Windows
8 (and Windows 8.1) will no longer be the default operating system that
comes with new PCs, and anyone who is currently making do with Windows 8
can look forward to upgrading to an OS which is better in every
way—Windows 10. Photo: AFP
Windows lovers should be smiling by now, the time for windows 10 official launch is at hand.
Microsoft’s next PC operating system is available from 29 July. The good and the bad stuff, before you upgrade.
Windows 8 (and Windows 8.1) will no longer be the default operating
system that comes with new PCs, and anyone who is currently making do
with Windows 8 can look forward to upgrading to an OS which is better in
every way—Windows 10.
What does Windows 10 offer?
Faster start-up and performance: Windows 8
start-up speed was much quicker than Windows 7 because of major
underlying changes in how the software loaded up when the power button
was pressed. Windows 10 has improved that further. Even the speed to
access general files has been boosted. So your old PC or laptop will
perform much better now.
Start menu: It is back. The start menu was much
missed in Windows 8. The start menu in Windows 10 is, if you look
closely, a rather clever yet fully customizable mix of the menu from
Windows 7, and the Live Tile interface from Windows 8. Individual
programmes and folders can be “pinned” to the menu for quicker access,
and the app tiles can be resized, too. This also means the familiar
Windows button is back, on the bottom left side of the screen, which
just puts many users at ease.
Universal apps: The big problem with Windows 8.1 was the rather jarring switch between conventional desktop apps and the ones that ran on the modern interface. It was almost like running two different operating systems on one PC, and that confused users. Windows 10 removes that sudden transition. Microsoft’s own apps such as Photos, Videos, Groove, Maps, People, Mail, and Calendar, for example, now work equally well in desktop mode, on a touchscreen or with just a mouse and keyboard.
Action centre: A lot of us have become used to how
our smartphone pops up notifications for new messages and more. Apple
realized that, and introduced a ‘Notification Center’ with the Mac OS X
Yosemite operating system released last year. Microsoft has now done the
same—the ‘Action Center’ is the one location for any new emails, system
information, app notifications as well as access to toggles for Wi-Fi,
Bluetooth, tablet mode, VPN etc.
Microsoft Edge browser: It may still not be very
easy for Microsoft to wean back users from Google’s Chrome and Mozilla’s
Firefox Web browsers. But, there’s hope. In terms of features, website
load speeds and compatibility in real world usage, we found Edge to be
pretty much at par with Chrome and Firefox. While power users (those who
use a lot of extensions and apps with their Chrome browser) may not
switch just yet (Edge doesn’t have a very wide range of extensions yet),
others will probably realize soon enough that Edge is a massive upgrade
to the outgoing
Internet Explorer browser.
What doesn’t work?
Any PC running Windows 10 will automatically download
updates and new features to the operating system, Windows apps and
hardware drivers, as and when Microsoft pushes them out. And there is no
option to turn it off.
Microsoft calls Windows 10 “ a service” and wants to
eliminate any delay in installing new software and patches that could
improve security, performance or simply add new capabilities.
In previous Windows versions, users had the ability of
turning off automatic updates and instead search for them manually from
time to time. Windows 10 only allows users the flexibility of selecting
when to schedule a restart of the PC to complete the update installation
process. Business users can relax though, because Windows 10 Enterprise
Edition will still allow corporate IT departments to turn off automatic
updates. Businesses don’t always install new updates instantly because
they need to assess the compatibility of all their critical software and
services.
This shouldn’t be a big problem if the update sizes are
small enough, but anyone who doesn’t have a fast Internet connection
will probably find this very annoying.
Can your PC run Windows 10?
If your PC is currently running Windows 7 (32-bit or
64-bit) or Windows 8.1 (32-bit or 64-bit), you are eligible for the
Windows 10 upgrade.
Here are the minimum specifications needed to run Windows
10 on your PC: processor of 1GHz or faster, RAM of 1GB for 32-bit or
2GB for 64-bit Windows 10, hard disk space of 16GB for 32-bit or 20GB
for 64-bit, graphics card (DirectX 9 or later), display of 1024x600
pixels or higher; and an Internet connection.
Where can I get it?
From 29 July onwards, Windows 10 can be downloaded on
eligible PCs. For the past month, Microsoft has been pushing out the
reservation update that prompted users to reserve their copy of the
Windows 10 update for that particular PC. If you have done so, you’ll
automatically get a notification telling you that the new OS is being
downloaded. If you hadn’t reserved, you will still get a Windows Update
notification, though not immediately because Windows 10 will be rolled
out in phases, over the next few days.
How much will it cost?
On eligible PCs, Windows 10 can be downloaded free of
cost for the next 12 months. You can also buy a Windows 10 licence—$119
for home and $199 for professional editions. Microsoft will also be
providing Windows 10 on USB drives (instead of DVD discs) for
installation on PCs. This will be very useful for those who may not have
a fast broadband connection—$119 (home) and $199 (professional). These
USB drives will be available from 30 August.
0 comments:
Post a Comment
What's On Your Mind?