Upgraded to Windows 10?

[JoelR]

So I accidentally clicked on the "Windows 10" upgrade notification two days ago on my desktop, and before I knew it my computer was starting the upgrade process from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10!  It  ended up taking a lot longer than I expected and I fell asleep while waiting.  I also had to redo my desktop and the app groupings but it's been a fairly smooth transition.  They've definitely changed some things both minor and major that I can see:

• Desktop icons and Window Explorer icons now follow the 'trendy' flat icon style.  To be honest, I liked the icons from Windows 7 and Windows 8, which had more contrast.  These appear too boxy and flat.
• Start menu - Just when I finally started getting used to the tessellated geometry of the full-screen Start menu, now they downsize everything into the old Start menu.  They also installed up some useless bloatware of apps that I'm never going to use, but oh well. 
• Settings - I don' think I'm ever going to use Settings when I can go to the Control Panel, but this appears to be the trend with Windows.

It's pretty obvious that the new Windows 10 has been designed for multi-device, such as tablets and smartphones. For myself, I've always relied on the traditional desktop PC so it's rather useless they gave me features like Cortana, Continuum, and Airplane mode (yes, please check-in my PC at Gate 12 please!).  I was also rather angst-ridden when my double-monitor setup got reduced to a single monitor, but luckily that was resolved this afternoon with driver updates.  That was probably my biggest problem with the upgrade, since screen real estate is probably one of the most important things to me.  Also, what's up with Edge?  Given that it's been written from the ground-up, it doesn't work on a lot of feature-rich websites and Firefox and Chrome have already become my browsers of choice.  I don't see any compelling reason to switch over.  

On the upside, I'm excited about some of the following features:

• Virtual desktops - About time?  I was using Unix back in my college programming courses and they've had multiple desktops forever, and pretty sure Apple offered the feature for years as well.  This will be amazing for all of my virtual porn surfing!  [Ctrl + Windows + D]
• And that's about it.  There's honestly nothing more in Windows 10 that's really excited me.    

My biggest worry is that Microsoft is going to start doing cloud-based subscription for Windows, and start jacking my wallet for $99 / yr like they do for Microsoft Office.  I know that's the future, so I've  resigned myself to paying them for an OS.  I've also resigned myself to divulging all personal information in my Microsoft account, which is tied to everything .... Outlook, Hotmail. Office 365, OneDrive, and now Windows.   

Finally, here's a video that shows the ridiculous amount of effort that went into creating the Windows 10 "Hero" wallpaper ... which honestly could have been designed by a college student with Photoshop.  

 

My final rating: Not impressed whatsoever because this is what Windows 8 should have been all along, but given that it didn't give me major growing pains like Windows 8, I'm not complaining either.

What's your rating, and what do you like / dislike about Windows 10?

Edited September 20, 2015 by JoelR

[Doug]

I haven't been persuaded to download it - not sure that I will. Too many hidden charges creeping in - even games like solitaire now have to be paid for! My biggest worry is being told that I cannot choose which Windows updates I want. I am not happy with being told you have to have every update whether your pc (or you)  want it!

I am going to sit back a while and wait until people start explaining why they like it or dislike it. Also if there are problems (and there often are on any new product) I want them to be corrected before I download something that from what I've seen isn't outstandingly better than Windows 8.1, which now I am used to I don't feel the need to change.

In short - I guess I'm sitting on the fence!

P.S. Don't get me started on the Hero wallpaper/logo.  I could have designed that for them for free

Edited August 2, 2015 by Doug
Spelling corrections

[Steve]

I upgraded to Windows 10 but liked Windows 8.1 better.  I know a lot of people hated Windows 8 but I guess I was in the minority on that.  Like Joel it installed a lot of tiles I did not want so I just deleted them.  I cannot understand why Microsoft cannot hire top notch software developers.  The Edge browser is a piece of crap.  No easy way to save your Favorites.  In IE11, Firefox, and Chrome you can export your Favorites/Bookmarks to a file to either a flash drive or external hard drive in case of a computer crash.  No so with Edge.  There is no Organize Favorites feature like there was in IE11.  So no easy way to move Favorites from one folder to another.  I will stay with IE11 for my default browser and use Chrome as my secondary browser.  Whoever designed the Windows Logo Hero wallpaper should be shot.  This from a top software company? 

