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– via The Verge
Microsoft is currently soliciting feedback for Windows 10 as part of a Technical Preview program to improve the features of the company’s next version of Windows. While testers are voting on a variety of changes that Paul Thurrott has documented well, Microsoft has also opened its own Windows feature suggestion page at the Uservoice feedback site. The software maker has previously used Uservoice for Windows Phone, and strong Uservoice support for the Cortana name actually swayed the company to keep the name following several leaks. So it’s clear the company looks at Uservoice closely. Here are the top 10 requests for Windows 10 features.
This suggestion is self explanatory. A tabbed interface for File Explorer would allow Windows 10 users to simply tab through different folders instead of having multiple folders open that clutter the desktop. A number of third-party solutions currently exist, and the suggestion includes the ability to view two tabbed folders side-by-side in a single Explorer window.
Again, another simple request. Microsoft has added a variety of OEM drivers to its Windows Update service, but more often than not you still have to dig around the web to find the latest drivers. It shouldn’t be this way, especially for consumers. A lot of PC makers now have their own separate update tools, and the suggestion calls for Microsoft to own the process entirely to make Windows Update the one stop for all PC drivers.
This might not seem like the most obvious addition for Microsoft, but it’s clearly one that some Windows users want. With 983 votes at Uservoice, it’s as simple as adding a Persian calendar to Windows 10.
With Apple bringing some transparent effects to OS X Yosemite, some Windows users are calling for the return of Aero Glass. Microsoft first introduced this feature in Windows Vista, but Microsoft cut most of the window transparency in Windows 8 to focus on improved battery life. The feedback request notes that millions of PCs are desktops and are equipped with capable graphics cards and memory to handle Aero Glass. Microsoft has added some drop shadow effects to the Windows 10 Technical Preview, so there are signs the UI could change a lot before the operating system ships.
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Windows users have been calling on Microsoft to redesign its ancient iconography for years. Although some recent versions of Windows have improved upon this, there are still a number of areas you can stumble across where you’ll see an icon from 20 years ago. Long Zheng, a user experience designer from Australia, created a Windows UI Taskforce ahead of the Windows 7 release to encourage Microsoft to fix its many user interface quirks. Unfortunately, many still exist in Windows 8 today. There are signs in the Windows 10 Technical Preview that Microsoft is overhauling its iconography, as the File Explorer icon has a flat look to it now.
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The basic Notepad.exe application in Windows hasn’t really changed over the years. While Paint has been improved with a Ribbon and interface tweaks, Notepad is as simple as ever. While there is a Wordpad alternative built-in, some on Uservoice feel the default notepad application should be better. No support for Unix line endings, double click to select words is inconsistent, and undo doesn’t work well according to the feature request. Those are reasonable observations, and it’s probably about time Microsoft offered something as good as Notepad++ as the default in Windows 10.
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Anything free makes it into any good list, and some Windows users just don’t want to pay for the next version of Windows. “Simple as that,” notes the feedback, but it’s far from it. Microsoft still generates a huge amount of revenue from Windows, and although the company has made Windows Phone and Windows free for tablets under 9 inches, it’s highly unlikely the company will extend that to everything else anytime soon. Microsoft may, however, make Windows 10 free for Windows 7 and Windows 8 users. That would be a wise move to avoid Windows 7 becoming the next Windows XP.
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Downloading Windows 10 Technical preview.
Future Posts:
— Feel the No Difference : Windows 10 & OS X
— Windows 10 & Windows 8.1 : What’s new from The OLD
– via Mashable
So just how similar are Windows 10 and OS X 10.10 Yosemite?
My immediate takeaway from Tuesday’s Windows 10 Preview event was “Wow, this looks a lot like OS X.” I say that not with any judgment — just as an observation.
On Wednesday, the Windows 10 Preview became available to advanced users and developers and I rushed to install it on a spare machine. I also happen to have a test machine running the latest OS X Yosemite GM. You know what that means? Operating system with ten in the title face-off!
Up until Windows 8, the OS X and Windows desktop worlds were running on similar — if still unique — paths. Sure, one had a dock and the other a Start menu, but the overall trajectory had similarly aligned goals.
All of that changed with Windows 8. Where Apple has long had the philosophy of keeping iOS and OS X separate — shared design language and some window dressing aside — Microsoft decided to go in a different, unified direction. It didn’t really work out.
Now, with Windows 10, Microsoft is righting the Windows ship and going back to a desktop-first experience. Don’t worry touch customers — Microsoft isn’t abandoning you — but the focus, especially for the enterprise-targeted Windows 10 Preview, is clearly on winning over the hearts and minds of desktop consumers.
