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Window 10 - Impressions and Recommendations
It is good riddance time for Windows 8/8.1, which is being replaced by Windows 10, Microsoft’s latest operating system. To most computer users, Windows 8 reflected too much change for change sake, and too steep of a learning curve, for very little functional advantage, rendering the transition hardly worth the trouble. The sheen of the Windows 8 Start Screen quickly faded with the realization that most of those colorful tiles were predominately for stuff related to entertainment, games, solicitation and shopping, not productivity. With Windows 10, Microsoft answered many of those criticisms, added some clever new features, and came a bit closer to making the new operating system as straightforward as earlier versions of Windows.
At a Glance
Microsoft wants you to believe Windows 10 is a whole new animal that completely parts ways with its much-maligned predecessor, Windows 8/8.1 (notice they completely skipped Windows 9), but Windows 10 is, in reality, a relatively modest, but good, rewrite of 8.1.
In Windows 10, the goofy Windows 8.1 Start menu has been replaced with one that is more like the traditional Windows Start menu, with some extra features. The Windows 8 Start Screen (sometimes called the “Metro Interface”), with all the big colorful tiles, has been demoted and is now part of the Start menu. The touch-friendly tiles are all smaller and on the right side of the Start menu, so you have to scroll or swipe down that right side of the menu to get at them all. The Windows 8 “Charms” has been replaced by the much more functional and versatile “Action Center”, which you can still get to by swiping from the right, or by clicking or tapping on that text-box icon on the taskbar, down near the clock.
The Good Stuff
On the plus side, Windows 10 seems to be a very stable operating system, which is a techie way of saying it does not seem to be prone to freeze-ups, conflicts, or “crashes”. It also renders video graphics very well, meaning stuff on the display is crisp and clear, and individual items like buttons and menus seem to be better defined, which also makes them a bit more touch friendly. Better yet, Windows 10 is also supposed to be more efficient in terms of power and processor usage, so laptop owners in particular may experience cooler running computers and longer battery run times between charges.
In addition to the improved Start menu, Windows 10 does have some clever built-in features, like a voice recognition virtual assistant (called Cortana), Task View (a blank desktop splashed with thumbnails of the open windows), the new “Edge” web browser (integrates with other Windows features, and is supposed to be better than Internet Explorer, but really, how could it possibly be any worse?), and native apps that now open in windows on the desktop with much more familiar controls. All-in-all, a noticeable improvement over Windows 8.1
Could be Better
Sadly, however, at least some of the silly schizophrenic nature of Windows 8/8.1 has been carried over to Windows 10. To find all of the controls and settings for the operating system, you need to go to two completely different areas, “Control Panel” or “Settings”, which you get to via completely different avenues. Windows Update settings, for example, got moved from the System Properties of the Control Panel to Update and Security Settings of the Action Center. But can you get to the Control Panel from the Action Center or vice versa? Of course not, that would make too much sense. Also similar to Windows 8/8.1, getting to many of the functions and controls still seems to take way too many clicks and steps compared to earlier version of Windows. And would it have really been that hard to include the simple legacy Windows games in a folder right on the Start menu?
Security and Privacy
It is still too early in the life cycle of this new operating system to know if claims about improved security against internet threats have any validity, but privacy is another story. In general, the newer the operating system - Microsoft, Apple or Android - the more those companies are collecting data on you, how you are using the device, where you are going on the internet, what you are searching for and buying, etc., and they are using that data to try to sell you stuff. Starting with Window 8, Microsoft completely shifted the focus of its operating system from being an information technology tool for the consumer to a solicitation tool for itself and all the other companies that pay them for the access and exposure, and Windows 10 continues that trend.
To help mitigate some of those privacy exposure concerns, many Windows 10 owners will “disconnect” their PC’s from a Microsoft account, switching instead to a local account, which means the activity on the computer stays on the computer and is not shared with others via the cloud. That tactic comes with its own gotcha, however, as then the apps that need to share info with the internet or other devices via the cloud will require you to log in to the Microsoft account app by app, and some apps (Cortana, for example) won’t work at all. Defenders of this apparent digital privacy extortion policy would argue that this makes complete sense as without the interconnectivity allowed by the Microsoft account, notes to self created using Cortana on one device won’t show up on other devices. It would seem, however, that there must be plenty of Windows 10 owners who would not care about that and still want to use the voice recognition virtual assistant on the one computer.
Upgrading
Who should consider upgrading to Windows 10? Currently, and for a limited time, computers running Windows 7 or 8.1 are eligible for a free upgrade to Windows 10. If your current computer is running Windows 8/8.1, you will probably be happier if you do upgrade to 10. If your computer currently has Windows 7, the question of upgrading to 10 would depend on whether stuff installed on it (software, peripheral devices, etc.) are Windows 10 compatible, so that may require some research and/or consultation. Windows 7 laptop owners may want to upgrade just for the lower power and temperature advantages alone. If you are running an older Windows XP computer, upgrading it to Windows 10 is probably asking for trouble, both in terms of performance and compatibility.
For those who've decided to take the plunge and upgrade to Windows 10, the steps for doing so, along with recommendations for minimizing the potential for complications, confusion, and privacy concerns, are in this Adobe Reader file: Windows 10 Upgrading.
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