The Mail application in Windows 10 is worse than the version in Windows 8.1.  Before the main screen displayed a listing of your e-mail accounts.  Now it just shows Accounts.  You have to click Accounts and then chose which e-mail account you want to view.  Close that account out and you are back to the main screen with Accounts.  So  you have to click Accounts again to view the list again.  Two clicks instead of one as before.  Then there is no tab to empty the trash bin as there was in Windows 8.1.  To empty the trash you have to delete each e-mail one by one.  So if you have 50 e-mails in the trash bin that is 50 clicks.  I tried to see if there was a way to highlight all 50 and then delete them all at once but came up empty.  Every e-mail program I have used has had a feature where you could empty the trash bin in once click.  Why would these Microsoft developers do away with that feature in Windows 10? I am beginning to wonder if these Microsoft software developers even know what the Hell they are doing. 

@‌Doug I have heard different stories about the updates.  One source tells me Microsoft will automatically download all updates.  Another source said that only applies to critical updates and that you will still have the option of whether to download optional updates.  Guess I will find out soon which is true.  As far as the solitaire games go you do not have to pay to play them.  They are free.  You just have to sit through and watch a 30 second advertising video which is what I do.  I play the Daily Challenge every day.  Having to sit and watch a 30 second video is no big deal for me.  They also changed the graphics of the games for Windows 10 which is about the only thing I liked about Windows 10.

@‌Joel I refused to pay Microsoft a subscription fee for Office so I stayed with Office 2010.  It does everything I want and I only had to buy it once.

Edited August 2, 2015 by Steve

[JoelR]

I am not happy with being told you have to have every update whether your pc (or you)  want it!

@DougThat's a good point.  I forgot that in Windows 10, you can no longer choose what updates you want ... they're ALL downloaded.  The only choice that I can see is when you want to restart your computer!  Here's a screenshot of Update (from the new Settings, not the old Control Panel > Windows Update).

Perhaps I should have waited like you, but ... I'm afraid that if I wait too long then they may not offer me the free upgrade so I took the plunge .

@Steve Yes, the default applications aren't very good.  I've never, EVER bothered with the Mail app when I use the full Microsoft Office Outlook 365 or for my porn surfing email, Yahoo's mail.  There are too many good free email clients, either desktop versions or free web versions, to consider an app.  I like the direction that Microsoft is going, but the Windows marketplace simply can't compete with Apple or Android's marketplace for games and apps.  Maybe that'll change in the future?  And as for Edge ... I haven't even bothered to open it, LOL.  

Anyways, I'm glad I'm not the only one who upgraded to Windows 10 and was mildly unimpressed.  It's not bad since I use it in pretty much the same way as I use Windows 8.1, but it's also not exciting.  

[Steve]

Anyways, I'm glad I'm not the only one who upgraded to Windows 10 and was mildly unimpressed.  It's not bad since I use it in pretty much the same way as I use Windows 8.1, but it's also not exciting.  

After getting use to the Start Page with the tiles, I prefer that method to start an application or program rather than using the Start Menu.  Thankfully, the upgrade to Windows 10 left most of my tiles in place. I just had to rearrange them back in the order I had them under Windows 8.1.  

[Doug]

So, I accidentally ticked all the boxes for the updates, so I now have Windows 10. Because I didn't intend to install Windows 10 just yet I hadn't saved any files. I was prepared for the worst convinced that I would lose a lot of files in the changeover from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10. I am here to tell you that I lost nothing - everything went very smoothly. Actually, apart from having to press an 'accept ' button and a 'next' button (twice) I just sat there like the proverbial spare part at a wedding! The whole process from beginning to end took about 1 hour 40 minutes. I particularly liked the messages during the final installation "We are nearly there" and "It's taking a little longer than expected, we are nearly there"

So what is all the hype about? Damned if I know! It is very much like Windows 8.1 - I'm surprised they didn't call it Windows 8.2 or at best Windows 9. It is easily mastered even if it does have a lot of apps that I won't use (not Microsoft's fault entirely) and a lot of apps that I can't get rid of (entirely Microsoft's fault) and don't even get me started on the prying Cortana which you can disable but not remove. I am still not happy with not being able to choose what upgrades I want and it is probably this that will encourage me to return to Windows 8.1  Microsoft allow us a month's grace to make up our minds, which is very magnanimous of them.

All in all, I guess it is alright but nothing very special and certainly not worth all the hype in my humble opinion.