So what does Microsoft’s new vision for the desktop look like? Well, it looks an awful like what Apple has envisioned for OS X.
Now, to be clear, although there are some aspects in Windows 10 Preview that seem inspired by longtime OS X features, I’m not implying that Microsoft “stole” anything from Apple. (And if it did steal, it’s the type of stealing I fully endorse: Taking the idea and making it stand on its own as opposed to pure mimicry.)
Plus, it’s important to note that the latest version of OS X — and indeed, OS X Mavericks — have taken a number of cues from the traditional Windows desktop too.
Let’s look at some of the visual and behavioral similarities between the two platforms.
One of my favorite features in OS X is Mission Control (known as Expose until OS X Lion). Mission Control allows users to see every running program window in an organized, heads-up fashion. It also allows the user to view multiple desktops and to add additional desktops with a quick click of a button.
In Windows 10 Preview, a virtually identical feature is coming called Task View.
Tapping on the Task View button on the Start menu brings up each app window in heads-up mode in a grid. You can also view other virtual desktops or create your own. Yes, Virginia, virtual desktops are back.
Even better, for an OS X user like me, the gesture shortcut for bringing up Task View is identical to that on OS X. Swipe three fingers up on a trackpad and the mode is exposed. I would love to see a keyboard shortcut similar to F3 on Mac, but for a preview, I like the interface.
This is a very blatant OS X-ism for Windows 10, but it’s also a very good decision.
I remember when I switched to full-time Mac usage, one of the biggest adjustment problems I had was that clicking on the green button on a window didn’t maximize the window to fill the whole screen, it simply expanded it to the size the application thought you might want it to be. That made it necessary to drag the window manually to fill the size of the screen.
This, of course, is the opposite of how it works in Windows, where clicking on the maximize button makes the window fill the entire screen.
For Mac users, this change could be infuriating, especially if trying to get more screen real estate for an application such as Safari. Back in the old days, I think I even had a special bookmarklet or hack to make the window size as large as I wanted it to be, just as a way to cope.
Well, finally, with OS X Yosemite, the green button is going to act the way it has always needed to act and will fill the entire screen (invoking full-screen mode if that’s part of the app).
See, Mac can steal from Windows, too.
As we noted in our original OS X Yosemite preview, the added translucency to the operating system is similar to what we saw with Windows Vista and Aero Glass back in 2007.
Pair that with the flatter style that both Windows Modern and OS X Yosemite share, and the the UI “look” for both systems is closer than ever.
It’s true that Windows 10 Preview still has more shadowed candy-coated icons, but both Microsoft and Apple seem to be trying to streamline design trends to better match what we’re seeing on the web and with design in general.
IMAGE: MICROSOFT
The Start menu is back on Windows 10 Preview, but that doesn’t mean that Live Tiles are dead. Instead, they are now able to be attached to the Start menu and show updates in real-time. This is basically the modern version of Windows desktop widgets.
This is not dissimilar to what OS X Yosemite is doing with its Notification Center. Just like in iOS 8, OS X Yosemite offers customizable widgets on the Today screen.
IMAGE: SCREENSHOT MASHABLE, APPLE
The implementation is unique to both operating systems, but the idea is incredibly similar.
This is another area where Microsoft can take credit for leading the way. In both OS X Yosemite and Windows 10 Preview, user login accounts can be tied to a OneDrive or iCloud account. When this happens, iCloud and OneDrive integrate seamlessly with the desktop experience, making it easy to access files and folders from the cloud or to save files that are then synced with the cloud.
Apple users have been clamoring for a more Dropbox or OneDrive-like approach to cloud services so it’s great to see Apple take a page from Microsoft’s playbook.
It’s a GOOD thing that both Microsoft and Apple are taking cues from one another. The fact is, as someone who primarily uses a Mac but also checks in on Windows in a virtual machine or test machine, I’m more excited by Windows 10 Preview than I have been for any non-Mac desktop in years.
That’s not just because I can use Microsoft’s Yosemite Scenes wallpaper pack to look like Yosemite National Park either; it’s because having desktops act similarly to one another is a good thing.
This isn’t to say that being unique doesn’t have its benefits, but in the real world, where more and more work takes place in a browser and becomes operating system agnostic, having systems feel similar to one another is a good thing. It lowers the learning curve and makes muscle-memory less of an issue.
– The Verge
Microsoft only unveiled Windows 10 to the world yesterday, but you can already download a preview version of the new operating system today. The Windows 10 Technical Preview is designed for enthusiasts, developers, and enterprise customers to evaluate the latest changes to Windows. Microsoft has created a special insiders program to deliver regular updates throughout the Windows 10 development cycle, and those who sign up will get the very latest software to test.
