Why is it called Windows 1. Windows 9 Windows 1. Lets step back for a moment and address one of the most confusing things about the latest version of Windows. When Microsoft announced its newest operating system last year, the surprise was not that it was coming, but that Windows would be skipping version 9 and heading straight to 1. Windows Serial Console Program Windows' title='Windows Serial Console Program Windows' />Install and setup the Cisco USB console driver on your PC to configure or troubleshoot your Cisco devices. Learn how in this helpful articleGet help, support, and tutorials for Windows productsWindows 10, Windows 8. Windows 7, and Windows 10 Mobile. Interface. Brief description. Mouse emulation. The most basic, single touch interface, available in all Windows OS. Touch data is posted to the OS via the mouse. Snap On Tools Alberta'>Snap On Tools Alberta. When asked about Windows 1. Microsoft never really gave a clear answer. So why, exactly, did Windows 1. Version numbers, schmersion numbers. You may remember that between Windows 3 and Windows 7, Microsoft designated each version with a name instead of a number 9. NT, Me, 2. 00. 0, Vista, and so on. When the company announced Windows 7, there was actually a similar amount of disbelief after a series of named versions of Windows, it seemed odd to switch back to numbers. Windows 8. 1 Actually version 6. Theres also the fact that the name of each Windows release doesnt actually match the real version number. For example, Windows 8. Windows. Windows 1. The last time the release name actually matched the version number was the enterprise focused Windows NT 4. Windows 2. 00. 0, which was called NT 5. Windows XP was version 5. Windows Vista was 6. Windows 7 was 6. 1, Windows 8 was 6. Windows 8. 1 is version 6. Windows RT, which only ran Metro apps, was a new and separate beast, but it still sat on top of the core Windows NT kernel. That one is dead now. Modern versions of Windows are still based on the Vista kernel and code base including Windows 1. Windows 6. 4. There will be some confusion if or when we eventually reach internal version 7. Alternative theories for skipping Windows 9. An Extreme. Tech reader called Benny sent us an email to say that the number 9 is considered unlucky in Japan. Microsoft has a big enough presence in Japan that it may have skipped Windows 9 to avoid any weirdness or ill will. Benny says that Trend Micro a Japanese company did the same thing a few years ago when it skipped version 9 of its antivirus software. Second, someone purporting to be a Microsoft developer posted this comment on Reddit As insane as that hack sounds, its feasible that there are still plenty of legacy Desktop apps that use this method or something similar to check for Windows 9. Bear in mind that this is just an example piece of code some developers will check for the OS name Windows, some will check for the version number as discussed in the previous section of this story, and some may use other methods entirely to find out what OS the app is running on. Whats in a name Ultimately, Windows 1. Windows 9 probably wouldve made more sense and its always going to cause some grief with novice users who just dont understand what happened to Windows 9. But Windows 1. 0 isnt any more right or wrong than calling Vistas successor Windows 7. Why Windows 1. 0 wasnt called Windows One It has been done before by Bill GatesPerhaps a better question to ask is why did Microsoft call it Windows 1. During the launch event video embedded above Myerson gives us a few clues. Starting at around the 2 1. We know, based on the product thats coming, and just how different our approach will be overall, it wouldnt be right to call it Windows 9. He then talks about how Windows One would make sense with Xbox One, One. Drive, and One. Note, but unfortunately Windows 1 has been done by the giants that came before us. And so it seems the only other viable option was Windows 1. Read Windows 1. 0 Familiarity breeds contempt. Microsofts seemingly arbitrary naming convention of Windows 1. Its a strong sounding version number and its also a neat way of distancing it from Windows 8, which Microsoft really wants to bury in the living room couch cushions when no one is looking. In fact, this may even be the same trick that Microsoft used to make us forget about Vista Hey, with a name like Windows 7, it must be very different from Vista. Apples OS X has been OS X for 1. What about any similarity to Apples Mac OS X Apple did a similar thing, after all Its operating system versions steadily increased from System 1 through 7, then switched to Mac OS 8 and 9, and when it got to OS 1. X in 2. 00. 1, it stopped altogether. We dont think Microsoft is intentionally copying Apple with Windows 1. But the marketing department has to be aware of both the positive and negative repercussions of wanting to ride on Apples coattails. Finally, given how Windows 1. Microsoft is lending to this release, we wouldnt be surprised if it sticks around for a long time and Microsoft has made noises indicating it wants to move to an ongoing, evolving OS without specific version numbers. So thats it Windows 1. Windows 1. 0 because Microsoft says so even if Windows or Windows X wouldve been better. Check out our continuing Windows 1. Now read. All the new features and changes in Windows 1. Autocad Lt 2014 Manual there. Windows 1. 0 Technical Preview. James Plafke contributed to this article. Check out our Extreme. Tech Explains series for more in depth coverage.