[JackFTwist]

And now for some news from the “Dark Side”:

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/apple-customers-trouble-upgrading-ios-021911643.html

Hmmm … guess I won’t be upgrading my iPad’s OS today, after all!

Like some of you have commented above, if possible I always wait awhile (at least several months) before upgrading to a new OS to give things time to shake out.  I did the same with all the Windows “Service Packs” for XP.  4 or 5 years ago, when my old PC got so slow on-line that it all but ground to a halt, I finally yielded to the peer pressure of numerous BFFs and bought a Mac desktop.  I did try a new Windows 8 PC for a full month first, but learning the new OS was driving me nuts — I absolutely loathe doing that for anything, and none of Windows 8’s bells and whistles did anything for me, anyway.  

So I returned the PC for a full refund and went Mac shopping.  Once I saw the display on Mac’s 27” monitor at an Apple dealer, there was no going back — the temptation was simply too great when I thought of having all that real estate for spreadsheets (which I do a lot of, even working just part-time), plus just imagining what on-line HD porn would look like on that screen!  The sticker shock of Macs’ price tags was significant, though, I admit.

My transition to Mac’s OS was much less painless than my Windows 8 trial had been.  Since then, Mac has released upgrades its computer OS about every other year.  Instead of being numbered (how mundane!), Apple gives each new OS a name — Snow Leopard, Mountain Lion, and the latest, Yosemite.  (@Doug — see note below.)  One of the upgrades was designed almost exclusively to make it easier to “share” things on social networks and to sync with your iPhone and iPad.  I don’t have an iPhone (yet) and didn’t have an iPad back then, plus I don’t do social networking, so I skipped that upgrade.  

The latest OS, Yosemite, has still more bells and whistles for social networking and for syncing, but the latter is via the Cloud.  I don’t use the Cloud very much, yet, but I realize it’s the wave of the future and I’ll be forced to use it eventually, so I upgraded my laptop.  It took awhile, but it was as smooth as silk — just enter your password and accept the terms and conditions, then go do something else for an hour or so.  I don’t keep much data on the laptop, so I don’t know if that affected the time required for the update.  (I keep most of my data on an external hard drive and thumb drives.)

I haven’t updated my desktop yet for work-related reasons, but I will be updating soon, so we’ll have to see if that goes as easily as the laptop did.  The desktop has a lot more files, especially JPEGs of a certain specialized variety.   All the data is backed up, though.

@Doug : “Yosemite” is the name of one of our national parks.  It’s widely considered to be the most scenic one, especially if you like mountains.  Here’s one view of it.  (It’s wallpaper-size.)

[Doug]

Just a brief update on my last.  Well I still have windows 10 and at best it is alright at worst it's pretty uninspiring. I tried Edge and am not overly impressed and I can certainly do without Bing!! So I am back with Firefox and probably wont use Edge again. I can't quite put my finger on it but......well........ I just don't like it.

So I still have Windows 10 and it's ok I guess and it was free! Maybe it will improve in time.

[JoelR]

I've upgraded to windows 10 and I agree with @Doug tthat it's uninspiring.  Theres nothing really new that I use.  

I did, however, want to share the irony that the Start button doesn't work on my primary account.  Which makes it a tad hard to get any work done on that primary account (luckily, between my primary account and the account I use to manage the website ... You can guess which one I use much more!)

[Steve]

I agree both with @Doug and @JoelR about Windows 10.  Nothing to brag about.  Edge is the pits.  Does not support any extensions.  I use Norton Anti-virus and it is incompatible with it.  So I still use IE11 as my primary and Chrome as my secondary browser.  Bing is second rate.  Cannot even come close to Google as a search engine.  Still waiting for the big November Windows 10 update that is suppose to add some additional features.  Microsoft started pushing it out on Thursday but I have not received it as yet.  From what I have read they are pushing it out in stages so not everyone will get it at the same time. 

[Doug]

I belong to a couple of 'Geeky' websites and this link will help you understand what is in the new update. I received my update yesterday. (Makes a change for Holland to get something before you friends across the pond.

http://www.groovypost.com/news/windows-10-fall-update-available-now-what-to-expect/

[Steve]

I finally got the big Windows 10 fall update Saturday morning and it took almost one hour to download and install. Not worth the time and effort since none of the new features I will use.  Here is a video showing what is new and covers same of the topics covered in Doug's post.

https://youtu.be/0-ABOfbBcXw

 

 

Edited November 15, 2015 by Steve

[Doug]

Same here Steve. It took just over 45 minutes to download and install. Hardly worth the effort and I doubt I will use the new features - such as they are!

