For the past week, I have been using Windows 10. It is an upgrade from Windows 8.1 to the
Insider Preview 10240. Using the latest build, with less than 30 days before the official launch, I must say that I am impressed with the new operating system. So far, there have been no crashes nor any big surprises.
Interface
While I was not one who was bothered with the Metro tile based interface, that is a start screen with icons or tiles, the return to a start menu with the tiles is tidier. It pops up with the Windows Key and you can type away to start the application that you need. As in Firefox, where you can enable 'Search for text when I start typing', Windows 10 is very friendly to minimize moving your hands from the keyboard to the touchpad or mouse. Not shown in the screen shot below, when you hit the start menu, the Settings and Power icons are immediately show. That again, isn't very different from the Windows 7 Start menu experience.
Desktop icons are clutter to me. The idea of double clicking is irks me, however there aren't too many alternatives. The start menu is quite good about minimizing clicks. That may be designed to accommodate touch screen users.
The built in applications are orderly, but I still have a preference for Thunderbird over the Mail application. It could be that I like the simple grey bars and configuration menus, but the ongoing efforts to simplify interfaces does justify the changes. I don't understand why settings gear icon is on the lower left, but the settings menu appears in a column on the right.
I usually would look at my watch to know the date, but the time/date in the taskbar is nice when it opens to the calendar. It is just short from being perfect: a right click could trigger the calendar application to set appointments or other.
Performance
There isn't much to say here. I found Windows 8 to be a very snappy and lightweight operating system : boot time is a few seconds on a standard hard drive and switching applications was always very fluid. I could present a number of graphs showing a few percentage changes data exchange rates, graphic processing or other benchmarks, but to the common user, that information is not relevant. Some benchmarks are interesting if you are processing certain types on data, however one would be best to look at specific benchmarks for the applications or software packages that you are using.
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| Application switching is particularly crisp |
The Internet Explorer browser replacement named 'Edge' is fast for the few times that was curious to check it out. I honestly cannot say much about the new browser as I went back to my routine, using my computer as I always have : Firefox, OpenOffice Writer, Calc, Notepad++, etc.
The applications, or that is those which are downloaded or managed from the Windows Store, are now shown in windows. Somewhat of a revolutionary idea isn't it? The whole idea of tablets, never really made any sense to me. While it good to have a single application on screen, computer users do not work that way.
If you play games, or just want to record your screenshots, there is a built in digital video recording application in the XBox package.
Here are some instructions on how to perform a video screen capture.
Settings and Maintenance
The Control Panel is still like its Windows 7 model, but you may not need to go there. The settings page is text based, making clearer to find what you are looking for.
Updates
There will be updates as the operating system continues to evolve with new software and hardware requirements. Some updates are for security purposes. Fortunately, Microsoft got it right this time and there is no insistence that the computer be rebooted immediately.
Conclusion
Windows 10 isn't significantly different from Windows 7 or 8, however it is fresh, easy to navigate and snappy. As a matter of fact, using computers since the early days of Windows 3.1 hasn't changed that much either : browser, spreadsheet, word processor, database, graphic design, drafting etc. The latest operating system refresh from Microsoft is well appreciated. What I like most is the fact that a flat design was maintained for icons and the use of simple text and fonts for system settings and navigation.
