1809 update finally released by Microsoft, along with empty promises of future change

We always knew it would come eventually; the only remaining question was the timing of the thing. Let's start with the details, as reported by ZDNet:

Microsoft has resumed the rollout of Windows 10 version 1809. The re-release of the so-called October 2018 Update comes more than five weeks after the company pulled the original installation files from its download servers and stopped its scheduled delivery through Windows Update just days after its initial debut on Oct. 2.

In a blog post, Microsoft's John Cable, the director of Program Management for Windows Servicing and Delivery, says the data-destroying bug that triggered that unprecedented decision, as well as other quality issues that emerged during the unscheduled hiatus, have been "thoroughly investigated and resolved."

[...]

Don't expect to see this version on Windows Update just yet, however. You might be offered the new release if you manually check for updates, but the company says it plans a "slow, measured release" that will err on the side of caution before expanding the update to a broader population.

So, yes, they managed to get their 1809 update, which was initially released 1810, out by 1811, which means that Microsoft are spared the humiliation of releasing this thing in December. Good job, Microsoft!

In a separate blog post, Windows Corporate Vice President Michael Fortin offered some context behind the recent issues and announced changes to the way the company approaches communications and "the transparency around our process."

The dense post, billed as "first in a series of more in-depth explanations of the work we do to deliver quality in our Windows releases," acknowledges the problems that come with the sheer size and scale of the hardware ecosystem that Windows is at the heart of. [...] Fortin's post also includes a lengthy explanation of Microsoft's testing policy, in response to critics who say that major changes in the testing process weakened Windows quality.

That lengthy explanation basically boils down "we do lots of testing, really," with no explanation of how so many high-impact bugs slipped through that testing process, this time around. Fortin does promise to give more details of their in-house testing process "in a future blog," presumably after Microsoft have finished hiring replacements for all the in-house testers that Microsoft unceremoniously let go the second those testers voted to unionize.

Whether Microsoft's tepid attempts to explain themselves (notably, still without actually apologizing for anything) have the effect of restoring confidence remains to be seen. Personally, I have doubts; given how many issues they've had with this update cycle, and the fact that they're still being really vague about exactly what went wrong and how they'll prevent those same problems in the future, I have the feeling that Microsoft's customers will want to see details of substantive changes to the way Microsoft do things before they return to believing what Microsoft tells them on this front.

The reaction of Paul Thurrott on the First Ring Daily podcast sums it up pretty well: "You can't trust anything these people tell you. They literally have no idea what they're doing." Thurrott, remember, is a Microsoft supporter; that even he has lost all faith in their ability to deliver on Windows As A Service, when a significant chunk of the market is far less enthusiastic than Thurrott, should give you some idea of the magnitude of the problem that Microsoft is now facing.

If you're looking for a silver lining, though, ZDNet have one for you:

Meanwhile, the big question for anyone running Windows 10 is whether it's safe to download the October 2018 Update. It's hard to blame anyone for being skeptical, but it's also a fact that this release, which is now running on just shy of six million PCs, is unquestionably the most heavily tested in the brief history of Windows 10.

Somehow, I don't think that's going to help 1809's rate of uptake. Given that Pro and Enterprise users can defer the 1809 update for a full year after its declared "ready for business," which won't happen until early 2019 at the earliest, I'm expecting 19H1 to find its way onto more PCs than 1809 ever will.

GG, Microsoft! I can't say it's well done, but you've certainly done a thorough job, here.