Preferred Windows 10 version

[VirtuallyMikeB]

I'm looking at a greenfield Horizon 7 deployment that will use Windows 10. What's the latest, stable version of Windows 10 that works the best with Horizon, UEM, and App Volumes these days?

I don't know much about the versions of Windows 10.  I hear things like 1803 or 1704 thrown around. I'm guessing these are just Microsoft's new way of identifying update levels of Windows 10. Feel free to correct me or lay some knowledge down, as the kids say these days. Thanks!

[BenFB]

Here is VMware's published statement on how they will handle each release of Windows 10 as well as the current support status.

Windows 10 Guest OS support FAQ for Horizon 7.x and 6.x (51663)

Supported versions of Windows 10 on Horizon Agent Including All VDI Clones (Full Clones, Instant Clo...

[BarryUWSEFS]

That is a good question without a straightforward answer. I recently deployed Win 10 for the first time and used the current release 1803. What I discovered when optimizing the image for virtual deployment was a lot of changes between the different versions. I was reading documentation for 1603 that didn't work for 1709 or 1803. Or for 1709 that was broken in 1803 etc. Things a s simple as custom start menu layouts were agonizing! One option to consider is LTSB (Long Term Servicing Branch) because it dos not change so much. It has been recommended quite a bit for VM's but I really do not know much about and do not have access to it.

[BenFB]

I've been told that LTSB is really the new Windows embedded/CE and should be limited to that use case (e.g. ATM, kiosk, PoS, etc..). That being said I've heard multiple people here on the forums report they use it with success. The major downsize is that it lacks all of the new features that are being added but in this case that may be a good thing.

Overview of Windows as a service (Windows 10) | Microsoft Docs

The Long Term Servicing Channel, which is designed to be used only for specialized devices (which typically don't run Office) such as those that control medical equipment or ATM machines, receives new feature releases every two to three years. For details about the versions in each servicing channel, see Windows 10 release information.

[RyanHardy]

We are using the 1607 LTSB/LTSC release and honestly I couldn't image using Horizon (or physical PCs) in an enterprise environment with the "normal" edition since we would be forced to constantly update our group policies etc. to address all the changes. And especially with Horizon you want a base system that is as basic as possible and that would be LTSB. It is like every other Windows 10, just without all the unneeded stuff like metro apps, Candy Crush, ...

You can't really compare it with Windows CE, as this was really a stripped down version. That would be Windows 10 IoT now, I guess.

[BenFB]

While I agree with everything that you are saying Microsoft is clear that LTSB/LTSC is not to be used for general-purpose desktops. I wish Microsoft had worded this differently since the LTSB/LTSC release seems to come with a lot less headache but our internal groups wouldn't allow it.

Overview of Windows as a service (Windows 10) | Microsoft Docs

The Long Term Servicing Channel, which is designed to be used only for specialized devices (which typically don't run Office) such as those that control medical equipment or ATM machines, receives new feature releases every two to three years.

Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB is a separate Long Term Servicing Channel version.

Long-term Servicing channel is not intended for deployment on most or all the PCs in an organization; it should be used only for special-purpose devices. As a general guideline, a PC with Microsoft Office installed is a general-purpose device, typically used by an information worker, and therefore it is better suited for the Semi-Annual servicing channel.

[BarryUWSEFS]

It is frustrating that Microsoft makes it so difficult to deploy Win 10 to the enterprise. I assumed LTSB was throwing us a bone.