{"id":416885,"date":"2022-03-16T14:00:22","date_gmt":"2022-03-16T11:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/why-was-there-no-windows-9\/"},"modified":"2022-03-16T14:00:22","modified_gmt":"2022-03-16T11:00:22","slug":"why-was-there-no-windows-9","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-was-there-no-windows-9\/","title":{"rendered":"#Why Was There No Windows 9?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2da075e07c2\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2da075e07c2\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-was-there-no-windows-9\/#%E2%80%9CWhy_Was_There_No_Windows_9%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Why Was There No Windows 9?&#8221;<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-2' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-was-there-no-windows-9\/#A_Major_Break_From_8_%E2%80%9CWindows_One%E2%80%9D_Was_Unavailable\" >A Major Break From 8; \u201cWindows One\u201d Was Unavailable<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-was-there-no-windows-9\/#An_Unofficial_Reason_Windows_9x_Compatibility_Issues\" >An Unofficial Reason: Windows 9x Compatibility Issues<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-was-there-no-windows-9\/#Also_the_Number_9_Is_Unlucky_in_Japan\" >Also, the Number 9 Is Unlucky in Japan<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CWhy_Was_There_No_Windows_9%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;Why Was There No Windows 9?&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"type:primaryImage alignnone size-full wp-image-790367\" data-pagespeed-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/windows_9_hero_2.jpg?width=398&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1 400w, https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/windows_9_hero_2.jpg?width=1198&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, 400w, 1200w\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/windows_9_hero_2.jpg?width=1198&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"A fictional &quot;Windows 9&quot; logo with a question mark over it.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Microsoft jumped between Windows 8 and Windows 10 \u2014 notice anything missing? We\u2019ll explore why there was no Windows 9.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_Major_Break_From_8_%E2%80%9CWindows_One%E2%80%9D_Was_Unavailable\"><\/span>A Major Break From 8; \u201cWindows One\u201d Was Unavailable<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>While under development, Microsoft referred to Windows 10 as \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zdnet.com\/article\/microsoft-codename-threshold-the-next-major-windows-wave-takes-shape\/\">Threshold<\/a>,\u201d after a planet in the fictional <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Halo_(franchise)\">Halo<\/a> universe. Meanwhile, the press <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/2014\/8\/21\/6052807\/windows-9-preview-press-event-september\">assumed<\/a> the next major version of Windows would be called \u201cWindows 9.\u201d And yet on September 30, 2014, Microsoft surprised us all by <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20140930180146\/http:\/\/blogs.windows.com\/bloggingwindows\/2014\/09\/30\/announcing-windows-10\/\">announcing<\/a> \u201cWindows 10\u201d instead. The reason why had a lot to do with the previous major version of Windows, Windows 8.<\/p>\n<p>Windows 8, while innovative, wasn\u2019t well-received. It was <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a>ly regarded as an <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.computerworld.com\/article\/2476464\/did-microsoft-just-admit-windows-8-is-its-worst-operating-system-ever-.html\">embarrassing flop<\/a> from Microsoft. Windows 8.1, launched <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Windows_8.1\">in 2013<\/a>, fixed some (but not all) of its most unpopular features in recognition that Windows 8 wasn\u2019t an ideal release.<\/p>\n<p>In naming \u201cWindows 10,\u201d the firm wanted to show that Threshold was not just an upgrade or continuation of the unpopular <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a> found in Windows 8. Windows 10 would be a clean break with a new major version. Also, Microsoft envisioned Threshold as a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zdnet.com\/article\/microsoft-codename-threshold-the-next-major-windows-wave-takes-shape\/\">\u201cwave\u201d<\/a> of operating systems that would <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ly to desktops, tablets, Windows Phone, and Xbox One while adapting the UI to each device in an ideal way.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-791500 size-full\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/windows_10_announcement_2014.jpg?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"A Windows 10 graphic from the announcement in 2014.\" width=\"650\" height=\"365\" data-credittext=\"Microsoft\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Microsoft emphasized Windows 10 platform unity in this graphic from 2014. <span class=\"imagecredit\">Microsoft<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Interestingly, Microsoft has had very little to say officially about skipping over Windows 9. During the 2014 Windows 10 <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=6cOk5AeFyqo\">launch event<\/a> (as reported by <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.extremetech.com\/computing\/191279-why-is-it-called-windows-10-not-windows-9\">ExtremeTech<\/a> since the video is currently unavailable), Windows Chief Terry Myerson gave some important clues about the company\u2019s thinking: <span id=\"intelliTXT\">\u201cWe know, based on the product that\u2019s coming, and just how different our approach will be overall,\u201d he said. \u201cIt wouldn\u2019t be right to call it Windows 9.<\/span>\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Also, Myerson gave another clue that the firm might have wanted to name the release \u201cWindows One,\u201d but was foiled by the existence of Windows 1.0 (way back in 1985). According to ExtremeTech, Myerson mentioned that Windows One would make sense in the context of OneNote, OneDrive, and Xbox One, but \u201cu<span id=\"intelliTXT\">nfortunately Windows 1 has been done by the giants that came before us.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>So if Windows One was taken, we speculate, why not add a zero and call it Windows 10? In the world of marketing, there are no hard logical rules for naming products, so this explanation seems as good as any.