14 DAY TRIAL // Work on Windows 10 continues these days despite the fact that no other update for the Technical Preview is planned until early 2015, so it's not at all surprising that new builds have been spotted online recently.
Windows 10 build 9888 has been recently compiled by Microsoft, and the editors at Chinese media ITHome have revealed more information that's being implemented under the hood of the new operating system.
It appears that Windows 10 build 9888 comes with kernel version 10, which is quite a big jump from the existing 6.0 version that has been around since the Vista days.
In Windows 10 build 9879, which is actually the latest official testing version released by Microsoft this year for Windows Insider program users, kernel 6.4 continues to be offered, so the next update is very likely to bring this major change under the hood as well.
What this means for users
Jumping from kernel version 6.4 directly to 10 might come as a big surprise for many, especially because the existing versions of Windows 10 are still running the old release.
But leaving aside all these surprising changes, the kernel update signals Microsoft's efforts to completely revamp the operating system, so in addition to many visual improvements, Windows 10 will also come with a plethora of tweaks under the hood that should lead to better performance, stability, and security.
The biggest problem that might occur following this dramatic kernel update is related to software compatibility, as it's a well-known fact that kernel changes could also affect the underlying code of third-party software solutions.
If this is the case, expect Microsoft to share more information on this very soon, as the company needs to inform developers and get in touch with everyone to make sure that everything will work smoothly in the upcoming operating system.
Software compatibility issues already spotted
Even though Windows 10 Technical Preview build 9879 comes with the same kernel version, 6.4, there's already a software compatibility problem that might indicate that big changes are coming in the operating system.
Classic Shell no longer works on Windows 10 due to what seem to be compatibility issues with build 9879. Classic Shell is one of the top third-party Start menu apps on the market and recorded millions of downloads on Windows 8 after Microsoft decided to remove the original Start menu from the OS.
It appears however that this is just a temporary problem and Microsoft is very likely to fix it in the next update in early 2015.
