A Linux user tries out Windows 10

Network World ^ | 1 April 2015 | Bryan Lunduke

[TexasGator]

” Microsoft opted instead for a full-screen display of animated tiles, which, as every four-year-old can tell you, was both annoying and stupid.”

Running 8.1 on desktop and laptop. I use the non-tiled default. My wife loves her tiles.

[Squawk 8888]

Linux is the way to go for certain things but not for desktop IMO. It’s great for hosting websites, email or databases but for end-user productivity and desktop software options Windows is hard to beat.

[Squawk 8888]

I dunno about that, the Chinese seem to have pretty good lifespans.

[rarestia]

As someone with two 4k monitors, I’m stoked about the HiDPI support. Some things in 8.1 and Linux are absolutely useless due to their micro-size. I ratcheted up the DPI scaling to 250%, and it helped, but some things are still micro.

I’m not looking at Win10 until it’s gone through the motions. I personally love the 8.1 Start menu and hate the idea of going back to the old school excessively large Start menu.

[dayglored]

>>> "Could eat Chinese food every day of the week."

>> You could, but you wouldn't be around long.

> I dunno about that, the Chinese seem to have pretty good lifespans.

Their genes are used to it. Westerners? Not so much...

[for-q-clinton]

I do that too and have no issue with it. I’m not sure what’s so hard about it to be honest, but maybe I’m just more familiar with the interface. Heck...if you can’t find the option just disconnect from the internet and I’m sure it will force you to go with a local only account ;-)

[for-q-clinton]

Yep it’s really simple to do...just need to click create a new account ;-)

http://www.intowindows.com/how-to-install-windows-8-1-without-microsoft-account/

[miliantnutcase]

True linux users don’t use a GUI... I went there! ;-p They use a windows machine or a mac for play time.

[dennisw]

With windows 10 I will nuke all tiles tied in with the start button. I have to believe this is an option. I despise these tiles/apps whatever they are are. They are good for touch screen tablets and fones but get in my way for desktops and laptops.

If getting back to a windows 7 type start button is not an option then Microsoft is dumb and damned.

In this case I will use Start 8 or other third party program to restore the normal start button same as I presently do on Windows 8. Start 8 is what I like and use NOT classic shell.

[dennisw]

http://www.bing.com/search?q=Windows+10+%22quick+launch%22&FORM=HDRSC1

On the taskbar I use quick launch and the pinning feature for quick access to programs. The good news is that quick launch is still there for Windows 10 and undoubtedly you will also still be able to pin programs to the taskbar.

I always put my taskbar on auto hide for more screen real estate

[Lee N. Field]

In Windows 8, Microsoft killed the Start Menu – that simple, nested menu that let you find and launch applications (a paradigm used in operating systems since the days of the Pharaohs).

Well, since Windows 95. And, IIRC, there was a launcher thingee in OS/2 Warp.

And the right-click context menu was directly copied from OS/2.

Microsoft opted instead for a full-screen display of animated tiles, which, as every four-year-old can tell you, was both annoying and stupid.

Windows 8 is "of de debbil".

Luckily, the good folks at Microsoft provide a "full screen" button that makes this new Start Menu take up the entire screen. For those moments, I suppose, when you feel you could be more annoyed by the Start Menu… if only it took up your entire field of view.

M$ hired some of the Gnome 3 interface developers? The jump from Gnome 2 to Gnome 3 was similarly jarring.

can keep the Windows fans at bay.

Windows users aren't that annoying. They're just completely oblivious to the existence of anything else.

[Yosemitest]

Ya' want it to work?
Dump WINDOWS.

Apple is the way to go.

[2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten]

I have to use windoze for my job - I have linux (well and some windoze at home). It’s not the UI or the features that drive me crazy with windoze - it’s windoze itself. How a process or the system itself can just take a nap and the whole system becomes unusable. And the lack of customization and key bindings as well. You can put lipstick on a pig OS but it’s still a pig OS.

[daniel1212]

The good news is that quick launch is still there for Windows 10

It is, but not by default, and the location requires some drilling. (Run shell:quick launch, or go to C:\Users\\username\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch

Place a shortcut to it in the Send To folder (Run shell:sendto, or drill to C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo, and send shortcuts to it.

