Why is it called Windows 10 not Windows 9?

When Microsoft announced its newest operating system, the surprise was not that it was coming, but that Windows would be skipping 9 and headed straight to 10. When asked about Windows 10’s name, Microsoft didn’t give a clear answer. So why, exactly, is Windows 10 getting the nod instead of 9?

Version numbers, version schmumbers

First of all, it’s important to note that between Windows 3 and Windows 7, versions of Windows were designated by a name rather than a number: 95, 98, NT, Me, 2000, Vista, and so on. When Microsoft announced Windows 7, there was actually a similar amount of disbelief; after a series of named versions of Windows, it seemed odd to jump back to numbers.

There’s also the fact that the name of each Windows release doesn’t actually match the real version number; for example, Windows 8.1 is actually version 6.3 of Windows. Windows 10 is version 6.4. The last time the release name actually matched the version number was Windows NT 4.0, which was released back in 1996. Windows 2000, which was called NT 5.0 during development, was actually version 5.0. Windows XP was version 5.1. Windows Vista was 6.0, Windows 7 was 6.1, Windows 8 was 6.2, and Windows 8.1 is version 6.3. (WinRT, which powers Metro, is a new and separate beast, but it still sits on top of the core Windows kernel.)

Technically, modern versions of Windows are still based on the Vista kernel and code base — including Windows 10, which is actually Windows 6.4. There will be some confusion if (or when) we eventually reach internal version 7.0, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.

Alternative theories for skipping Windows 9

First, an ExtremeTech reader called Benny sent an email to say that the number 9 is considered unlucky in Japan. Microsoft has a big enough presence in Japan that it may have skipped Windows 9 to avoid any weirdness or ill will. Benny says that Trend Micro — a Japanese company — did the same thing a few years ago when it skipped version 9 of its antivirus software.

Second, someone purporting to be a Microsoft developer posted this comment on Reddit:
As stupid and amazing as this sounds, it is actually quite feasible that there are still a lot of legacy Desktop apps that use this method (or something similar) to check for Windows 95 or 98. Bear in mind that this is just an example piece of code — some developers will check for the OS name (“Windows…”), some will check for the version number (as discussed in the previous section of this story), and some might use other methods entirely to find out what OS the app is running on.

What’s in a name?

Ultimately, Windows 10 is just a name. Windows 9 probably would’ve made more sense — and I think it’s going to cause a lot of grief with novice users who just don’t understand what happened to Windows 9 — but Windows 10 isn’t any more right or wrong than calling Vista’s successor Windows 7.

A better question to ask now, though, is: Why did Microsoft call it Windows 10 specifically, and not something else? During the unveil event (video embedded above) Myerson gives us a few clues. Starting at around the 2:10 mark, he says: “We know, based on the product that’s coming, and just how different our approach will be overall, it wouldn’t be right to call it Windows 9.” He then talks about how Windows One would make sense with Xbox One, OneDrive, and OneNote, “but unfortunately Windows 1 has been done by the giants that came before us.” And so it seems the only other viable option was Windows 10.


Microsoft’s seemingly arbitrary naming convention of “Windows 10″ is an interesting one. It is clearly a strong version number — and it’s also a neat way of distancing it from Windows 8, which Microsoft really wants to brush under the carpet. In fact, this might even be the same trick that Microsoft used to make us forget about Vista: “With a name like Windows 7, it must be very different from Vista.”

 
What about any similarity to Apple’s Mac OS X? Apple did a similar trick: Its operating systems steadily incremented through System 1-7, then switched to Mac OS 8 and 9, and when it got to OS 10 (X) in 2001 it stopped. Given how Windows 10 is meant to be a single platform for just about every form factor, plus the massive weight and importance that Microsoft is lending to this release, I wouldn’t be surprised if it sticks around for a long time. I wouldn’t be surprised if future versions of Windows — at least for the next few years — are 10, 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, etc. I don’t think Microsoft is intentionally aping Apple with Windows 10, but I’m sure the marketing department is aware of both the positive and negative repercussions of wanting to ride on Apple’s coattails.

