The acid test will be when somebody who has used only Win XP or 7 installs it or gets a machine with it new and tries it out.
-Arizona Hot
I started in computers with banking data in the '70s, then PCs in the late 80s. Unix to DOS, then Windows 2.0 through XP. Retired May 2014, but continue archival intranet coding for various groups. Surprisingly an interesting task that produces a lot of satisfaction and unusual challenges from time to time.
My thoughts on W10
-------------------
Intro: I realise it's unfinished software, and buggy.
1. It's not that intuitive - whatever that means - I've been running XP since it came out, as well as Mint. Never tried Vista 7 or 8. W10's "Libraries" are complicated, and I don't like the "everything in one spot" approach, so am seriously thinking of setting up custom menus and toolbars as I have in XP.
2. The start menu is full of rubbish, and that takes time to cleanup.
3. And the process for sticking stuff on the taskbar means it often has to be stuck to the start menu first. ????
4. Firefox 32/33 crashes regularly for no apparent reason.
5. Since MS updated the build to 9860, the OS takes ages to boot to a usable state.
6. A lot of stuff is managed by the Windows Store, requiring a MS account and the cloud. Didn't Apple bashers complain about being tied into that infrastructure? Wonder how the same argument applies now that MS is doing similar.
7. Hate the "tile" icons. Even I could make better than those, and I'm not a coder or graphics person.
8. In File Explorer there's no horizontal scrollbar on the left pane folder view. Apparently when the mouse moves to the right-side of that pane the border moves? Nope!
There's some nice stuff - like these things:
1. The way windows disappear/close - only since the build update.
2. Snapping Windows.
3. God Mode.
4. Clickable path links in the address bar - like breadcrumbs in a browser.
5. Tiles are "Windowed" and not full screen.
6. OS is fast response and snappy, very little lag. Nice.
<rant>
However ... all I want to do is "USE" my pc, not reconfigure it completely to how I had it before. Security's supposed to be much improved ... yep, but my gripe is that a pc is a TOOL, not a &^%*$ lifestyle. Keep user stuff simple, allow me to pick up the new bits and pices without having to enrol in University to learn to use the thing; and keep stuff outa my face. Microsoft, are you listening? Nope. I've got over the initial "where is this hiding", and "oh %$##, how do I do this", scare; like a lot of W10, but I might stick with Mint and XP when the Preview expires - unless MS gives a good incentive to dump XP and Mint.
W10 doesn't allow me to do my job any better, easier, or more efficiently. It may well be more secure, and have less overhead for "obsolete" equipment - supposedly anything older that yesterday; but I have to spend a ridiculous amount of time learning how to use it. It doesn't make me feel more comfortable, happier, satisfied or even more secure. Just makes me angry.
</rant>
PC Stats:
Pentium Dual-Core E5300 @ 2.60GHz 64-bit, 4GB RAM, NVIDIA FeForce GT610, 3xIDE HDDs and 3xSATA1 HDDs, 2x19" Samsung SyncMaster monitors, Win XP SP3, W10 Linux Mint16 loaded on 3 separate hdds.
Show Posts
