Windows as a service
Windows as a service is the development model Microsoft has adopted for Microsoft Windows after the release of Windows 10. Instead of releasing a major version of Windows every few years, the company instead releases smaller feature updates in shorter intervals.
Since Windows transitioned to Azure's semester model in 2019, new features are planned with respect to the so-called semesters rather than feature updates. From a development viewpoint, semesters are equivalent to releases as the active development branch goes through feature development, stabilization and sign-off phases during each semester. However, they are independent from the actual releases available to the public as the company does not necessarily release a new version at the end of each semester, e.g. three semesters passed between Windows 11 and Windows 10 May 2020 Update (Manganese, Iron, Cobalt).
Recent rumors suggest that Microsoft might be moving back to a traditional release schedule, with a major version of Windows releasing every three years. The period between two major versions would then be spanned by shipping minor feature updates called Moments, up to four times a year.[1]
List of development semesters[edit | edit source]
| Name | Abbr. | Semester | Release | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Client | Server | AzSHCI | Xbox[a] | ||||
| Threshold 1 | TH1 | — | Windows 10 | — | — | — | — |
| Threshold 2 | TH2 | — | Windows 10 November Update | — | — | v1510 | — |
| Redstone 1 | RS1 | — | Windows 10 Anniversary Update | Windows Server 2016 | — | v1608 | — |
| Redstone 2 | RS2 | — | Windows 10 Creators Update | — | — | v1704 | — |
| Redstone 3 | RS3 | — | Windows 10 Fall Creators Update | v1709 | — | v1710 | — |
| Redstone 4 | RS4 | — | Windows 10 April 2018 Update | v1803 | — | v1804 | — |
| Redstone 5 | RS5 | — | Windows 10 October 2018 Update | Windows Server 2019 v1809 |
v20H2 | v1810 | — |
| Titanium | Ti | 19H1 | Windows 10 May 2019 Update | v1903 | — | v1904 | First iteration under the Azure semester scheme |
| Vanadium | V | 19H2 | Windows 10 November 2019 Update | v1909 | — | v1910 | Cumulative update for 19H1 (Titanium) |
| Vibranium | Vb | 20H1 | Windows 10 May 2020 Update Windows 10 October 2020 Update Windows 10 May 2021 Update Windows 10 November 2021 Update Windows 10 2022 Update |
v2004 v20H2 |
— | v2004 | — |
| Manganese | Mn | 20H2 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Iron | Fe | 21H1 | — | Windows Server 2022 | v21H2 v22H2 |
— | — |
| Cobalt | Co | 21H2 | Windows 11 | — | — | v2108 | — |
| Nickel | Ni | 22H2 | Windows 11 2022 Update, v23H2 | — | — | v2208 | Originally 22H1, later changed to 22H2 and expanded to cover the entire year. |
| Copper | Cu | 23H1 | — | — | — | — | Development transitioned fluently into Zinc in November 2022 without the creation of release branches. |
| Zinc | Zn | 23H2 | — | v23H2 | v23H2 | v2308 | — |
| Gallium | Ga | 24H1 | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | — |
Notes[edit | edit source]
- ↑ The year and month number from the OS branch name, since Xbox system software updates have no official names for the most part. For brevity, only the first update based upon each platform release is listed.