So, there you have it: Windows 10 is called Windows 10 because Microsoft says so — even if “Windows” or “Windows X” would’ve been better. If you want to give Windows 10 a spin before its release, you can follow our guide and install the technical preview.

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New aluminum air battery could blow past lithium-ion, runs on water

As battery technologies go, the world has a love-hate relationship with lithium-ion. On the one hand, breakthroughs in Li-ion designs and construction are responsible for the Tesla Model S, new installations, green energy research, and the modern smartphone. On the other hand, lithium-ion limitations are the reason why most EVs have a range of 40-60 miles, the Model S costs upwards of $80,000, and why your smartphone can’t last all day on a single charge. For all its promise and capability, lithium-ion has limited long-term utility — which is why a new announcement from Fuji Pigment is so interesting. The company is claiming that its new aluminum-air batteries can run for up to two weeks and be refilled with normal water.

How an aluminum-air battery works

First, some basics. The problem with battery technology isn’t whether or not we can build better batteries — as the chart below shows, we can build batteries that blow traditional lithium-ion out of the water. Keep in mind that the chart below is exponential, meaning that fuel cell technology has 10 times the energy density of a typical cobalt-Li ion battery.

The various “Metal-Air” batteries, including zinc-air, aluminum-air, and lithium-air, have some of the highest energy densities its possible to build. The difficulties with aluminum-air construction, in particular, has been rapid degradation of the anode and, in early models of Al-Air, the release of hydrogen gas.
Fuji Pigment’s new announcement makes repeated reference to the work of Ryohei Mori, and while the referenced papers aren’t available for free, the abstracts are online. The studies in question are all aimed at enhancing the performance of Al-air batteries while extending their useful lifetimes — typically, Al-air solutions begin to degrade immediately after the first charge cycle. According to Mori’s work, creating a secondary aluminum-air battery adjacent to the primary buffered the accumulation of byproducts that normally prevent the battery from working properly over the long term.
The “rechargability” of Al-air batteries requires some explanation. Al-air batteries are primary cells, which means they can’t be recharged via conventional means. As the aluminum anode is consumed by contact with oxygen, hydrated aluminum forms as a byproduct. That material can be recycled and used to create a new aluminum anode, which is why the batteries are referred to as rechargeable. Periodically, the aluminum anode will have to be replaced — it’s not clear how often the Fuji Pigment battery would need servicing of this sort.

Could Al-air be the next big thing?

New battery technologies and announcements are a dime a dozen, but there’s reason to think that a workable Al-air technology could deploy within the next 2-5 years. Multiple manufacturers are working on commercializing designs (Alcoa partnered with Phinergy in 2013 with plans for a 2017 debut), and aluminum is abundant and relatively cheap. Al-air batteries have actually been used in specialized military applications for years, which is important — it means there’s some pre-existing expertise and known characteristics that can be leveraged to create additional capacity.
That said, there are question, too. The hydrated aluminum oxide solution produced during the battery’s normal operation would need to be recycled in some fashion, it’s not clear that fresh water is as effective an aqueous solution as saltwater (meaning there might be specific need for one particular kind of solution). The final price is also unknown, though previous estimations had put the cost of an Al-air system at roughly $1.1 per kg of aluminum anode. This was not given in precise terms relative to the cost of gasoline (and the weight of the aluminum anode in these batteries is unknown), but the team that performed that analysis noted that proper recycling would put Al-air in the same cost range as conventional internal combustion engines.
Fuji Pigment has stated that it intends to commercialize this technology as early as this year, which means we could see test demonstrations and proof of concepts by 2016. Whether auto manufacturers will jump for the technology remains to be seen — car companies tend to be conservative and Tesla has already thrown its weight behind the further use of lithium-ion technology.




