Last minute: Windows 10 or not?

[Janmanden]

So.. The free "Upgrade to Windows 10 now!" The "Offer expires on 29 July in 4 hours, 51 minutes and 8 seconds."

 

I tried it out a year ago and wasn't pleased. Especially the lack of control with Windows Updates is a big turnoff point and some graphical changes too like windows and folders and everything is so bloody flat and have shadows at the same time.

 

Has anything really changed? Is Window Updates still a pain?

 

I wish I could search for these things myself, but I find Both Google, BIng and pretty much every search service to be bloody useless in regards to filters or maybe I forgot and they removed them as features.

 

I guess I could always upgrade it online, but I've already done that once and the offer still stands as if I never took it.. Last time I decided to quit Windows 10 and go back to Windows 8 it turned out that it wasn't 31 days at all, but only 28.. In which case I had to reinstall Windows 8 Pro, upgrade to Windows 8.1.. Fix all my installations.. Dealing with all those perfectly working Express version, that had been disabled (and thus unable to re-register to unlock) in favor of something worse and blah-blah-blah-massive-pain-in-the-arse-dows.. Not too happy about trying that again.  

 

Forgot to mention. So, I've already taken the offer once, which didn't change anything in this regard, I mean, apparently it's not like a Microsoft Windows 10 OS Cloud Server where I can always install it from again, because I already reserved my copy and the offer still stands completely oblivious to this, and since it doesn't actually make a complete Windows 10 installation that I can always pick later and that it doesn't give me a Product Key I am really confused about my options.

 

Hm.. I did actually download it separately, but I wonder if I can actually install it later, past this date and everything will be jolly miss molly or .. [insert the opposite].

Edited July 29, 2016 by Janmanden

[Humanoid]

If your "upgrade" last year was for the full release version of Win10, and the installation was properly activated, then your system is already registered with Microsoft as being licenced for Windows 10. This means you are free to upgrade or clean install Win10 whenever you like on your current machine, the deadline is irrelevant.

 

If you're unsure whether you did it properly last time around, it may be a good idea to go ahead and upgrade now, ensure Win10 is activated, then rollback to Win7 if desired. This applies to anyone still on the fence about it. It's a bit of a hassle sure, but you'll need to do it eventually, even if it's a few years down the track, the two main reasons being discontinuation of support, and DirectX 12.

 

 

EDIT: To be clear, when you do the upgrade, Microsoft will store the ID of your motherboard on their database. You will therefore be able to freely install Win10 from now until forever on that particular motherboard. The licence is not transferrable, so the only reason to not at least upgrade temporarily is that if you're 100% sure you will no longer be using that particular motherboard by the time Win10 becomes effectively mandatory. (Win7 support is due to cease in 2020)

Edited July 29, 2016 by Humanoid

[kirottu]

I have an old old computer so I decided not to go for it.

[Bokishi]

MS just sent me some insider wallpaper to mark the first year of Windows 10, if anyone else wants it

 

[Deadly_Nightshade]

It looks like, rather unsurprisingly, there are still ways to upgrade even after the deadline (at least for now).

[Gizmo]

They couldn't pay me to switch to Windows 10.

[Sarex]

They couldn't pay me to switch to Windows 10.

 

Why, it's pretty good. Especially if you have the enterprise edition.

[Bokishi]

Windows 10 has better optimization for newer hardware

[Gizmo]

Why, it's pretty good. Especially if you have the enterprise edition.

Firstly because it's new, and new is generally bad where security is concerned. When Microsoft created Windows Vista, they actually recreated bugs that they had fixed in Windows 95.  Windows 10 is surely [positively] filled with bugs; as are all the other versions of Windows; but those have been hammered on and patched up over the years.

 

Also The farther you go back in Windows' history, the more you see Windows being designed and sold as an OS, as opposed to being sold as an entertainment [and advertising] product in its own right. I want an OS to run programs, not to display a light show with multi-layered transparent menus eating up the system performance, and [most egregiously] deciding for me, what software I am allowed to run on my PC, and with the built in option to delete it.  