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>Microsoft Announces Windows 9, but Names it Windows 10<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"An_Unofficial_Reason_Windows_9x_Compatibility_Issues\"><\/span>An Unofficial Reason: Windows 9x Compatibility Issues<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Still, Microsoft\u2019s <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.windowscentral.com\/so-what-happened-windows-9-it-came-and-it-went-according-microsoft-exec\">somewhat vague<\/a> (\u201cIt came and went\u201d) official explanations haven\u2019t satisfied everyone, so alternative theories remain. And here\u2019s a doozy: On the very day of the Windows 10 announcement, someone on <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Reddit<\/a> claiming to be a Microsoft developer <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/technology\/comments\/2hwlrk\/new_windows_version_will_be_called_windows_10\/ckwq83x\/\">wrote<\/a> that Microsoft avoided \u201cWindows 9\u201d because it might confuse programs checking for Windows 95 or Windows 98, two previous Windows releases from the 1990s.<\/p>\n<p>(Imagine a vintage Windows program written in the 1990s checking for \u201cWindows 9*\u201d then finding \u201cWindows 9\u201d and thinking it\u2019s running on Windows 95, for example.)<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-791528 size-full\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/java_win9x_code.jpg?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Example Java code that would mistake Windows 9 for Windows 9x.\" width=\"650\" height=\"247\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Actual Java code that would mistake \u201cWindows 9\u201d for Windows 9x.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>With Microsoft\u2019s famous commitment to backward compatibility\u2014and a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/click.linksynergy.com\/deeplink?id=2QzUaswX1as&amp;mid=24542&amp;u1=htg\/791876&amp;murl=https%3A%2F%2Fdevblogs.microsoft.com%2Foldnewthing%2F20040213-00%2F%3Fp%3D40633\">proven history<\/a> with version number check shenanigans\u2014the claim seemed plausible enough to <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.networkworld.com\/article\/2691814\/why-did-microsoft-skip-windows-9-and-jump-to-windows-10.html\">make the rounds<\/a> on many <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a> sites at the time. Windows fans who are in the know might immediately poke holes in this theory, considering that Windows 95\u2019s official version number wasn\u2019t \u201cWindows 95.\u201d A well-written program doing a version check would <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/kb.iu.edu\/d\/aezm\">actually<\/a> see a version number of 4.00.95 (and up), and for Windows 98, it would see 4.10.1998 (and up). So the explanation doesn\u2019t seem to hold much water.<\/p>\n<p>But wait: Not all programs are well-written, and people have <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/searchcode.com\/?q=startsWith%28%22windows%209%22%29&amp;p=2\">found evidence<\/a> of existing legacy code written in Java that checks for Windows version by looking at the string name of the OS instead of the version number. (We have found some as well: here are <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/searchcode.com\/file\/187529543\/core\/tool\/builder\/source_gen\/jetbrains\/mps\/tool\/common\/util\/SystemInfo.java\/\">two<\/a> <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/issues.jenkins.io\/secure\/attachment\/18777\/PlatformDetailsTask.java\">examples<\/a>.) So there may be some truth to the Reddit claim after all. What we don\u2019t know is whether that influenced Microsoft\u2019s naming decision or not, but considering <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/click.linksynergy.com\/deeplink?id=2QzUaswX1as&amp;mid=24542&amp;u1=htg\/791876&amp;murl=https%3A%2F%2Fdevblogs.microsoft.com%2Foldnewthing%2F20040213-00%2F%3Fp%3D40633\">Microsoft\u2019s history<\/a> of bending over backwards to not break compatibility, it\u2019s very possible.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Also_the_Number_9_Is_Unlucky_in_Japan\"><\/span>Also, the Number 9 Is Unlucky in Japan<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>While naming Windows 10, it\u2019s possible that someone pointed out that the number 9 is considered unlucky to some in Japan. When pronounced, it <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/redirect.viglink.com\/?key=204a528a336ede4177fff0d84a044482&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nationalgeographic.com%2Fculture%2Farticle%2F130913-friday-luck-lucky-superstition-13\">sounds similar<\/a> to the word that means \u201ctorture,\u201d although this meaning <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Matt_Alt\/status\/1503512294307037185?s=20&amp;t=2ttPcO8Rr3ebPj9-pBPGMg\">might not be<\/a> widespread. Still, considering that \u201cWindows Torture\u201d doesn\u2019t have a great ring to it for the Japanese market, we can understand another reason why Microsoft might have wanted to avoid \u201cWindows 9\u201d\u2014but this is entirely speculative.<\/p>\n<p>No matter what the reason, if you think about it, hundreds of millions of people use what could have been Windows 9 today\u2014we just call it \u201cWindows 10.\u201d It\u2019s all marketing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><script>\n setTimeout(function(){\n  !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n  {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n  n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n  if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n  n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n  t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n  s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s) } (window, document,'script',\n  'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n   fbq('init', '335401813750447');\n   fbq('track', 'PageView');\n  },3000);\n<\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. 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We\u2019ll explore why there was no Windows 9. A Major Break From 8; \u201cWindows One\u201d Was Unavailable While under development, Microsoft referred to Windows 10 as \u201cThreshold,\u201d after a planet in the fictional Halo universe. Meanwhile, the&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":416886,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/windows_9_hero_2.jpg?height=200p&trim=2,2,2,2","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-416885","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/416885","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=416885"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/416885\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/416886"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=416885"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=416885"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=416885"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}