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Alcohol-powered micro fuel cell could one day power your smartphone

Engineers have been struggling for years to develop some new breakthrough idea that will push battery technology to the next level. Instead, we’ve been stuck with iterative improvements that limit the power and usefulness of our mobile devices. Perhaps batteries aren’t the right way to go at all, though. A doctoral researcher at Aalto University in Finland has developed a prototype of a highly efficient micro fuel cell that runs on alcohol. Maybe in the future when you swing by the bar for a drink, you’ll also be able to top off your phone.

We’re used to hearing about fuel cell technology in motor vehicles, but at the most basic level, fuel cells are simply a way to generate electricity. There’s no reason a fuel cell cant work in a mobile device, and the high energy density would make it potentially far superior to a lithium-ion battery. It’s just a matter of making the cell small and durable enough to ride around in a smartphone in your pocket all day.

The Aalto University fuel cell was designed by Gianmario Scotti for his doctoral dissertation. Like larger fuel cells, the micro cell consumes alcohol and oxygen, outputting water, carbon dioxide, and of course, electricity. It’s able to run on either methanol or ethanol, but the latter is preferable. Not only is ethanol easier to produce with our current energy infrastructure, it comes with minimal health hazards (this is the alcohol we can consume safely in moderation). Methanol, by contrast, is highly toxic when ingested, and is also a skin irritant.

 The cell designed by Scotti is a tiny aluminum wafer just 14 mm² and less than a millimeter thick. Using a picosecond laser allowed Scotti to fabricate the cell using aluminum rather than the more common silicon, which helped to reduce the cost and weight. Despite its small size, supplying it with alcohol outputs 0.5 volts — hydrogen can produce a full volt, but is far less practical. A few of these cells wired up in series would provide enough juice to keep your phone running. Then it’s just matter of keeping the reservoir supplied with reactants.

Scotti discusses in his dissertation the best way to refill a micro fuel cell like the one he’s designed. The system would need to be kept clean, so you wouldn’t just pop it open and pour some ethanol in. A pump or capillary action could be used to recharge the cell, but either method would be much faster than plugging a battery into the wall. Air (oxygen) is required for the reaction, so air quality might be more troublesome than the alcohol component. In regions with high particulate levels in the atmosphere, the fuel cell could become clogged and fail to function. So taking your micro fuel cell phone to Beijing might leave you without power, and no amount of booze is going to fix it.

Powering smartphones is really just the most consumer-facing use for micro fuel cells. Scotti suggests that these same devices could be of use with micro-satellites, which need to keep weight down for launch and only remain in orbit for a limited time. As for when these power sources might find their way into mobile devices, Scotti says it could be anywhere from 1-10 years. Until then, you’ll just have to fill yourself with alcohol instead of your phone.







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Kraftwerk fuel cell will let you charge your phone with gas

Even the largest external battery packs will only free you from the grid for so long before you need to plug in and recharge. Kraftwerk isn’t just another battery, even though it might look like one. This tiny 200g device is actually a self-contained fuel cell that runs on standard lighter gas and can charge an iPhone 11 times with just a tiny puff. After opening a Kickstarter campaign in early January, Kraftwerk has almost doubled its $500,000 goal.

Hardware Kickstarters are always a little more worrisome than those for software or services. A lot of things can go wrong in the manufacturing process as a project comes together, but the engineers at eZelleron have already developed the technology and have a working prototype to show off. It only takes three seconds to fill the reservoir in the Kraftwerk, which is much faster than charging a giant lithium-ion battery, but why go back to hydrocarbons?
 


