Windows 7, Windows 8, then Windows… 10?! As my colleague, Maria Krisette Capati said in her overview of Windows 10’s Technical Preview, Microsoft decided not to follow a chronological number labeling for its new version of Windows. But let’s put aside this little quirk and look at what Microsoft did right with this new operating system.
Some are saying that Windows 8 is the new Vista and Windows 10 is the new Windows 7, but why is that? What makes Windows 10 so special that it’s starting to reinvigorate the public’s opinion of Microsoft, if ever so slightly?
Rather than splitting itself into pieces, Windows 10 presents itself in one package
Perhaps the biggest pet peeve of people who explored Windows 8 was the forced “Metro” or “(Post) Modern” interface. The operating system gained lots of negative attention due to the fact that every time you would boot into Windows 8, all of your tiled applications would appear in front of you before you ever saw the desktop.
Microsoft’s argument for this is that they want to shift into a more mobile-centric platform, though this has since proven to be a rather ambitious idea that largely went wrong.
In what seems to be an attempt to shift public opinion of the operating system’s destiny, the company has now implemented the old “Metro” interface as part of the Start menu in Windows 10.
This means that all of the apps you’re using in Windows 8 will still be available, albeit through the desktop. The Start menu, instead of taking up your entire screen, is back to looking like the legitimate menu we’ve all been accustomed to in previous iterations of Windows.
Windows 10 makes a concerted effort to reconcile with desktops
Capati’s article (linked at the beginning) covers the most important features of Windows 10 in great detail while also touching the subject of desktop “fluidity”. The ability to run non-desktop apps in your desktop as resizeable programs like any other is perhaps the most impacting sign that Windows 10 is attempting to appeal once again to desktop users.
But there are also a few things that show improvements that go beyond just mitigating Windows 8’s features into something more PC-friendly. Pressing “Alt+Tab” brings up an interface that is a bit more elegantly displayed and less clunky.
As a person who uses the command line frequently, I'd have to say that one of the things that has given me goosebumps is the fact that I can actually press “Ctrl+C” and “Ctrl+V” in the command line without seeing the “^C” and “^V” markers. I can finally copy and paste commands without having to rummage through the interface with my mouse. I’m sure that this new feature will make other command line geeks happy!
Conclusion
As with any other version of Windows, this new iteration will certainly not sit well with everyone. What could be said with certainty, however, is that Microsoft is reconciling with desktops and this is a sign of good things to come. Be this as it may, no one can judge whether Windows 10 is worth upgrading or not except you, dear reader.
Republished with permission from MakeTechEasier. Read the original.
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