating systems (RTOS) that can process information fast for devices with limited processing, memory, and storage. Windows 10 IoT Core is a version of Windows 10 that is optimized for smaller devices with or without a display that run on both ARM and x86/x64 devices. The Windows IoT Core documentation provides information on connecting, managing, updating, securing your devices, and more. 'Core' is a name that Microsoft has been using for a while now to reference to the non-Pro edition of Windows for consumers. It was especially used during Windows 8.x when that edition did not have a name of its own (unlike Windows Vista/7 that used 'Home Premium').
So what are these apps? OneTile.ru puts forth the idea that these are connected to the massive Windows 10 upgrade effort by Microsoft. Specifically, they wonder if the concept of a traditional 25-character license key may be replaced by a Store license and user account analogous to app purchases.
Indeed, it was just this past Friday that Microsoft blogged about tying your Microsoft Account (MSA) to your Windows 10 Insider Preview to get the final RTM build later in July. Of course, Microsoft also noted that you are 'not required to use an MSA on new PCs that come with Windows 10 pre-installed or clean installed from media'.
According to OneTile.ru, you need Windows 10 Core to download and use the Windows 10 Pro 'app'. They speculate that this may be a method by which users can upgrade their 'basic' Windows 10 OS to the Pro version all through a mere Store purchase. The license is then tied to their account making things easier if moving to another PC. Windows 10 Enterprise is noticeably absent from the Windows 10 Store listings, but that is likely because of the 'special licensing regulations' for Enterprise (they are exempt from the free upgrade offer).
Sep 28, 2018 Windows 10’s April 2018 Update brings “Core Isolation” and “Memory Integrity” security features to everyone. These use virtualization-based security to protect your core operating system processes from tampering, but Memory Protection is off by default for people who upgrade.
All in all, this appears to be Microsoft's way of simplifying licenses and activations for users. Instead of traditional activation checks from previous OS releases, Microsoft may be going to a Store and user-account method instead. Such a system also helps those in the Insider program, as Gabe Aul noted on his blog post:
'We're introducing new infrastructure in Windows Update to help us deliver new builds more effectively to Windows Insiders, and ensure that we're flighting builds to people who have registered and opted in to the program. Ds4 windows install failed. Connecting your MSA also allows seamless access to Windows Insider-only functionality in the Windows Feedback app and Insider Hub too.'
What Is Core Service Windows 10
In 2015, Microsoft is all about change and shaking things up. This new structure for licensing appears to be a part of that and hopefully we'll learn more in the coming weeks.
Store Links (cannot be downloaded, only viewable in Windows 10 build 10147 or later)
Free sketchup for mac. Source: OneTile.ru; Thanks, Denis, for the tip!