The Windows 10 Review: The Old & New Face of Windows
by Brett Howse on August 25, 2015 8:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Operating Systems
- Microsoft
- Windows 10
More Desktop Changes
One of the goals of Windows 10 is to entice Windows 7 users to migrate to the new operating system. The additions we’ve seen already to the traditional mouse and keyboard interface have already been substantial, and should make most Windows 7 users comfortable. But they are not the only changes to the desktop. There is a little bit for everyone, both casual users and enthusiasts alike, so lets check out some more of the new features of Windows 10’s desktop.
Windows 8 changed up Windows Explorer, and brought in the ribbon menu. Office 2007 was the first Microsoft program to move from the file menu to the ribbon menu, and while it was controversial at the time, it is now very familiar. Moving Windows Explorer to a ribbon menu made it both easier to use with touch, as well as exposing settings and features that may have been tucked away in a submenu before. Windows 10 evolves this. Opening up Windows Explorer now greets you with a list of files you have recently accessed in the main pane. The thinking is that when you go to Explorer, you are likely looking for something you’ve used before. I won’t dispute the logic, but I prefer to see the computer view myself. Luckily it’s an easy option to change by clicking File->Change folder and search options. What I do like though is the Quick Access feature in Windows Explorer, which gives you – you guessed it – quick access to folders that are used a lot. The system will automatically add folders you go to frequently which is kind of great for discoverability, and you can add or remove any folder here. I have found it very useful, and since it is also built into the file picker for saving files, it makes it easy to get where I want to go when saving files.
Another nice feature to come to Windows Explorer is the Share contract. Windows 8 introduced contracts, which allow apps to communicate with one another over dedicated protocols, and adding it to Windows Explorer is a great way to expand them from the tablet style apps to the desktop. Share was likely the most useful contract, and I was always disappointed that the Windows 8 Charms did not offer any functionality on the desktop, so this is a great addition.
There are also small changes which improve Windows 10 over Windows 8. Things like having drop shadows back. Windows 8 went for a very flat UI, and it was clean looking but the lack of depth was not very useful with multiple windows open. Adding drop shadows back give the subtle definition around windows to make them stand out a bit more.
One of my favorite features that has come to Windows 10 is the ability to scroll an inactive window. Prior to Windows 10, and assuming you were not running a third party utility which enabled this, in order to scroll a window you had to first select it. Now, you can just move your mouse over any open window and use the scroll wheel to move whatever window you are over. You can do this on windows that are buried three or four deep – as long as you can see some of it you can scroll it. It is great when you are referencing a PDF or site, and writing at the same time, since you can continue to type while scrolling around in your reference document. For those that think this is insane, yes, you can turn it off.
Windows 8 seemed to signal that Microsoft was looking to a future past the desktop. There were some nice changes brought to the Windows 8 desktop but they were overshadowed by the changes brought in by the touch-first UI. With Windows 10, Microsoft is not only trying to bring back the focus on the desktop, they have added a lot of great features as well which should certainly entice users of both Windows 7 and 8.1 to want to switch.
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Notmyusualid - Tuesday, August 25, 2015 - link
+1Victor84 - Tuesday, August 25, 2015 - link
I upgraded from Windows 8 but ran into so many bugs and strange problems that I downgraded after a couple of hours.cjs150 - Tuesday, August 25, 2015 - link
I have been using w10 for a couple of weeks now. It feels a bit quicker than w8, but somewhat to my surprise I find I am missing the live tiles start screen.Multiple virtual desktops is a wonderful, and long overdue, feature. Edge is very nice (but I still went back to Chrome).
Now the bad points:
1. File explorer. Other than cosmetic changes it has not been overhauled for decades and it shows
2. Groove music, Brett may like it, I don't. It would not update my music collection without logging in to my Microsoft account (which I do not use except when forced to) when I ticked box to log into that application only, W10 ignored me switched my entire account to the Microsoft account (which took ages to find the disconnect option). Its ability to correctly tag my music collection (sadly all WAV) is the same as media player, which is to say total crap. It is a big waste of space.
3. Windows Media Centre - bring it back I miss it!
4. New start menu. I got used to not having it in w8, the new version is clunky, bug ridden and I am sure that the use of live tiles is solely because MS is too embarrassed to ditch them. I guess I will be buying Stardock start10 or similar third party replacement.
Overall a nice upgrade from Vista but not really worth it for w7 or 8
chrome_slinky - Wednesday, August 26, 2015 - link
Tiles are not because of embarrassment. Tiles are there because of hubris. They want you to have things their way, whether you like it or not.sorten - Tuesday, August 25, 2015 - link
"Windows 8 works well in a touch scenario, but is not ideal for keyboard and mouse based devices."Brett, this is an interesting comment. Which mouse and keyboard features weren't working for you in Windows 8? I used Windows 8 on my home desktop from beta and my mouse and keyboard worked fine. I stopped using the Start button with Windows Vista because the search feature is much quicker, but even the missing Start button was fixable with 3rd party options.
Oh well, on to Windows 10. Hopefully people try it before condemning it. Based on the tinfoil hat comments above I'm guessing they won't.
Brett Howse - Tuesday, August 25, 2015 - link
I mean let's not open this debate again, but yes it works with a keyboard and mouse, but it is less than productive when you are in Windows Explorer, double click a photo to look at it, and a full screen photos app pops up and you can't see what you are doing anymore. There were so many of these examples. Everything worked yes, but productivity was not what it needed to be on that form factor.I mean think about out of the box Windows 8 and trying to reference a PDF. Windows Reader would open it full screen, and you would have to snap the desktop to half of the screen to work with it, and muck around with your windows. The solution that we all did was to stop using the new apps and go back to things like Adobe Reader on the desktop, but that's not a win for the platform and its new app model. If the new app model is not one that everyone uses, then you will never get quality apps built for it because it would only be available for a subset of users.
chrome_slinky - Wednesday, August 26, 2015 - link
I got rid of it 3 days after launch, as I had been running it since February, and could take the irk no more. I would LOVE to see someone compile a list of the places where a right click has always produced a result, and no longer does anything - far from the BS about how the device will dictate the interface, which, if you think at all, means that desktop users should see no change in the way it works for them. That, of course, is NOT the case, proving the lie from Microshaft, and also showing they are either incapable or too lazy to implement things they had said they were going to.Notmyusualid - Tuesday, August 25, 2015 - link
PROUD 'Tin foil hatter' here...chrome_slinky - Wednesday, August 26, 2015 - link
Paid troll?Michael Bay - Wednesday, August 26, 2015 - link
Your envy is obvious.