For years, Microsoft has been trying, unsuccessfully, to find a way to modernize Windows and the apps that run on it. Previous attempts—like Windows RT, Windows 10 S/S Mode, and Windows 10 on ARM have failed, and for the same basic reason: Customers rejected something that looked identical to “real” Windows but couldn’t run all of the classic desktop applications that they rely on and require. And that’s where Windows 10X succeeds: It provides a more modern platform while retaining compatibility with the past.

Sound familiar? It should, because that’s exactly what Microsoft accomplished with Windows NT in the mid-1990s. It created a more modern platform that, in its case, looked and worked exactly like Windows, while also offering compatibility the apps—and drivers and peripherals—that its customers expected to use. Yes, Windows NT was a bit rough at first. But once it fully met its customers’ needs, NT became Windows, starting with Windows XP, in 2001.