For some time now, we've known that there are big changes coming to Microsoft's desktop operating system. It's the worst kept secret at Microsoft, and now, the Redmond firm is finally ready to take the wraps off of the next generation of Windows.

CEO Satya Nadella called it just that when he teased it at Build. Of course, in the old days, that's exactly where the company would have announced this stuff. But Windows news at Build was sparse, and as we knew, there's an event coming up.

The event will be held on June 24 at 11am ET, and as usual, it's going to be a virtual event. Microsoft said last year that all of its events are going to be virtual until at least July 2021, so this holds up.

Nadella promised that this is going to be the biggest update to Windows in over a decade, and that's a bold claim. The last decade includes both Windows 8 and Windows 10. And you might recall that Windows 8 was the biggest change to Windows in the history of the OS. It was split into a full-screen Metro environment and the classic desktop environment, and there were all kinds of touch gestures. Some might not even remember this because a lot of people skipped Windows 8, and much of this stuff was rolled back in Windows 10.

While Windows 8 was a failure, it was the biggest change to Windows. Nadella is promising that this change is bigger than that. We'll find out on the 24th.

We do know that the update that's coming is codenamed Sun Valley, and Microsoft has been trying to keep a lid on it. The Windows Insider Program has barely gotten any tastes of Sun Valley, and that's not because it's not ready. The company was just waiting to unveil it at an event.

After that, Windows Insiders should get their hands on it pretty quickly. New versions of Windows RTM in June and December, so this one is almost done.

What's been unclear is if this will be called Windows 10. The Windows 10 branding isn't mentioned in the invitation. It's just the phrase, "Join us to see what's next for Windows." Some have speculated that it will be called Windows 11, and that could fit if Microsoft wants to make a big deal of it. Of course, we'll find out everything about the next generation of Windows in a few weeks. You'll be able to live-stream it here.