It’s an unusual move for Microsoft, but one that it plans to capitalize on by looking closely at feedback from those who opt to install the early version of Windows 10. Microsoft is releasing Windows 10 Technical Preview as an ISO download, meaning you can install it in a virtual machine, clean install the OS on a spare machine, or even attempt to upgrade your existing Windows 8.1 installation. It’s a very early build of Windows 10 so there will be bugs, but if you’re interested in testing the very latest version of Windows then Microsoft’s preview site has all the details for downloading and installing Windows 10.
Windows 10 Technical Preview x86 (2.9GB ISO)
Windows 10 Technical Preview x64 (3.8GB ISO)
– via Wired
Myerson says Windows 10 will run on “the broadest range of devices ever,” from small “internet of things” gadgets set up in offices and homes, to game consoles, to handheld tablets and phones, to computer servers that drive websites and other business software inside massive data centers.
“Some of these devices have four-inch screens. Some of these devices have 80-inch screens. Some don’t have any screen at all,” Microsoft’s Windows chief proclaimed on Tuesday morning while unveiling an early version of its latest operating system at a press event in San Francisco. “Some you hold in your hand. Some you sit 10 feet away from and use with a controller or gestures. Some include a touchpad, some a mouse and keyboard. Some switch between input devices.”
All this sounds rather impressive. The question is what it actually means for the people and businesses interested in using the upcoming operating system—and that’s a question worth asking. As Myerson said during yesterday’s event, 1.5 billion people now use Windows in one form or another. But few use Windows on phones or tablets, it’s losing ground to the open-source Linux operating system in the data center, and relatively few businesses have moved to the latest flagship version of the OS, Windows 8. As it faces increasing competition—in various markets—from the likes of Apple and Google, Microsoft is fighting to maintain its place in the computing universe, particularly its place inside the world’s businesses.
According to David Johnson, an analyst with Massachusetts-based research firm Forrester Research, only about one-in-five businesses are currently offering Windows 8 machines to employees, and the older Windows 7 will reach the end of its life in 2020. “Microsoft has to give enterprises a reason to move to a new version before it becomes a crisis,” he says, warning that companies like Apple and Google will step into the breach.
That’s why Myerson is pitching Windows 10 as an OS that runs everywhere. At least nominally, Apple and Google still offer disparate OSes for disparate machines—Apple with Mac OS for desktops and iOS for mobile devices, Google with ChromeOS and Android. Myerson wants to show that Microsoft is doing something that others aren’t. But, really, what does his pitch ultimately mean? And how much does it matter?
Basically, it means that the same core operating system code will run wearables, game consoles, phones, tablets, laptops, desktops, and servers—though, naturally, disparate devices will still offer different interfaces and other tools atop this core code. Microsoft has been moving in this direction for the past several years, and now, it seems, Windows 10 is taking things further.
But what does that mean? Well, Myerson tells WIRED it will ultimately lead to a more effective and reliable OS running across those myriad devices. “There’s quality that comes with scale,” he tells WIRED. “The same code being on the client? There’s so much quality and reliability that can then go into the server.”
Certainly, he has a point here. But Microsoft sharing core code in this way is nothing new. Its server, desktop, phone, and game console OSes already use a lot of the same core code, and, well, this kind of thing happens all the time. When it comes right down to it, Apple’s Mac OS X and iOS use much of the same core code, though they’re separate OSes in many ways. Google’s ChromeOS and Android are both based on Linux.
Myerson also says that the new Windows 10 will allow software developers to more easily build applications that run across disparate machines, and that the company will offer a “universal” app store that serves all devices. You know, it’s the old “write once, run anywhere” pitch. “Developers can write once and target many systems,” Myerson explains. A coder could build an app that, say, runs on both a desktop and a tablet or both a wearable and a server.
But how often will that really be possible? How often will it be necessary? Microsoft hinted that the Xbox will be able to run more applications built for desktops and laptops, but it’s unclear how this will work. And it’s unclear how many developers will really want to build apps that span devices at opposite ends of the spectrum. “There are examples where the answer is a categorical ‘Yes,’ and there are examples where the answer is ‘Of course not,’” he says, when asked about the possibility of wearable/server apps. “But this is about allowing coders to make their code available in more places.”