MS seems to see users mostly as children who need big icons and need to be protected from self, and should not want to know things like file details, extensions, hidden files, or want much customization, and should not miss something like the Start Menu and Quick Launch bar, as instead they should just pin a dozen things to the Task Bar, if they even use a dozen things .

But i guess most people only use a PC for a few things.

Quick Launch

[daniel1212]

Start 8 is what I like and use NOT classic shell.

That is fine. Thank God for such options, and also for Windows and the PC in general, despite my criticism in wanting to make it even better, to be used for good.

[dennisw]

IIRC Quick launch was very very easy under XP. With 7 you had to do the detective work you describe plus get rid of the text description for icons plus........ put the quick launch icons in the lower left corner. Just where I like to locate them.

BUT

All worth it! Then with the program pinning feature I kinda have two sets of quick launch icons which is good for mentally organizing your frequently used programs

Then lastly (like I said) I put the entire task bar on auto-hide. 90% of Windows users never do anything like this and I will tell you why>>>>>>>

[dennisw]

THE WHY IS>>>>>>

1-— Most users don’t know or want to know how to right click a url link to open in new tab or new window

2-— don’t want to know how to use multiple tabs within a Firefox browser window

3-—refuse to use auto-hide for their taskbar

4-— could not in a million years download and install “Start 8” to modify Windows 8 to where it is supremely useable on their laptop. I do this for them

I am talking people over 55 I know and tutor and help. All the above explains why Windows 8 gets a bad rap. I promise you that if Best Buy and all computer manufaturers gave out a simple brochure on how to install a start button, that Windows 8 laptop sales would have been much higher and that Apple would not have gained as much ground in ipads and laptops

99% of the Windows 8 confusion and popular put downs it gets it from no start button
PLUS the first thing they see is that lock screen and tiles

[dennisw]

Furthermore>>>>>>

I have had customers (home users) rush back to Best Buy and return Windows 8 desktops and laptops before I could visit their house to install Start 8 and bypass the tiles completely. They refuse to wait a few days for me to come over and set up Windows 8 and explain it a bit. Its pitiful and beyond dumb! This is how Apple got more Apple users.

Microsoft screwed itself and the entire PC industry by not making it an easy one step option to restore the>
—start button
—the desktop
—to bypass tiles/apps and bypass the lock screen....
So that the average Windows user had 8 working the way they were used to seeing windows operate the same way it did in 7 / Vista/ XP/ Windows ME/ Windows 98 /

[kevkrom]

I do that too and have no issue with it. I’m not sure what’s so hard about it to be honest, but maybe I’m just more familiar with the interface. Heck...if you can’t find the option just disconnect from the internet and I’m sure it will force you to go with a local only account ;-)

Probably, but my beef is that the option is not apparent to the uninitiated. On a UNIX/Linux machine, none of that is even an option (as far as I know - of course, there could be some Linux distro that has an online account tie-in). On OS X, they ask you to use or sign up for an iCloud account the first time you log into your local account, but provide a visible option to skip linking to iCloud. On Windows, unless you know the tricks or go through extra effort to look up how to do it, there appears to be no choice but to link to a Microsoft account.

That's my issue with it - not whether or not it can be worked around, but the fact that it has to be worked around and is not presented as being an option in the first place.

[daniel1212]

IIRC Quick launch was very very easy under XP. With 7 you had to do the detective work you describe plus get rid of the text description for icons plus........ put the quick launch icons in the lower left corner. Just where I like to locate them. BUT All worth it!

And with W/10, you must also nuke everything to the left, and IIRC this includes the hard to remove Store app. MS did not have the QL users in mind.

Then lastly (like I said) I put the entire task bar on auto-hide. 90% of Windows users never do anything like this and I will tell you why>>>>>>>

Since i frequently go to it, and i need to choose which open document from the pop up preview, or which instance of Firefox from the one icon, then it would take more time. The TB is quite thin as it i due to my resolution and using small icons. MS has fixed the opacity issue of W/8.1 though, and it overall looks better.