Windows 10 is what Windows 8 should have been, Looking back at Windows 8, it’s easy to see where Microsoft went wrong. It was a giant bet on touch-based computing, but it made using a PC with a keyboard and mouse awkward, frustrating, and outright confusing. But with the release of windows 10, Microsoft is trying to set it right. The most favourite start menu is back, with the combination of both the start menu from windows 7 and the Start screen of windows 8.
Instead of booting you a completely different screen, the Start menu lives in the lower-lefthand corner — just like it did in Windows 7. Microsoft is keeping the Live Tiles it introduced in Windows 8, but it’s put them inside the Start menu. That means that they won’t take up your entire monitor anymore (unless you really want them to). You can pin both modern and traditional apps to the Start menu, and there’s easy access to settings, shutdown or restart, and a list of most-used apps complete with handy jump lists for apps like Word that handle files. This mix of features feels like the best approach for bringing the Start menu back, and you can resize it freely to customize it further.
Unifying Windows
Windows 10 introduces what Microsoft described as a "universal" application architecture; expanding on Metro-style apps, these apps can be designed to run across multiple Microsoft product families with nearly identical code—including PCs, tablets, smartphones, embedded systems, Xbox One, Surface Hub and HoloLens. Windows 10's user interface was revised to handle transitions between a mouse-oriented interface and a touchscreen-optimized interface based on available input devices—particularly on laplets; both interfaces include an updated Start menu that comprises a design similar to Windows 7 with 8's tiles. Windows 10 also introduces Task View, a virtual desktop system, the Microsoft Edge web browser and other new or updated applications, integrated support for fingerprint and face recognition login, new security features for enterprise environments, DirectX 12 and WDDM 2.0 to improve the operating system's graphics capabilities for games.
Ease of use
For those of us who rely on a mouse and keyboard, Windows 10’s ease of use rates right up there with Windows 7 and is light-years ahead of Windows 8/8.1. For the touch crowd, with a few exceptions noted below, Windows 10 works as well as Windows 8.1, which may be (properly) construed as damning with faint praise. There’s a learning curve with touch, along with disappointing limitations, no matter which version of Windows you currently use.
Windows 10 boots faster, works faster, and seems much more robust than either Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1. I haven’t had any problems with drivers or programs that run on Windows 8/8.1, although all of those old Metro apps are destined for the bit bucket. Clearly, the new Windows Universal apps hold great promise, but they aren’t there yet.
Screenshot of Windows 10, showing the Start Menu and Action Center
A new iteration of the Start menu is used on the Windows 10 desktop, with a list of places and other options on the left side, and tiles representing applications on the right. The menu can be resized, and expanded into a full-screen display, which is the default option in Tablet mode. A new virtual desktop system known as Task View was added. Clicking the Task View button on the taskbar or swiping from the left side of the screen displays all open windows and allows users to switch between them, or switch between multiple workspaces.Windows Store apps, which previously could be used only in full screen mode, can now be used in self-contained windows similarly to other programs. Program windows can now be snapped to quadrants of the screen by dragging them to the corner. When a window is snapped to one side of the screen, the user is prompted to choose a second window to fill the unused side of the screen (called "Snap Assist"). Windows' system icons were also changed to a new, minimalist design.
The "Task View" display is a new feature to Windows 10, allowing the use of multiple workspaces.
Charms have been removed; their functionality in Windows Store apps is accessed from an App commands menu on their titlebar. In its place is Action Center, which displays notifications and settings toggles. It is accessed by clicking an icon in the system tray, or dragging from the right of the screen. Notifications can be synced between multiple devices. The Settings app (formerly PC Settings) was refreshed and now includes more options that were previously exclusive to the desktop Control Panel.
The Action centre, all the notifications Shows up here
If you’re coming from Windows 8.1 with a mostly tablet mindset, the new Tablet mode in Windows 10 has much of the ease-of-use benefits of touch Windows 8.1, such as spread-out tiles and the Start options hidden under a hamburger icon, with a few minor annoyances. For example, you can’t turn off the taskbar at the bottom of the screen, no matter which app is running. You’re also stuck with the rigid organization of tiles into three- or four-wide groups.
