A while ago we knew that Microsoft would release a successor to the unsuccessful Windows 8 rather quickly in an attempt to cover the disaster and we even speculated that the new Windows release would carry the Windows 9 brand name. Well, we were mistaken in one thing – as the OS came our way it was called Windows 10 instead of Windows 9. Now it seems that the same thing will happen to the internal version number of this same OS.
Yes, instead of being called Windows NT 6.4 in Microsoft’s documents, Windows 10 will be upgraded directly to Windows NT 10.0 in order to make it easier on both Microsoft employees and consumers to know what they are dealing with. The number update will arrive in a new build or as an update via Windows Update but it will be there for sure. So in a few words Windows 10 is Windows NT 10.0.
In case you still do not know what we are talking about here’s a short history lesson – about 20 years ago Microsoft created Windows 95, Windows 98 and Windows ME and they all were based on the older DOS operating system. At the same time Microsoft knew they had to present a real new, efficient, stable and powerful OS for enterprise usage – all things that Windows 9x wasn’t – so they decided to make such an OS. Thus Windows NT was born. First called Windows NT 3.1 the OS line grew so much it actually retired the DOS-based Windows 9x line in 2001 with the release of Windows XP (Windows NT 5.1). Then Windows Vista was Windows NT 6.0, Windows 7 was Windows NT 6.1, Windows 8 was Windows NT 6.2, etc.
Windows 10 should be released to the mass market next year.
Source: Arstechnica.com