For all the disadvantages hydrocarbons have, they come with extraordinary energy density. That’s why the cost of renewable energy still hasn’t caught up to good old-fashioned internal combustion. Of course, Kraftwerk is a fuel cell, so it’s not actually burning the lighter gas (sometimes called camping gas LPG fuel). Instead, it’s using a chemical reaction inside the fuel cell to harvest the hydrogen atoms from butane generate power. eZelleron is fond of calling this a personal power plant, which might be grandiose, but not necessarily wrong.
From what the company is saying about the process, Kraftwerk sounds like a very small, efficient solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC). The reaction of hydrocarbons (in the form of butane) and oxygen inside the fuel cell gives you power (and a tiny bit of heat), but the exhaust from this system isn’t bad. It’s just water vapor and carbon dioxide, not unlike the exhaust coming from you. It’s apparently also safe to take on an airplane. If the carbon output bothers you, there are eco-friendly LPG fuels available that are made from renewable sources.
You can charge anything that connects over USB with the Kraftwerk, but it only has the one port. That’s probably because the sustained power output is just 2 watts, with peak power of 10 watts. That’s enough to charge a phone or tablet, but some newer devices can accept up to 15 watts with Qualcomm Quick Charge enabled. Capacity is hard to measure compared to lithium-ion cells, but a full tank in the Kraftwerk should give you the equivalent of roughly 20,000mAh. However, you won’t lose anything to lithium-ion inefficiency as you would with a battery.

The Kraftwerk still has a month to go, but it’s closing in on $1 million. This is going to be a big one — all of the early bird deals are gone, so you’re looking at $99 for a single Kraftwerk. It’s pricey, but you can get a lot of efficient power from it — a single can of $5 lighter gas can refill the Kraftwerk a few dozen times. If you jump on this, eZelleron expects to start shipping final units in December 2015. Check out the Kickstarter video below:







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9 Videos With Tips And Tricks For Kali Linux!

Kali Linux is a relatively new Linux-based distro. But, the sixth edition of the famed hacking distro, Backtrack has already received much praise for its hacking and penetration testing abilities. These videos teach you some neat things that you can do using this powerful operating system!

1. How to Update Kali Linux After System Bootup or Restart

This is the first of a series of videos on Kali Linux Tips and Tricks. As the name suggests, this shows you how to update the new penetration testing Linux-based distro after system bootup or restart.

2. Install VMware Tools in a Kali Linux

VMware tools can be really useful on Kali Linux. If you don’t know how to get them, then this video will help.

3. Kali Linux ( Install Desktop Cinnamon 2D )

Although Kali Linux uses the GNOME desktop environment by default, you can still install others on it. Watch this video and learn how to get the Cinnamon 2D desktop on Kali Linux.

4. Add Arabic language to Kali Linux

Tips and tricks are sometimes meant for fun only. Getting the Arabic language on your Kali Linux distro may not be very useful, but you can do it for fun!

5. Kali Linux - How to Hack WiFi Tutorial - Sniffing WiFi Networks & Capturing Packets (BackTrack 6)

This video teaches you how you can use Kali Linux to sniff out WiFi networks and capture packets without connecting to them.

6. Hack FB using set ettercap (kali linux)

Want to use Kali Linux to hack into Facebook? Watch this video to learn how to do it.

7. Kali How to Hack WPA WPA2 the Right Way

This is a video demonstration for how you can hack into WPA/WPA2 connections using the Kali Linux distribution.

8. Control remote computer with SET / Pirater un ordinateur (Kali Linux)

This tutorial video shows you how you can control a remote computer. The video is not in English so watch closely!

9. Kali Linux - Security by Penetration Testing Tutorial: Network Discovery with Scapy

This is a tutorial video that teaches you how to use Scapy on Kali Linux for packet formatting, sending and receiving packets etc.  





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10 Reasons Why An Android Phone Is Better Than iPhone!

1.App Drawer:

You get a dedicated app drawer in Android smartphones, whereas in iPhone, all apps remain on a homescreen. This approach gives more freedom and efficiency to browse through the apps.

2. File Manager:

Android’s visible file system gives more control over data in your smartphone. You create folders, drag and drop them on computer. The open file system makes it as efficient as using the file system on computer. Apple doesn't give access to file system on iOS.