No, touch has not gone away: Behold the new tablet mode of Windows 10.
Windows 10 is designed to adapt its user interface based on the type of device being used and available input methods. It offers two separate user interface modes: a user interface optimized for mouse and keyboard, and a "Tablet mode" designed for touchscreens. Users can toggle between these two modes at any time, and Windows can prompt or automatically switch when certain events occur, such as disabling Tablet mode on a tablet if a keyboard or mouse is plugged in, or when a laplet is switched to its laptop state. In Tablet mode, programs default to a maximized view, and the taskbar contains a back button and hides buttons for opened or pinned programs; Task View is used instead to switch between programs. The full screen Start menu is used in this mode, similarly to Windows 8, but scrolls vertically instead of horizontally.
For those of us who rely on a mouse and keyboard, Windows 10’s ease of use rates right up there with Windows 7 and is light-years ahead of Windows 8/8.1. For the touch crowd, with a few exceptions noted below, Windows 10 works as well as Windows 8.1, which may be (properly) construed as damning with faint praise. There’s a learning curve with touch, along with disappointing limitations, no matter which version of Windows you currently use.
Windows 10 boots faster, works faster, and seems much more robust than either Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1. I haven’t had any problems with drivers or programs that run on Windows 8/8.1, although all of those old Metro apps are destined for the bit bucket. Clearly, the new Windows Universal apps hold great promise, but they aren’t there yet.
A new iteration of the Start menu is used on the Windows 10 desktop, with a list of places and other options on the left side, and tiles representing applications on the right. The menu can be resized, and expanded into a full-screen display, which is the default option in Tablet mode. A new virtual desktop system known as Task View was added. Clicking the Task View button on the taskbar or swiping from the left side of the screen displays all open windows and allows users to switch between them, or switch between multiple workspaces.Windows Store apps, which previously could be used only in full screen mode, can now be used in self-contained windows similarly to other programs. Program windows can now be snapped to quadrants of the screen by dragging them to the corner. When a window is snapped to one side of the screen, the user is prompted to choose a second window to fill the unused side of the screen (called "Snap Assist"). Windows' system icons were also changed to a new, minimalist design.
The "Task View" display is a new feature to Windows 10, allowing the use of multiple workspaces.
Charms have been removed; their functionality in Windows Store apps is accessed from an App commands menu on their titlebar. In its place is Action Center, which displays notifications and settings toggles. It is accessed by clicking an icon in the system tray, or dragging from the right of the screen. Notifications can be synced between multiple devices. The Settings app (formerly PC Settings) was refreshed and now includes more options that were previously exclusive to the desktop Control Panel.
The Action centre, all the notifications Shows up here
If you’re coming from Windows 8.1 with a mostly tablet mindset, the new Tablet mode in Windows 10 has much of the ease-of-use benefits of touch Windows 8.1, such as spread-out tiles and the Start options hidden under a hamburger icon, with a few minor annoyances. For example, you can’t turn off the taskbar at the bottom of the screen, no matter which app is running. You’re also stuck with the rigid organization of tiles into three- or four-wide groups.
No, touch has not gone away: Behold the new tablet mode of Windows 10.
Windows 10 is designed to adapt its user interface based on the type of device being used and available input methods. It offers two separate user interface modes: a user interface optimized for mouse and keyboard, and a "Tablet mode" designed for touchscreens. Users can toggle between these two modes at any time, and Windows can prompt or automatically switch when certain events occur, such as disabling Tablet mode on a tablet if a keyboard or mouse is plugged in, or when a laplet is switched to its laptop state. In Tablet mode, programs default to a maximized view, and the taskbar contains a back button and hides buttons for opened or pinned programs; Task View is used instead to switch between programs. The full screen Start menu is used in this mode, similarly to Windows 8, but scrolls vertically instead of horizontally.
