As Microsoft continues to work on their next operating system, Windows 10, a leak of its latest build shows us a handful of new features.

When it was announced earlier this year, Windows 10 was received with open, incredibly welcoming arms. By and large, Windows 10′s predecessor Windows 8 was rather underwhelming.

Windows 8 removed the Start button only to replace it with a Windows logo and a centralized hub for apps and software, meanwhile the new ‘Metro’ user interface gave us live tiles instead of program icons. It appeared as though Microsoft had optimised Windows 8 for tablets, failing to recognise the needs of desktop Windows users.

As a result, Windows 10 is going to make amends, with the revival of the Start button being just one confirmed feature. We’ve now got a few more ideas about what Windows 10 will bring us though, as the 9888 build of the software has leaked online.

A build from the Windows 10 Technical Preview (versions of the operating system designed to give us an overall idea of what Windows 10 can do, rather than being anywhere close to a full release), Windows 9888 signals the last Windows 10 release of the year. That’s why there’s been so much interest around this leak.

However, the unofficial leak doesn’t provide as much of a massive step up from 9879 (the official build that came before it) as many would like. Neowin notes that there are “new animations, better organized context menus and a new default applications for settings” whilst the above video shows off a search bar in the new Settings app, allowing us to customise options even quicker.

What it signals is that Microsoft is taking great lengths to optimise this for the masses. Windows 8 was a let down and so with Windows 10 bringing a snazzy new Start menu (it allows us to attach widgets and adjust their sizes) they’ll need to tweak things to make sure that they work as well as they can, save their next operating system has poor UI too.

As for the full release of Windows 10, Microsoft’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) Kevin Turner has said that the plan is to release the OS in late summer or early fall 2015. The final Technical Preview will be out in January offering the final chance to influence that end product, so we’ll keep you posted once we know more.

Source: Neowin

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories, HP Stream 11 $200 Windows Notebook Gives Chromebooks Some Thrills, Apple Fixes WireLurker Trojan, Windows Version Is Out in the Wild