My apologies but the original blog I wrote accidentally got erased, so if you’re looking for something in particular I might have said in the original post I will try my best to re-write everything that was said.
With the flop of Windows 8 many are wondering if they should even try Windows 10? My answer to this is an easy yes! The main reason Windows 8 was such a flop was due to the missing start button everyone was accustomed to. With Windows 10 this is back, more or less as it is slightly different then before but my impressions so far leave me to believe it’s been improved, all the familiar shortcuts can still be found and a part of Windows 8 has been brought to it with live tiles.
I’m not one to jump because of the hype, especially when it comes to Microsoft Operating Systems, I usually tend to skip at least one operating system release if not 2. For instance Windows 8 I don’t own and I wouldn’t have even ran Vista if it didn’t come with the laptop I bought.
The majority of us tend to believe that as soon as new software hits the market that they need it, want it and run out to buy it. Then they are left having to deal with finding their way around a possibly new looking interface like that of Windows 8. The sad thing is that typically all this learning is pointless as most of the features available came with the previous version but was just in different place or slightly modified, making the upgrade extremely questionable…
My rule of thumb is, if the software I’m looking at, regardless if it’s an operating system or program runs and still does what I’d like it too, then why spend money upgrading. The only reasons I would is if there is a new tool available that I can’t absolutely live without or because of security issues with software that no longer receives updates due to its age. This is known as a life cycle when it comes to operating systems from Microsoft.
Windows versions all receive updates to a certain date, this like milk is the expiry date of that product and is the end of the life cycle. So Windows 7 will run out in 2020 and version 8 runs out a few years later in 2023. The new Windows 10’s life cycle will expire in 2025. This means Windows 10 will continue to receive update fixes 5 years after Windows 7 has expired and this is the primary reason I say update your system, especially since the upgrade is free for a limited amount of time (July 2016).
Now since there are some bugs still in Windows 10, this doesn’t mean you need to rush out and do it right away but it would be wise to have it done before the free offer expires. Although I’ve experienced some wonkiness with the new Windows there hasn’t been any major problems as of yet. One of them revolve around hardware which may or may not receive a driver update to windows 10, this typically depends on the hardware company and if they will create it or not. Luckily though if you do experience these issues you can always revert back to the old system you had.
Although the Windows 10 install will leave this option available for you, I’d recommend a full backup to ensure you don’t have to re-install everything or lose something for that matter. Going one step further I’d even recommend backing up the Windows 10 install as well before you revert back so that you can possibly come back to it after the free offer expires should the problem get resolved or new hardware get purchased somewhere down the road.
Since we are working on a Windows 10 course, we’ll only briefly mention a few of the new features here in this post. One of them is the famous Cortana, which is missing if you are in Canada and have your region set to Canada as well, hint, hint… The solution to this problem if you really want Cortana is to set your region to the United States. From the articles I’ve read the Canadian version of Cortana should be here shortly and maybe you’re wondering why we’ve been left out? This is because Cortana isn’t just voice recognition software but also a light weight artificial intelligence. She’ll constantly be evolving with things we say, learning Canadian pronunciation along with many different accents but she’ll also have personality like say the Canadian love of hockey. Jokingly I’m guessing the programmers from Microsoft lack this love and are too busy watching football or baseball to know how to program it lol…
Next is the death of Internet Explorer or at least the name as the new name Edge and its icon are pretty much the same thing. Supposedly developed from the ground up this browser shouldn’t come with many of the flaws explorer had and is boasting speed increases along with some new useful tools which will probably make their way to other browsers shortly. These tools include being able to highlight, write or even crop information from websites and save them to programs like OneNote or inside your favourites. It like other browsers have also removed support for add-ons like Flash and even its own version Silverlight. If this is something that has you in a panic because of a site you use then take a deep breath and relax as the last version of Explorer, 11 is also included in the install and will run it for you. You also have the option of using another browser which could still support it as well like Firefox.
The one other feature I’d like to talk about before closing off is the new multi-desktop which many Linux users are probably familiar with. Now you can jump between desktops, this can be useful when you’re running a multitude of programs as you can easily group them together in the individual desktops…
So there you have it, the skinny on Windows 10 and if you’ve clicked on the update button but are still waiting then you can try this avenue instead. By going to this link (http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10) you should be able to force the installation. Since the minimum requirements are the same as they were for Windows 7 or 8, anyone running these should be good to go, the only exception being that the hardware they have inside has drivers compatible with Windows 10 otherwise they might have to wait on a vendor to release this.
There is one more reason why Windows 10 could be for you but until it’s released, priced and in my hands I don’t have a comment on it. This is the new hololens which should be here shortly and from the demonstrations I’ve read and seen online is a really nice piece of technology that could reshape the way many users interact with computers like say car designers and much, much more! Follow the link to see the demonstration of what this might look like (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aThCr0PsyuA), I’d suggest you sit down before you do as it is somewhat mind blowing…