The idea is that the ubiquity of Windows 10 will lead to more applications on all devices, but while “write-once, run-anywhere” is easy to say, it’s really hard to pull off. In fact, it’s near impossible. Microsoft already took a step down the “same code” road with Windows 8—the predecessor to Windows 10—offering the same core software on both desktops and mobile devices, but coders are still required to do a lot of extra work if they want to build an app that runs in both places. Microsoft may take another step forward with Windows 10, making it easier to build apps for multiple devices, but how far? Even if the different devices use the same core code, developers still have to make changes in building software for each one. After all, they’re different devices.
– via The Verge
There was never really any doubt that the next version of Windows was going to look at least a little like Windows 7. Even Windows 8.1 was a step back in that direction for Microsoft, bringing back the Start button that so many millions of customers missed. But for all the time Terry Myerson and Joe Belfiore spent on stage today explaining the enormity of change in Windows 10 — they skipped a version number to prove the point — there’s no obscuring the blindingly obvious truth.
Windows 10 is Windows 7.
Windows 10 is Windows 7 plus a handful of the things about Windows 8 that worked best: Snap mode, beautiful Modern-style apps, always-updating live tiles, and now (finally) a universal app store that works across all screen sizes from phones to TVs. But it’s still Windows 7. Windows 10 is based primarily on the desktop, not the radical new Start Screen of Windows 8; you’ll find most things by going to the new-old Start Menu. “Everything runs in a window” is billed as an exciting new feature. There are bits and pieces of Windows 8 here, but Windows 10 will be more jarring for Windows 8 users than for users who haven’t updated their computer software since 2006.
“YOU ALREADY KNOW HOW TO USE IT” DOESN’T MEAN WHAT MICROSOFT THINKS IT MEANS
That is, of course, the whole point. “Familiar” was a favorite word of Myerson’s and Belfiore’s. They described over and over how simple it is to upgrade, how similar Windows 10 will feel to what you’ve already been using. “We want all these Windows 7 users to have the sentiment that yesterday they were driving a first-generation Prius,” Belfiore said. “And now with Windows 10 it’s like a Tesla.” It’s not supposed to feel different, it’s not supposed to be scary.
It’s supposed to be Windows 7.
It’s telling that throughout its entire event, Microsoft seemed to be speaking not to Windows 8 users, but to the customers who took one look at live tiles and decided to stick with Windows 7 or Windows XP.
– via The Verge
Microsoft’s Windows 10 unveiling was focused on the desktop and the enterprise, but the company also dropped some significant hints at its future direction for phone and Xbox. While there was no meaningful discussion about the user interface changes to Windows Phone and Xbox, Microsoft did reveal some changes in an image highlighting Windows 10 across multiple devices. Traditional Windows Phone devices appear to feature the familiar tiled interface with Windows 10 that currently exists with Windows Phone 8.1, scaling all the way up to devices with 6-inch displays. Where things seem to change are with 7- or 8-inch tablets. Microsoft’s image appears to suggest that small Windows tablets will take on more of a Windows Phone-like interface than the existing Start Screen from Windows 8.1.
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It’s a subtle hint in Microsoft’s marketing materials, and one that’s likely mocked up, but it shows the company’s intent and plans for Windows 10. Other devices show the new Start Menu, including the continuum touch interface for convertible laptop / tablet hybrids, but there’s also a brief look at what looks to be an upcoming Xbox One user interface update. It’s not a drastic change from the existing tiled interface for the console, but it appears to match the rest of Microsoft’s plans for Windows 10 a lot more closely. Overall, the Windows 10 image highlights the idea of a single unified version of Windows that spans across phones, tablets, PCs, and Xbox consoles. Microsoft says it will demonstrate a lot more consumer-focused parts of Windows 10 early next year. For now, Windows 10 looks like the reality of Microsoft’s three screens and a cloud vision. While parts of that are already in place in Windows 8, it feels like Windows 10 may finally execute on the company’s grand plan.
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Microsoft held its technical preview press event today in San Francisco where they showed off the first bits of the upcoming OS. As previously said, Microsoft will be releasing a technical preview for the public to try out ahead of the retail launch.
The technical preview will be available tomorrow and the downloads will come in at around 4GB for the 64-bit variety and around 3GB for the 32-bit version.
As with any preview software, especially an OS, you should not install this on production hardware as there will likely be bugs and it could break existing applications.
The download will be part of Microsoft’s ‘Insider’ program for Windows enthusiasts; that portal will go live tomorrow as well.
This preview is considered a ‘technical preview’, for the consumer side of the OS, that conversation will take place in early 2015 and will likely include another preview release as well.
– Cha Review
Yap, no Windows 9, no Windows X, no nothing. Its Windows 10.
The new window designed to attract the Windows XP and Windows 7 users is here. Windows 10 features and what’s new, everything will be posted soon.
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