#Turn off windows 10 pro insider preview windows 10
Compared to the Kremlin-like approach of the Windows 8 era, Windows 10 has been a typhoon of fresh air. Microsoft releases marketing betas so people have a chance to get an early look, convince their companies to wait for a newer and better product - and in some cases garner bragging rights.ĭon't get me wrong. All of the open betas nowadays are what we used to call "marketing betas." Microsoft doesn't release betas to the public in order to ask for comments/suggestions about features. Microsoft doesn't do open betas - never has, at least since the days of Word 2.0. The Insider program is more of an extended marketing effort, like the "open" beta that appeared at the end of the Windows 7 dev cycle. Not so - Microsoft has a long history of beta testing programs, both overt and covert, but the Insider program isn't one of them. People think of the Windows Insider program as a beta testing program for Windows. Heaven only knows how many are signed up now - Microsoft isn't saying.
At the end of 2014, the program boasted 1.5 million enlistees. The Windows Insider program is open to everyone, and guru wannabes have flocked to sign up. There are a few places, though, where Microsoft could make significant improvements. Most of the problems are inherent in the construction of the Insider program, and some of it's the normal grousing of beta testers. But dissension is spreading in the ranks. As a marketing exercise it deserves an A+.
The Windows Insider program has been hugely successful where it counts the most: making Windows fans feel more connected to the product.