[Doug]

I know this is a bit "old hat" now, but I still have Windows 10 and I still don't care for Edge so I don't use it. Actually on a recent random test I did I found that IE 11 was faster and more efficient than Edge. Having said that, I tend to use Chrome but even that isn't all that wonderful. In the end I guess you pay your money and take your choice (figuratively speaking). In the end, I guess I will stick with Firefox and/or IE.11

For now .....................................................

[Steve]

23 minutes ago, Doug said:

I know this is a bit "old hat" now, but I still have Windows 10 and I still don't care for Edge so I don't use it. Actually on a recent random test I did I found that IE 11 was faster and more efficient than Edge. Having said that, I tend to use Chrome but even that isn't all that wonderful. In the end I guess you pay your money and take your choice (figuratively speaking). In the end, I guess I will stick with Firefox and/or IE.11

For nw .....................................................

I agree with you Doug.  Edge sucks.  I use IE11 as my primary browser and use Chrome as a backup for those instances where IE 11 does not work.  My library allows users to view digital copies of magazines but for some reason they will not display in IE11 or Edge.  Have never used Firefox so I cannot comment on that one.  Have considered downloading and installing Firefox in the past but just never did for some reason.

[JoelR]

On 3/30/2016 at 9:29 AM, Doug said:

I know this is a bit "old hat" now, but I still have Windows 10 and I still don't care for Edge so I don't use it. Actually on a recent random test I did I found that IE 11 was faster and more efficient than Edge. Having said that, I tend to use Chrome but even that isn't all that wonderful. In the end I guess you pay your money and take your choice (figuratively speaking). In the end, I guess I will stick with Firefox and/or IE.11

For now .....................................................

I don't know if that many websites are compatible with Edge yet.  And I'm not used to the controls of Edge, so Chrome is my default browser.  It has enough plugins and speed to make it worthwhile.  I have a traditional PC so none of the touch-based options are useful for me anyways in Edge.

On 3/30/2016 at 9:59 AM, Steve said:

I agree with you Doug.  Edge sucks.  I use IE11 as my primary browser and use Chrome as a backup for those instances where IE 11 does not work.  My library allows users to view digital copies of magazines but for some reason they will not display in IE11 or Edge.  Have never used Firefox so I cannot comment on that one.  Have considered downloading and installing Firefox in the past but just never did for some reason.

I think Firefox has the greatest set of third-party plugins, themes, and mods if you're into extensive customization.  It used to be my default browser about 8 years ago when I was downloading pics all over the place and it's still a great choice.

[Doug]

On 8/2/2015 at 2:45 PM, Steve said:

@‌Joel I refused to pay Microsoft a subscription fee for Office so I stayed with Office 2010.  It does everything I want and I only had to buy it once.

I suppose for those that have Microsoft Office, this is a pointless posting. I have to say that Open Office has virtually everything Microsoft Office has but is totally free and regularly updated. 

For those interested you can find it here and it downloads very quickly:-

http://www.openoffice.org/download/

Edited April 18, 2016 by Doug

[JoelR]

1 hour ago, Doug said:

I suppose for those that have Microsoft Office, this is a pointless posting. I have to say that Open Office has virtually everything Microsoft Office has but is totally free and regularly updated. 

For those interested you can find it here and it downloads very quickly:-

http://www.openoffice.org/download/

I tried Open Office and Libre Office, both freeware solutions, but alas ... I've become addicted to Microsoft products  

[Steve]

Since our office used Office I have also used it ever since it came out.  It made is simple to work on office work at home using the same software.  I have had Office 97, Office 2003 and currently using Office 2010.  Office 2013 got terrible reviews because of the God awful graphics.  Will not pay Microsoft a subscription fee so will stick with Office 2010 since it does everything I want. 

[Doug]

I just wanted to bring this to everyone's attention. Search engines are good at finding things out about you, where you go on the internet etc. All private and personal stuff.

I have used and continue to use Duckduckgo as my search engine . Why? It doesn't track you or save things on their servers.

Personally I think it is an excellent search engine and want to bring it to everyone's attention. Any search engine that advocates privacy gets my vote. Give it a look and decide for yourselves. https://duckduckgo.com/

Edited January 5, 2017 by Doug