As I previously mentioned, it looks like we can expect to see a Skip Ahead build for Windows 10 (20H1) shortly after each Fast Ring build right now as fixes heading into those Fast Ring builds are also being incorporated into the Skip Ahead releases.

Since the beginning of March, less than a week into the new month, we have had two Fast Ring builds (18348 & 18351) released in close proximity to two Skip Ahead builds (18845 & this release 18850).

While this week’s Windows 10 (20H1) Build 18850 release contains fixes we saw made to the 19H1 builds, the Windows team also focused on a big bug fix update to the operating systems Skip & Sketch app. Interestingly, this update is not just rolling out to Skip Ahead builds but is also expected to arrive for other testing rings and production releases of Windows 10.

Otherwise, as I have been doing for both Fast and Skip Ahead rings, I did document the latest usage data for the Reserved Storage feature that was added to Windows 10 late last year. 

Note: Earlier this week, after the release of Windows 10 (19H1) Build 18351 to the Fast Ring, I updated that Reserved Storage tracking with the 10th overall build.

On the Windows 10 (20H1) Skip Ahead side, this week’s release is just the fourth data point for Reserved Storage in that branch since it started up last month.

Here is the total list with the addition of Build 18850 for Windows 10 (20H1):

Lenovo X1 Yoga

• Build 18836 – 7.15GB
• Build 18841 – 7.50GB
• Build 18845 – 7.41GB
• Build 18850 – 7.22GB

On a final note, a couple of other tidbits landed around the same time as this builds was released:

• Announcing the Open Sourcing of Windows Calculator
• Data, insights and listening to improve the customer experience

The first one is cool because this might be the beginning of Microsoft open sourcing more peripheral elements of the Windows operating system although I do not believe it signals any movement towards open sourcing Windows itself. Not sure that will ever happen in its current configuration but then again, who could have predicted some of the things we see from Microsoft these days just five years ago.

The second item is a new entry in Microsoft’s efforts to provide transparency about the Windows 10 development process and the measures of its reliability in the real world. Data geeks will love it.

Windows 10 (20H1) Skip Ahead Build 18850 Screenshot Gallery