CORTANA is here to help you
Microsoft has also built a virtual assistant like Siri right into Windows 10. It’s called Cortana, and it’s designed to look and feel like an extension of the Start menu, and just like the Windows Phone equivalent, you can also use your voice to search. There’s also an option to enable a "hey Cortana" feature that lets you simply holler questions at your laptop. It’s useful for simple things like the weather, but I found myself mostly using it to demonstrate Cortana to friends and family.
Cortana keeps everything it knows about you in a virtual notebook, which you can edit to trim out information you don’t want it to remember. It’s also cloud powered, meaning you can download Cortana for Android (or iOS in the future) and get the same features there, all synced up with your laptop. So if you ask Cortana to remind you to buy some milk from a local grocery store, that reminder will sync to your phone and activate as soon as you’re near the grocery store. That’s a particularly useful and powerful feature of Cortana, and it’s one I find myself using regularly.
Cortana in Action
Microsoft has also built a virtual assistant like Siri right into Windows 10. It’s called Cortana, and it’s designed to look and feel like an extension of the Start menu, and just like the Windows Phone equivalent, you can also use your voice to search. There’s also an option to enable a "hey Cortana" feature that lets you simply holler questions at your laptop. It’s useful for simple things like the weather, but I found myself mostly using it to demonstrate Cortana to friends and family.
Cortana keeps everything it knows about you in a virtual notebook, which you can edit to trim out information you don’t want it to remember. It’s also cloud powered, meaning you can download Cortana for Android (or iOS in the future) and get the same features there, all synced up with your laptop. So if you ask Cortana to remind you to buy some milk from a local grocery store, that reminder will sync to your phone and activate as soon as you’re near the grocery store. That’s a particularly useful and powerful feature of Cortana, and it’s one I find myself using regularly.
Cortana in Action
Edge: Is finally Microsoft had made a browser that can compete with Chrome or Firefox?
Windows 10 also includes a new browser, called Edge. It may be new, but it sadly sticks to the past in a number of ways. Edge’s task bar icon is barely different from that of Internet Explorer, in an effort to keep it familiar to the millions of diverse Windows users. It’s simplified, clean, and performs well in most cases — but it’s lacking features you might expect of a modern browser. Snapping tabs into new windows is messy and clunky, and downloads start automatically with no choice of where they’re being stored. This is basic stuff, and it’s surprising it’s missing. Microsoft really started from scratch with Edge, and it shows.
Microsoft Edge: An alternative to Internet Explorer by Microsoft.
Microsoft Edge still feels like a work in progress, much like Windows 10 itself. Changing the default search experience is stressful, with a requirement to visit Google itself and then access a feature buried so deep in the settings menus that it feels like Microsoft really doesn’t want you moving away from Bing. Equally, if I want Google Chrome as my default browser then I have to navigate deep into PC settings to change that behavior. That seems like a new security measure to stop apps hijacking the system, but it’s not user friendly at all. Microsoft actively blocks apps from setting themselves as default, so this isn’t even something Google can improve itself.
Perhaps the most disappointing part of Edge for me is the lack of extensions. Firefox and Chrome have both supported web extensions for years, and it feels like a miss not to have these available in Edge at launch. However, Microsoft has said these will arrive later this year. For now, I’m begrudgingly sticking with Google Chrome until Microsoft Edge is ready.
Windows 10 also includes a new browser, called Edge. It may be new, but it sadly sticks to the past in a number of ways. Edge’s task bar icon is barely different from that of Internet Explorer, in an effort to keep it familiar to the millions of diverse Windows users. It’s simplified, clean, and performs well in most cases — but it’s lacking features you might expect of a modern browser. Snapping tabs into new windows is messy and clunky, and downloads start automatically with no choice of where they’re being stored. This is basic stuff, and it’s surprising it’s missing. Microsoft really started from scratch with Edge, and it shows.
Microsoft Edge: An alternative to Internet Explorer by Microsoft.
