Last November, Microsoft announced an initiative to adjust the way that Windows devices of all kinds receive updates. Broadly speaking, the purpose…
Last November, Microsoft announced an initiative to adjust the way that Windows devices of all kinds receive updates. Broadly speaking, the purpose of the initiative is to reduce the download size of updates, make them require less local processing, and give users more control over the time of installation. After a few rounds of testing with its Windows Insiders, Microsoft announced that its PC users can soon expect the download size of major Windows updates to decrease by about 35%.
This drop in size will be made possible by what Microsoft calls differential download packages. These packages don’t include the files that will remain unchanged in the new build. Instead, these packages contain only new files and « binary deltas » designed to adjust existing files on users’ systems.
