The Windows Insider Program still isn’t attaching any of its release channels to a specific Windows 10 version. But at least we have a new Windows Feature Experience Pack to wonder about.
“Today, we are releasing Windows Feature Experience Pack 120.2212.2020.0 to Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel,” Microsoft announced today. “We are improving the reliability of screen snipping experience, especially with apps that access the clipboard often.”
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As you may recall, Microsoft first discussed Windows Feature Experience Packs back in December, despite the fact that this language has appeared in at least the two most recent Windows 10 versions without any explanation. These packs are a new way for Microsoft to deliver new features and functional improvements to customers outside of major Windows 10 feature updates, which are really version upgrades.
In December, Microsoft said that it would test “only a limited number of features” through the Insider Program, and today’s release, a single improvement to a single feature, certainly bears out that claim. Actually, they removed a feature, too: You can no longer copy and paste a screen snip directly into a File Explorer folder because of a reported issue. Microsoft hopes to re-enable this capability soon.
Windows Feature Experience Packs tested via the Windows Insider Program will eventually “get folded into the already existing servicing process for Windows 10,” Microsoft says, which means that they will ship to the current, supported versions of Windows 10 through Windows Update.
dftf
<blockquote><em><a href="#610158">In reply to irfaanwahid:</a></em></blockquote><p>Yeah, Apple generally just offer a stable version of iOS and macOS, and then a beta for each.</p><p><br></p><p>To be fair, Microsoft at one-time did have things relatively-simple: you had the stable-branch, which something like 97-98% of people would be on; then in the Insider Preview you had the "slow-ring" (beta, essentially) and "fast-ring" (alpha or daily, essentially).</p><p><br></p><p>But now what you get in each ring can vary — plus even inside the same ring you have this silly A/B stuff where people won't all get the same things.</p><p><br></p><p>If I were Microsoft, I'd simply make it so for all the stock-apps (such as Mail, Calendar, News, Weather) users can install Beta versions from the Store, which then get installed alongside the stable version and can all be uninstalled; and then have a Beta channel (where users would be on the next version, so 21H1 at the time of writing) and an Alpha channel (where users would be two-versions ahead: so 21H2, as of now).</p>
dftf
<p>Here's an outlandish idea: why not just offer beta versions of the built-in apps, which users can choose to install alongside the stable versions via the Microsoft Store, and then anyone can test them? The Start Menu would show two separate entries, such as "Snip & Sketch" and "Snip & Sketch (beta)", for each app.</p><p><br></p><p>You know, like the way Android does for certain apps that offer a beta program.</p><p><br></p><p>Wasn't the whole-point of moving Windows components into the Store to allow for things like this?</p>