Microsoft Edge still feels like a work in progress, much like Windows 10 itself. Changing the default search experience is stressful, with a requirement to visit Google itself and then access a feature buried so deep in the settings menus that it feels like Microsoft really doesn’t want you moving away from Bing. Equally, if I want Google Chrome as my default browser then I have to navigate deep into PC settings to change that behavior. That seems like a new security measure to stop apps hijacking the system, but it’s not user friendly at all. Microsoft actively blocks apps from setting themselves as default, so this isn’t even something Google can improve itself.
Perhaps the most disappointing part of Edge for me is the lack of extensions. Firefox and Chrome have both supported web extensions for years, and it feels like a miss not to have these available in Edge at launch. However, Microsoft has said these will arrive later this year. For now, I’m begrudgingly sticking with Google Chrome until Microsoft Edge is ready.
Multimedia and gaming
Windows 10 provides heavier integration with the Xbox ecosystem: an updated Xbox app allows users to browse their game library (including both PC and Xbox console games), and Game DVR is also available using a keyboard shortcut, allowing users to save the last 30 seconds of gameplay as a video that can be shared to Xbox Live, OneDrive, or elsewhere. Windows 10 also allows users to control and play games from an Xbox One console over a local network. The Xbox Live SDK allows application developers to incorporate Xbox Live functionality into their apps, and future wireless Xbox One accessories, such as controllers, are supported on Windows with an adapter. Candy Crush Saga and Microsoft Solitaire Collection are also bundled with Windows 10.
Windows 10 adds FLAC and HEVC codecs and support for the Matroska media container, allowing these formats to be opened in Windows Media Player and other applications.
Windows 10 includes DirectX 12, alongside WDDM 2.0. Unveiled March 2014 at GDC, DirectX 12 aims to provide "console-level efficiency" with "closer to the metal" access to hardware resources, and reduced CPU and graphics driver overhead. Most of the performance improvements are achieved through low-level programming, which allow developers to use resources more efficiently and reduce single-threaded CPU bottlenecking caused by abstraction through higher level APIs. DirectX 12 will also feature support for vendor agnostic multi-GPU setups. WDDM 2.0 introduces a new virtual memory management and allocation system to reduce workload on the kernel-mode driver.
Windows 10 provides heavier integration with the Xbox ecosystem: an updated Xbox app allows users to browse their game library (including both PC and Xbox console games), and Game DVR is also available using a keyboard shortcut, allowing users to save the last 30 seconds of gameplay as a video that can be shared to Xbox Live, OneDrive, or elsewhere. Windows 10 also allows users to control and play games from an Xbox One console over a local network. The Xbox Live SDK allows application developers to incorporate Xbox Live functionality into their apps, and future wireless Xbox One accessories, such as controllers, are supported on Windows with an adapter. Candy Crush Saga and Microsoft Solitaire Collection are also bundled with Windows 10.
Windows 10 adds FLAC and HEVC codecs and support for the Matroska media container, allowing these formats to be opened in Windows Media Player and other applications.
Windows 10 includes DirectX 12, alongside WDDM 2.0. Unveiled March 2014 at GDC, DirectX 12 aims to provide "console-level efficiency" with "closer to the metal" access to hardware resources, and reduced CPU and graphics driver overhead. Most of the performance improvements are achieved through low-level programming, which allow developers to use resources more efficiently and reduce single-threaded CPU bottlenecking caused by abstraction through higher level APIs. DirectX 12 will also feature support for vendor agnostic multi-GPU setups. WDDM 2.0 introduces a new virtual memory management and allocation system to reduce workload on the kernel-mode driver.
Removed Features
Windows Media Center was discontinued, and is uninstalled when upgrading from a previous version of Windows. Those who performed upgrades using a Windows installation that included Media Center receive universal app Windows DVD Player at no charge to maintain DVD playback functionality.
The OneDrive built-in sync client, which was introduced in Windows 8.1, no longer supports offline placeholders for online-only files in Windows 10. Functionality to view offline files is expected to be added sometime in the future in a new Windows app.
