When Written: Aug 2015
*** Since I wrote this article things have moved on and I am happy to recommend upgrading to Windows 10 *****
I am getting asked from clients and friends if they should click on that tempting little button that has appeared on their machine.
Despite the multitude of articles about how great Windows 10 is and that you should upgrade on day one.
I recieved an email for that reliable source of all things Windows – “Woodys Office Watch” This is what they say about windows:
“WINDOWS 10 – OPENING DAY VIEW An expanded version of this article is online at Office-Watch.com
Don’t believe most of the Windows 10 reviews out there. Many seem to come from writers who have swallowed whole the Microsoft hype. One ‘technology expert’ on the TV could only mention one downside to Windows 10 – the game ‘Hearts’ is missing. Oh please! There’s some nice stuff in Windows 10 like virtual desktops and the much better Windows apps (which now run in windows, not just full screen). Windows 10 isn’t ready for any discerning customers. Even by Microsoft’s own admission, there are more features and fixes that will be rolled out over the coming months.
What’s released on 29 July 2015 is the beta version of Windows that Microsoft could get by the ‘locked in’ date. The date decided the release, not the quality of the software.
PATIENCE, GRASSHOPPER
Just like a new version of Microsoft Office, we strongly suggest you don’t install Windows 10 … not yet anyway. There’s no need to hurry getting Windows 10. You have until July 2016 to make the switch. Microsoft is pushing out fixes and updates regularly so any prudent user will wait and let others be the guinea pigs. The switch to Windows 10 takes time. Best to wait for a suitable time for you, for example when upgrading the computer or before doing an install of major new software. If you do get Windows 10, jump to the Store and get the free Office Mobile apps. We have a mix of Windows 10 and Windows 8.1 computers. Unlike with some earlier versions of Windows, there’s nothing compelling in Windows 10. The incomplete Windows 10 that’s out now makes us prefer the Windows 8.1 machines for daily use.
START MENU
The changed Start Menu in Win10 is getting much praise but we’re not sure why. Most savvy Windows 8 users dumped the full Start Menu and got a third-party add-on to restore a decent menu to the bottom left corner. Windows 8.1 for Microsoft Office users has a whole chapter on removing and changing the default interface, including the Start Menu. The Windows 10 still has too many frills (mostly to promote other Microsoft products). The Live Tiles aren’t much use to Microsoft Office or Outlook users since there are, amazingly, still no Live Tiles available (don’t the Windows and Office teams ever talk to each other?). The Win10 Start Menu might be better than the Win8.1 version … but many people will prefer to install an alternative.
ONEDRIVE
Windows 10 has only partial OneDrive support at the moment. Features that are in Windows 8.1 (like placeholder files) have been dropped from Windows 10. On Windows 10, synchronization with OneDrive is spotty and inconsistent. Yes, we’re talking about Microsoft OneDrive – their much promoted cloud storage service. It’s an integral part of Microsoft Office, especially for Office 365 subscribers. Yet OneDrive is not fully supported by the new Windows from ‘Day One’. There’s vague promises that OneDrive will get better later in the year but nothing more. Even if you don’t have other reasons, this failure by Microsoft is good reason to delay installing Windows 10.”
Bear in mind that Windows 10 is stated by Microsoft to be the last version as it will ‘evolve’ over time as new features are added, or you might say ‘finished’. By doing this Microsoft can justifyably relaese an operating systems that is still work in progress and they might just get away with this trick.
So how come the articles don’t pick up on these points ?
A lot of the previous testing is done by people using Windows 10 in a virtual machines now, and these installs are never used to do ‘real work’ most are used just for the article before clearing down for the next build of Windows. Many reviewers are now using Apple hardware for the core machines and no longer use Windows infrastructure to run their businesses. This is not a criticism of these people just a sign of how the whole arena has changed since Vista made many start to look for alternatives.
So my message to those of you ‘itching’ to upgrade your main Windows box is ‘”PATIENCE, GRASSHOPPER”
Article by: Mark Newton
Published in: Mark Newton