Windows 10 is In the Wild; What Should You Do?

Windows 10 is here and unless your PC is under a rock, it has started consistently nagging you for some time about being released.

As a Microsoft partner, we have been watching the development of Windows 10 codename “threshold.” Windows has undoubtedly released some excellent operating systems in its time. Windows 3.1 was revolutionary in bringing the mouse and GUI, as well as digital fireplaces, to the market. Windows 98 SE was a solid OS for many years.

However, Windows has also had some not so bright moments: Windows Millennium and Windows Vista were both unquestionably flops.

So – with that said — where will Windows 10 land?

Let’s note that Windows has never believed in making large, wholesale changes from one operating system to the next. Instead, the Windows story has seemingly always been about slowly refining the OS that a majority of the world touches every single day. This trend of steadily iterating the Windows operating systems still rings true today with Windows 10.

Today, I will take a moment to highlight some features that you’ll really appreciate in Windows 10:

1. The Start Menu is back with a vengeance. Microsoft gives up. They tried the metro interface and everyone installed a classic start menu app to get it back. Microsoft has heard your cries and brings the Start Menu back but with some live tiles from Metro. So, when you click start you will get fast access to key apps like you missed from Windows 7, but also some live information from Windows Metro 8. I think the compromise is good and you can pin those applications that you constantly use for easy and quick access.
2. Universal Search. This one is no surprise and let’s be honest… Windows has always lagged behind in search to its counterpart OSX. Now, you can click start and search or use the search bar always hanging out on your taskbar. The search is faster and returns better results.
3. Snap Windows is improved from Windows 7 now in Windows 10. Go ahead and drag a window to the side. The window will snap to half the screen size and then will show you your remaining choices on the right to snap right next to it.
4. Ding Dong the Full Screen program is dead. Yep, no longer will your browser or any program not give you the windowed view you love in Windows. The ability to minimize and maximize at will has returned. Now, if your tablet senses you have no keyboard, Windows 10 will ask if you want to go into touch mode and then metro and full screen applications come back… Makes sense, you have no mouse to minimize anyway. This shows that Microsoft is finally ready to listen to how people use the OS differently on tablets vs. PC’s.

Overall, Windows has become more like its Apple counterparts. Rather than an overhaul, it’s steadily steady narrowing in on what consumers want and need from their computers. It gets a thumbs-up from this IT guy to go ahead and download. Whether your enterprise is ready for the change… well… CIO’s call us on that one. Windows 10’s interaction with the cloud and Microsoft Azure opens some interesting new doors we would love to tell you about.

Happy computing across the new Windows Threshold!

Sincerely,

Paul Hager

CEO

Information Technology Professionals