3. Customisation:


Android has multiple customisation offerings. You get wide range of widgets, themes and launcher. iPhone on the other hand has very limited customization options, user just gets to customize parallax effect and dynamic wallpapers.

4. Integrated Apps:

Android gives wide API access to the developers. So developers built applications that are highly integrated with the OS. Sharing the content across apps is more seamless in Android as compared to iPhone. However, in iOS8, iPhone has introduced Extensibility that makes this integration possible.

5. Image Management:

Android has better image management system. It automatically sorts and puts screenshots, downloaded photos and pictures in separate folders. This is very clustered in iPhone. iPhone puts everything in camera roll.

6. Notifications:

You get informative icons of notifications on top of notification bar, it is filled with icons, which gives reminder of what you have received. In iOS, there are no such icons. You have to pull down the notification bar every time to check for notifications.

7. Lockscreen:

Android provides multiple screen locking options. You can personalise the locking of screen in Android. It features pattern lock, pin lock, facial recognition. While, iPhone has just pin lock; only latest iPhones feature the fingerprint scanner.

8. Gmail:

The default mailing app on Android is much more user friendly and real-time in Android. The latest Inbox is quite revolutionary. In iOS, the mailing app lacks many basic features. If an email consists a phone number, you cannot even dial it on iPhone.

9. Google Keep:

Google Keep is the best note taking app. It is limited to Android only. The best part is, notes stay synced with Google Drive. You can use the unofficial ‘GoKeep’ app for iPhone to access Keep on iOS.

10. External Storage:

External storage comes very handy in case of sharing. Most Android phones feature microSD support. You can expand your storage to any limit with Android. Whereas on iPhone, you have to compromise with limited internal storage that you get. 




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Top 8 Alternative Options For Bootstrap!

Selecting right tools for developing a small web project is a key factor. Web developers often choose options like Bootstrap or Footing for web projects. There are number of frameworks available which developers can use instead of Bootstrap or Footing. Today we have listed eight alternative options for Bootstrap and Footing that you can use for your small-scaled website projects.


1. CardinalCSS:
This is an ultimate CSS composition for developers. The tool is designed with focus on effectiveness, readability and maintainability. CardinalCSS is easy-to-use tool for development of mobile sites. You can easily establish CSS field element using this tool.


2. ConciseCSS:
ConciseCSS is built using Sass, MUCH LESS and Stylus. The platform is golden path for CSS maintainability. You can also develop vanilla CSS using ConciseCSS. The platform offers slender CSS tool.


3. PowertoCSS:
PowertoCSS is a lightweight tool for front-end development. Developers can use this tool to construct particular grid for websites. PowertoCSS does not use quick and easy styles. You can also create your personal design using PowertoCSS.


4. Skeleton:
Skeleton is a revolutionary grid tool for web development. The is well-adopted tool for development of mobile sites. This tool follows mobile-first approach and hence, the actual format of content takes center phase.


5. Furtive:
Furtive is another mobile-first CSS structure. This tool has Flexbox grid and rem model integrated within it. Furtive helps in CSS footprint. Furtive is a great tool for creating internet site. The tool is built using cutting-edge web specifications.


6. BassCSS:
BassCSS is a group of integrated factor designs and utilities. The tool lets you play with typography, white space and breakpoints in web page design. BassCSS features shade designs, inside modular variety etc options that are important for responsive website request.


7. TukTuk:
TukTuk is an amazing identification platform, it is significantly better than Bootstrap or Groundwork. The tool consists of simple, light-weight elements that are required for development of presentable website. You can play around with typography, dining tables and some user interface elements in TukTuk.


8. Base:
Base is built using Sass and MUCH LESS. The tool consists of essential element required to built websites. Base is strongly associated with HTML elements. Base doesn’t include JavaScript factors. Base is a great tool to develop browser compatible websites.




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