Microsoft will launch Windows 8 on Friday, Oct. 26, the organization announced today.

Windows president Steven Sinofsky announced the date this afternoon at microsoft office 2013 professional internal sales conference in Atlanta. The organization had previously said Windows 8 would reach general availability in late October, but executives hadn't given a specific date.

Windows 8 may be the biggest alternation in the flagship operating system since Windows 95, as the company tries to remake the interface to work across tablets and traditional computers.

Not sure on the release date for cheap office 2016 professional plus Surface tablet computers. The organization has said previously the machines will be available around the same time as Windows 8.

The October timeframe is one thing of a tradition for Windows, but the Friday launch is unusual. Or windows 7 premiered on Oct 25, 2001, a Thursday; and Windows 7 debuted on Oct. 22, 2009, additionally a Thursday. (Windows Vista debuted on Jan. 30, 2007, a Thursday, following a devastating delay that caused the operating-system to miss the holidays.)

And for the record, microsoft office 2010 launched on Aug. 24, 1995, a Thursday.