14 DAY TRIAL // As part of the switch to Windows as a Service, Microsoft has also changed the way it documents updates for Windows 10 PCs, providing almost no information about the improvements they bring unless there’s something really important included.
It turns out that the very same strategy is now being used for Windows 7, as Microsoft has just shipped an update to computers running this OS version that brings improvements to the Windows Update client. What kind of enhancements is yet unknown though, as Microsoft is once again providing us with updates without actually offering any kind of release information.
KB3083324 is specifically aimed at Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 machines and “contains some improvements to Windows Update Client,” according to the information posted by Microsoft in the official KB article.
No change log unless there’s something big
The secrecy around Windows updates is happening because of Microsoft’s decision to detail the patches it releases to users only if they provide significant changes, so cumulative updates, bug fixes, and small patches are very likely to ship without any information.
“As we have done in the past, we post KB articles relevant to most updates which we’ll deliver with Windows as a service. Depending on the significance of the update and if it is bringing new functionality to Windows customers, we may choose to do additional promotion of new features as we deploy them,” a Microsoft spokesperson was quoted as saying last month.
This isn’t obviously the best approach, given the fact that users need to know what they install on their computers, so posts on UserVoice that call for the company to provide change logs for every update have already received thousands of votes.
In the meantime, Microsoft doesn’t seem to be willing to change its strategy regarding Windows update information, and it has only said that, at some point in the future, enterprise customers could indeed get some release notes, but only for certain updates.
Thank you, Bobo, for the tip!