Belfiore's Secret T-Shirt Message Explains Why Windows 10 and not 9

Article by George Norman (Cybersecurity Editor)

on 08 May 2015

Ever wonder why the successor to Windows 8 will be called Windows 10 and not Windows 9? While Microsoft did not provide an official answer, Windows chief Joe Belfioare did.

He provided an answer in the form of a corny, corny, joke hidden inside some binary code arranged to look like the official Microsoft logo. The logo you see on Belfiore's shirt in the image above, is made up of binary code, code that hides several messages, including one that explains why Microsoft went with Windows 10 instead of 9.

Microsoft rolled out Windows 7, then Windows 8, and then the Windows 8.1 update. The next Windows edition, which is scheduled for a summer 2015 release, will be called…not Windows 9, as you might have guessed, it will be called Windows 10.

Why Windows 10 and not Windows 9? Microsoft's Joe Belfiore, Corporate Vice President of the Operating Systems Group, jokingly provided an answer.

Last week, Microsoft held the Build conference and talked about the upcoming Windows 10 operating system, about the new Microsoft Edge that will replace Internet Explorer as the default web browser, and about the HoloLens virtual reality devices.

The video embedded below presents the keynote highlights from the Build 2015 conference. Belfiore shows up about 3 minutes in. Take a good look at his shirt, because it contains a secret message.



The Microsoft logo on Belfiore’s T-shirt is made up of a bunch of zeros 1’s and 0’s – binary code. Developer Kévin Gosse cracked the code and found that it contains 4 messages.
  1. There are 10 types of people in the world
  2. Windows 10, because 7 8 9.
  3. Congrats on being one of the first.
  4. Windows Insiders help us develop the future. Talk to us @ Windows

So there you have it, the answer to why Microsoft decided to name Windows 8’s successor as Windows 10 and not Windows 9. Because seven ate nine. Oh, I do apologize, I meant to write eight, not ate.

When I started to write this article, I was amazed that Belifiore could make such a corny joke. But now, as I approach the end of the article, I’m starting to like it precisely because it is so corny.



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