The Origins of 'Modern Experience'

It has been over 15 years since Microsoft first unveiled Windows 8 on June 1, 2011. While the operating system eventually reached its end-of-support date on January 12, 2016, its development phase remains a topic of historical interest. Raymond Chen, a veteran software engineer at Microsoft, recently shared insights from his The Old New Thing series regarding the internal terminology used during the project's development.


According to Chen, the team needed a simple way to distinguish their new work from the preceding Windows 7 architecture. While Windows 7 was referred to internally as the “classic experience,” the upcoming project was dubbed the “modern experience.” Chen admitted that the naming process lacked a certain level of creativity, noting: “Not being a particularly clever bunch when it comes to code names, we just called it ‘the modern experience.’”


The 'Mo' Prefix Trend

True to Microsoft’s internal culture of abbreviating terminology—often referred to as “Microspeak”—the development team began shortening the components of the new operating system. The new shell was labeled the “modern shell,” or “MoSh,” while the previous iteration was termed the “classic shell.” There was even a brief attempt to refer to the latter as “ClaSh,” though the term never gained widespread traction.


Chen highlighted that the “Mo” prefix became a standard fallback for components that lacked a distinct name. Examples of this naming convention included:

  • MoGo: Based on the “Go page,” which served as a central hub for user search and navigation.
  • MoSet: The internal name for the settings control panel.
  • MoCo: Shortened from the “modern collection control” (originally the ListView control).

Evolution of Microsoft’s Internal Projects

Microsoft’s internal vocabulary continues to evolve as the company tackles modern challenges. A recent example is “Windows K2,” an internal codename for a project aimed at resolving significant issues within Windows 11. As part of this initiative, the company has begun addressing user feedback, such as reducing the prominence of Copilot and granting users more control over update scheduling—a degree of flexibility not seen since the Windows 8 era.