Microsoft confirm it's testing Windows updates with regular Joes, not just Insiders

[Tipup]

WELL ABOUT ruddy time. Months after we first pointed out that the Microsoft's undoubtedly worthy and wonderful Insider Programme for Windows 10 tended to have a fairly shallow gene pool in terms of the type of user it attracted, the company has finally confirmed that it is looking outside the group to test its betas on a wider range of equipment - and they won't necessarily know.

If you're the type of person that manually checks for updates to the operating system, then it could be you, because it's these proactive updates that tend to be the fodder.

Put simply, Microsoft identifies the weeks of the month with letters - 1=A 2=B 3=C and 4=D. There are no regular updates in week A unless there's some sort of emergency or zero-day that needs addressing immediately.

Week B is Patch Tuesday week. These are the patches that everyone gets as part of Windows-as-a-Service and are pushed.

In weeks "C" and "D", you'll find the optional updates. These are only triggered manually, and often consist of "preview releases", and are mostly aimed at commercial customers who want to test before rolling out to everyone in the next week "B" as part of an opt-in program.

But there's another kind of update - the Monthly Test Pass (MTP). This, according to Microsoft, "utilizes broad suites of regression tests and leverages internal and external testing labs with global coverage that include tens of thousands of diverse devices from PCs to servers to ensure application and hardware compatibility."

So, these appear to be deliberately targeted users that refresh the parts that Insiders don't reach.

With the majority of users still waiting for the October 2018 Update of Windows 10 to be stable enough to download, it was becoming clear that the Insider Program needed a bit of help this time, and thankfully, Microsoft has confirmed that's exactly what it's doing. μ