Some of you remember that before we got relatively logical Windows version names like H1 and H2, Microsoft used to have a very weird and random versioning scheme. We had version names like "Anniversary Update", "Fall Creators Update", "Spring Creators Update". Can you look at any of these and figure out when they were released? No one could, and thankfully, Microsoft ended up ditching them in 2018 with the release of Windows 10, version 1803 (also known as April 2018 Update).
Now, Microsoft veteran Raymond Chen has once again shared an interesting nugget of information from within the company. This time, Chen has revealed the reason behind changing the absurd naming scheme in Windows, and the reason isn"t entirely surprising.
Basically, during an all-hands meeting, a senior executive asked employees if Microsoft has an unconscious bias. In layman"s terms, this means any ideas, associations, or biases that we inadvertently hold, outside our control. Thankfully, a brave unnamed employee stood up and noted that he was born in the southern hemisphere where seasons are opposite to that of the northern hemisphere. So a Windows 10 "Fall Creators Update" doesn"t really make sense to him since it"s not the fall season in his hometown. This indicated that there was a bias in favor of the northern hemisphere and that the name wasn"t inclusive. Fortunately, it seems like the Microsoft management in attendance agreed with the employee"s viewpoint and the naming scheme was transitioned to something hemisphere-neutral the next day.
It"s quite obvious when you think about it. Apart from not really describing when an update was released, the previous naming scheme incorrectly assumed that seasons are universal. It is also important to keep in mind that we previously received two feature updates per year, so dividing them into seasons was even more confusing.
Microsoft eventually shifted to an H1 and H2 naming scheme to indicate both halves of the year, and ultimately, we ended up getting just one feature update per year, which really simplified the whole convention. For those keeping track, Windows 11, version 25H2 is expected later this year.