Microsoft has confirmed that it will bump Windows 10 kernel version to 10.0 instead of the currently assigned 6.4 and has advised developers to update their apps and software to understand the UA string if their product is dependent on that value.
Earlier, there have been reports that Microsoft was going to streamline version numbers of its Windows operating system and the underlying kernel. Reports also claimed that the change was incorporated in one of the builds numbered 9884, which was compiled on November 9.
The lack of concrete evidence didn’t really convince us, but the latest confirmation from Microsoft puts all the speculations to rest.
“Developers preparing for Windows 10 should note that the Windows NT value in the UA string will change from 6.4 to 10.0 with the new release. If you have code that depends on the version number, we advise that you update to allow for the new value”, reads the user agent string changes page on MSDN.
The discrepancy in the versioning of Windows OS and underlying kernel has been around since a long time, so why has Microsoft decided to align the numbers now. It is believed that Microsoft means business with Windows 10 and it wants to send out a strong signal that Windows 10 is a major milestone in the life of Windows and Microsoft itself.
Non-aligned numbers of Kernel and Windows OS doesn’t really send out a negative signal, but aligned versions does send out a positive vibe that Windows 10 is a leap forward – both in terms of the OS and its Kernel.
Microsoft sent out a similar signal when it skipped Windows 9 version completely to announce Windows 10.
