Windows 11 should get feature updates faster through so-called Experience Packs. Microsoft wants to move away from annual, major updates.
The goal, according to the software giant, is to be able to add functionalities, without the traditional, major updates that it usually introduces once a year. It should eventually lead to a more modular operating system, reports Windows Latest. That is why Microsoft wants to decouple a lot of functions from explorer.exe. This should make it easier to add new features for the taskbar or desktop.
The Experience Packs seem to be somewhat at odds with the strategy that Microsoft previously seemed to want to use. The reasoning was to release a major update annually so that users do not have to constantly install update packages. The tech giant found that it puts too many restrictions on them for releasing new features. With the Experience Packs, Microsoft creates more space for rolling out new features.
Experience Packs for Start Menu
Microsoft is now testing a first, immediate feature update for the Windows 11 Start Menu: the Online Service Experience Pack. That brings improvements to the “–Windows.Shell.StartMenu” part. The menu itself will remain the same, but the software manufacturer is testing a method to roll out new features without a major update. It would also allow Microsoft to deploy patches for issues and new features more quickly. These are first tested in the environment of the Dev, Canary and Beta versions of Windows and then made available for the consumer version.
Windows Latest expects that Microsoft will initially want to make the start menu more modular and therefore adaptable. For example, users may be able to remove the ‘Recommended’ content and possibly only display icons or add new animations.
