Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Windows 10 Day 6: Does Windows 10 suck?

windows-10-surface-pro-3-system
I am badly running out of windows 10 topics to talk about now and It's not everyday that I am sitting 8-10 hours straight in front of the computer to use all the new features. Frankly speaking I have not closely used some of the new features like the Microsoft Edge browser and also the multitasking features. I have not actually sat down and invest some time to integrate all of these new features into my usual workflow.

So, today I will be talking about a very subjective topic that may or may not offend you as the reader depending on your stance against Windows 10 as an operating system. The topic today is about a trending hashtag on twitter that is called #Windows10fail. I actually stumbled upon this twitter hastag through an article published on Mashable and not because it was trending by any standards. The original article mostly talked about the displeasures that some of the 14 million people running Windows 10 are facing.
Windows 10 Day 5: Using Windows store applications - there are some things that I do extremely love about using Windows Store applications and one of them is the live tiles support. There's just something about the animation of data. Contine reading.
The problems range from simple errors when upgrading to the operating itself all the way to the tiny bugs that cause mayhem to the entire experience. I have personally noticed although the combination of features like the return of the Start Menu and a better experience for keyboard and mouse users does give you that bright smile after installing Windows 10 but that honeymoon period does not last long. Take a look at the trend in my previous Windows 10 update articles, the fact that I have a little bit more bad experiences to talk about windows 10 rather than the good one makes me wonder whether upgrading to Windows 10 this early was a good idea. Or maybe I have talked too much about the good things in my full review of the operating system.


But even I am unsure how this article will end up being but again, this will be a very (very) subjective topic to discuss.

Also, just so you know that after upgrading to Windows 10, you can actually revert back to Windows 8.1 or Windows 7  if you are not happy with all the new changes included. But this option will only be made available for the first 30 days after you have successfully upgraded to Windows 10. The option to do so is available in the Settings app under Update& security > Recovery > Go back to Windows 8.1 (Windows 7). 
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Microsoft has been tuning this particular version of Windows out in the public for the past year through the Windows Insider program and while the headline features have seen their share of changes, there are still some tiny imperfections all around the operating system. Given that Windows 10 has just been out for less than a week, I won't talk too harshly about these tiny problems that exist within the operating system itself.

With Windows 10, Microsoft is bringing their desktop operating system into a whole new era by converting it into a continuous software product that will be updated on a yearly/quarterly basis. This means that Microsoft will not wait three years to fix a problem that is bugging Windows 10 users. They will be continuing the likes of the Windows Insider program to test new software features and you should expect to see Windows 10 to become even better as the time goes by.

Before I jump into my rant about some of the problems I am facing with Windows 10, I would like to dive into the new Feedback app in Windows 10. Build into Windows 10 is a brand new application called Windows Feedback and basically the purpose of this application is so that users will be able to chip in on problems or suggestions based on their Windows 10 experience. The application allows any Windows 10 users to look through the list of problems that other users are facing and anyone can add submit a new entry about an existing problem or a suggestion to help improve the overall experience.

Even if you never actually opened the Windows Feedback app before, chances are that the application has already hunted you down when you upgraded to Windows 10. This is a feedback app after all and the application will selectively ping you on your Windows 10 experience every now and then and you will be given the opportunity to rate the feature that is being implied and comments are also open.

Overall, the reason why I am discussing about this application is because it goes back to the core of Windows 10 which is now treated as a service. In order for Microsoft to continue innovating on future revisions of Windows 10, they are actively compiling input from people who are using the product on a day to day basis. This is actually quite a good thing as in the end, all of this feedback will benefit us as a consumer.


And now it's on to today's segment where I talk about some of the stupid problems that exist inside Windows 10. The first problem is actually from Windows 8 and that is the existence of the Pin to Start option in the right click menu of the Recycle Bin application. I just do not understand why the Pin to Start button is located just below the Empty recycle bin button. You might be thinking what's wrong? Well, I am constantly deleting files and images and I do not like the look of the recycle bin being full and that's why I end up emptying the recycle bin a couple of times every day. The problem here is that every now and then, I will unwillingly click on the Pin to start button by accident. Well, this problem is pretty self explanatory and this is one of those subjective problems that I have.


Well, here's another visual cue that I just can't accept in Windows 10. That is the new and improved volume slider that Microsoft has implemented. Previously, the volume slider integrated to the taskbar featured a vertical scrolling slider but for some reason, Microsoft decided that horizontal scrolling is way cooler. That's not all, the new volume slider only allows you to configure the master audio which means that you can't fine tune the audio of other applications. The ability to change the audio of other programs hasn't been completely dumped, it's just that the option is no longer coupled with the volume slider integrated onto the taskbar .

Speaking of changing the volume, the reason why I even care about individually tuning the volume for separate applications is because of the new Windows sounds. If you have not noticed, Microsoft actually modified the system sounds with a little instrumental tone. Like before, the system sounds can be quite annoying when you're trying to interact with a program that is not responding but coupled with the fact that Microsoft hid the option to manually change the volume levels for applications makes me furious. 

In case you're wondering how to manually change the volume levels for individual application in Windows 10. All you have to do is type in 'Volume' in the taskbar search box (or Cortana) and the first app that is listed will allow you to change the audio levels.


All right, I think two problems is enough to justify how small and un-related Windows 10 problems are. Going back to the actual question whether Windows 10 sucks or not? My answer is that it depends on how you look at it, if you are able to accept the fact that these problems will soon be fixed then Windows 10 does not suck but if you're sulking over problems that 'early-adopters' face then yeah, you can say that Windows 10 does suck.

But either way you think, just remember that Windows 10 is here to stay and it looks like Microsoft is actually willing to give users what they wan this time around. So, just remember, if you have a problem with Windows 10, tell Microsoft that problem (you are the boss of Windows). 

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