Users are no longer able to synchronize Start menu layouts across all devices associated with a Microsoft account. A Microsoft developer justified the change by explaining that a user may have different applications they want to emphasize on each device that they use, rather than use the same configuration across each device. The ability to automatically install a Windows Store app across all devices associated with an account was also removed.
Web browsers can no longer set themselves as a user's default without further intervention; changing the default web browser must be performed manually by the user from Settings' "Default apps" page. This change is ostensibly to prevent browser hijacking.
The MSN Food & Drink, MSN Health & Fitness, and MSN Travel apps have been discontinued.
The option to select various methods for downloading Windows Updates (or ignoring them completely) was removed. Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise users, if configured by the administrator, may defer updates, but only for a limited time. Users consent to the automatic installation of all updates, features and drivers provided by the service, and to the automatic removal or changes to features being modified or no longer provided, under the end-user license agreement. Additionally, changes made within individual updates are now withheld by Microsoft.
Windows Media Center was discontinued, and is uninstalled when upgrading from a previous version of Windows. Those who performed upgrades using a Windows installation that included Media Center receive universal app Windows DVD Player at no charge to maintain DVD playback functionality.
The OneDrive built-in sync client, which was introduced in Windows 8.1, no longer supports offline placeholders for online-only files in Windows 10. Functionality to view offline files is expected to be added sometime in the future in a new Windows app.
Users are no longer able to synchronize Start menu layouts across all devices associated with a Microsoft account. A Microsoft developer justified the change by explaining that a user may have different applications they want to emphasize on each device that they use, rather than use the same configuration across each device. The ability to automatically install a Windows Store app across all devices associated with an account was also removed.
Web browsers can no longer set themselves as a user's default without further intervention; changing the default web browser must be performed manually by the user from Settings' "Default apps" page. This change is ostensibly to prevent browser hijacking.
The MSN Food & Drink, MSN Health & Fitness, and MSN Travel apps have been discontinued.
The option to select various methods for downloading Windows Updates (or ignoring them completely) was removed. Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise users, if configured by the administrator, may defer updates, but only for a limited time. Users consent to the automatic installation of all updates, features and drivers provided by the service, and to the automatic removal or changes to features being modified or no longer provided, under the end-user license agreement. Additionally, changes made within individual updates are now withheld by Microsoft.
Conclusion
Windows 10 is hugely exciting. I rarely touch my MacBook Air anymore as I find the combination of some good hardware (like the Dell XPS 13) and Windows 10 is a joy to use. I like the direction Microsoft is taking with Windows 10, accepting feedback and ideas from its customers along the way. It feels like the best way to shape Windows into something people enjoy using, rather than something they have to use.
That’s the nature of the Windows cycle: bad version, then a good version. Windows 10 is a great fix to the problems of Windows 8, and that’s exactly what we all expected. But what about the next version? Oddly, Microsoft says there won’t really be one. This is the "last Windows" and Microsoft will be iterating on it for the coming years. Assuming Microsoft can kill the bugs in this initial release, it’s going to make computers better for billions of people. The best part of Windows 10 is that it ends the cycle of good and bad in favor of something great.
Windows 10 is hugely exciting. I rarely touch my MacBook Air anymore as I find the combination of some good hardware (like the Dell XPS 13) and Windows 10 is a joy to use. I like the direction Microsoft is taking with Windows 10, accepting feedback and ideas from its customers along the way. It feels like the best way to shape Windows into something people enjoy using, rather than something they have to use.
That’s the nature of the Windows cycle: bad version, then a good version. Windows 10 is a great fix to the problems of Windows 8, and that’s exactly what we all expected. But what about the next version? Oddly, Microsoft says there won’t really be one. This is the "last Windows" and Microsoft will be iterating on it for the coming years. Assuming Microsoft can kill the bugs in this initial release, it’s going to make computers better for billions of people. The best part of Windows 10 is that it ends the cycle of good and bad in favor of something great.
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