windows 10 | writing about tech

I’ve used Windows 10 for all of two hours total so far, on a single machine (a Bootcamped MacBook), so obviously I feel confident giving an overall review at this point.

I’m only being half-facetious, because it’s Windows, and you probably already love it or hate it or tolerate it at this point, and Windows 10 isn’t likely to change your mind all that much. Personally, I never had much issue with Windows 7 – it was just starting to feel long in the tooth. My experience with Windows 8 was pretty limited, suffice it to say, I never felt a need to install on my laptop or desktop, because Windows 7 was Fine™.

Windows 10 is basically Windows 7 + a (great) new coat of paint and polish + the best ideas from Windows 8 + a native package management tool for us nerds (finally!) + the Mission Control view from OS X + a fun virtual assistant.

Overall, I’m digging it so far. Honestly, if I wasn’t somewhat dependent on Apple’s services like Continuity and iMessage, I would seriously consider running Windows 10 full-time, even if it was just for the novelty of using something new. If Windows 10 represents Microsoft’s direction for the next 5-10 years, I’m actually pretty excited to see where things go.

Score: Fine/10, would install again.

Microsoft just announced that Windows 10 is going to be a free upgrade for all Windows 7 users.

Photo courtesy of The Verge

This is a pretty big deal; Windows 7 -> 8 wasn’t free, but 7 -> 10 will be. It also sets a precedent going forward, though, that Windows will always be a free upgrade – it’ll be interesting to see if that remains true, or if this is a one-time deal to get as many people on the same platform as possible.

While this is an expensive decision, it’s almost certainly the right one – Microsoft already has a user base split between Windows 7 and Windows 8, and adding Windows 10 to that would’ve been unmanageable. Personally, I never upgraded my desktop to Windows 8, since it wasn’t free, and I didn’t see a benefit to doing so. Now, assuming Windows 10 isn’t a disaster, I won’t have any reason not to upgrade – and Microsoft is counting on millions of other users to view it the same way.

That’s the trick, of course – to make Windows 10 good enough that people want to upgrade. Hopefully, Microsoft can pull it off.

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Tag: windows 10

A 2-minute review of 2 hours of using Windows 10

Windows 10 is a free upgrade for Windows 7 users. This is huge.

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