Windows 10 version 1903 is heading towards the finish line

It is clear that Microsoft is in the very last stages of the development of Windows 10 version 1903, the update of April 2019. The fast distribution ring saw the arrival of two versions this week after those from two weeks ago, without new features, but a list of bugs reduced gradually according to the development model presented in previous updates. In the past, the company had been trying to publish feature upgrades of Windows 10 on Patch Patch on the second Tuesday of each month, which means it stays a little under three weeks.

Alarmingly, some longstanding issues with the publication are still unresolved. A green screen error caused by the use of games with BattlEye anti-cheat software is a feature of the 1903 previews for many months and Microsoft still lists it as unresolved. The scope and impact of this bug were so significant that the slow distribution ring had not received a glimpse of 1903 for much of its development process; Microsoft felt that it was too likely that it would affect too many people to be usable. This is eminently plausible, since BattlEye is used by PUBG and Fortnite, among other games. The company finally sold in February, putting forward a new version of the slow ring but blacklisting all systems with third party software incriminated.

The bug has been listed for the first time as a known issue with version 18298, released on December 10th. Microsoft says it is working with BattlEye to fix the problem, but no visible progress has been made so far. BattlEye boasts of using a kernel mode component as part of its anti-cheat software. Using the kernel means that it is harder for a cheat software to hide or otherwise interfere with what BattlEye does, but with that comes the temptation to play with the data structures of the system. Operations and functions that are not documented, which then leads to system crashes when the operating system is updated.

Similarly, a second long-standing bug still appears worryingly in the list of known issues: Creative X-Fi sound cards do not work (loosely) correctly. This problem exists almost as long as the BattlEye problem; it was listed for the first time as a known flaw in version 18305, published on December 19th. As for the BattlEye problem, Microsoft claims to work with the responsible third party, in this case Creative, to solve the problem. But it's also been three months, with no apparent sign of resolution.

At some point, something must give way. It seems unlikely that Microsoft is willing to undo the changes in the kernel that upset BattlEye. this, at this point, would undermine and invalidate much of the preview testing done for this release. The long period without slow publishing already means that these tests will be a little slimmer than during previous upgrades. On the other hand, a feature upgrade that breaks PUBG and Fortnite is not likely to fly, either.

Microsoft really needs a trouble-free feature update and seamlessly deployed as a first step towards rebuilding trust in the company's development and update processes. If Creative and BattlEye do not manage to clean up their homes, it seems Redmond will have to wait a little longer to get it out without a problem.