 

Also again... with each version, Microsoft stuffs in more and more onerous and unwanted restrictions, omissions, and surveillance measures.... not to mention dumbing it all down with deliberate menu obfuscation. What one could find even in XP in two clicks, takes 4-6 clicks in later versions, and sometimes requires hotkeys to expose; where they reshuffle, hide, or outright remove the UI interfaces to certain features.... Not to mention making the OS so paranoid that an administrator can delete files, and later versions of Windows will secretly put them back, and/or in some cases even deny an administrator access to them in the first place.

 

I won't even broach the UI hell of Windows 8+

Germany declared Windows 8 to be unfit for government & business use because of data insecurity. 

 

Win8-10 is fine if all one uses the PC for is gaming and Internet consumption, and if one doesn't care about being restricted and/or constantly monitored. Win Vista and 7 are almost as bad; but not to worry... Microsoft is addressing this with updates that implement certain unwanted Windows 8 & 10 behaviors into the older versions.

 

I use Windows 7 only ~only because Blender3D dropped support for XP, and that I want to still run my Windows software... else I'd be on Linux or BSD.

Edited July 31, 2016 by Gizmo

[Sarex]

Firstly because it's new, and new is generally bad where security is concerned. When Microsoft created Windows Vista, they actually recreated bugs that they had fixed in Windows 95.  Windows 10 is surely [positively] filled with bugs; as are all the other versions of Windows; but those have been hammered on and patched up over the years.

Also The farther you go back in Windows' history, the more you see Windows being designed and sold as an OS, as opposed to being sold as an entertainment [and advertising] product in its own right. I want an OS to run programs, not to display a light show with multi-layered transparent menus eating up the system performance, and [most egregiously] deciding for me, what software I am allowed to run on my PC, and with the built in option to delete it.  

 

Also again... with each version, Microsoft stuffs in more and more onerous and unwanted restrictions, omissions, and surveillance measures.... not to mention dumbing it all down with deliberate menu obfuscation. What one could find even in XP in two clicks, takes 4-6 clicks in later versions, and sometimes requires hotkeys to expose; where they reshuffle, hide, or outright remove the UI interfaces to certain features.... Not to mention making the OS so paranoid that an administrator can delete files, and later versions of Windows will secretly put them back, and/or in some cases even deny an administrator access to them in the first place.

 

I won't even broach the UI hell of Windows 8+

Germany declared Windows 8 to be unfit for government & business use because of data insecurity. 

 

Win8-10 is fine if all one uses the PC for is gaming and Internet consumption, and if one doesn't care about being restricted and/or constantly monitored. Win Vista and 7 are almost as bad; but not to worry... Microsoft is addressing this with updates that implement certain unwanted Windows 8 & 10 behaviors into the older versions.

 

I use Windows 7 only ~only because Blender3D dropped support for XP, and that I want to still run my Windows software... else I'd be on Linux or BSD.

 

 

Valid concerns, but a lot of the things you said have not yet happened, or are really not that big of a deal. Everything can be turned off one way or another. As for the UI taking more resources that the one in the previous versions, is that really that much of a concern? I mean it's not like the new hardware will be that impacted by the "power hungry UI".

 

The only thing that is coming and I don't like, is the anniversary updated taking registry editing from home edition and limiting it and policy editor on the pro edition. But that just means I will trade my valid pro edition for a downloaded enterprise edition.

Edited July 31, 2016 by Sarex

[Gizmo]

Valid concerns, but a lot of the things you said have not yet happened, or are really not that big of a deal.

Which?  The only thing that hasn't happen [afaik] is Linux becoming a viable desktop OS; par with Windows.

 

 

As for the UI taking more resources that the one in the previous versions, is that really that much of a concern? I mean it's not like the new hardware will be that impacted by the "power hungry UI".

It's also just plain ugly, and [i think] very telling of the limited esteem & expectation they must hold for their targeted consumer.

 

 

Edited August 1, 2016 by Gizmo

[Bokishi]

I unpinned all the tiles from the Win10 start menu. It looks like Windows 7 again

[Sarex]

Which?  The only thing that hasn't happen [afaik] is Linux becoming a viable desktop OS; par with Windows.

 

I mean you paint it out to be like you can't install what you want on windows anymore. While they maybe working towards that, it's still not the case.

 

It's also just plain ugly, and [i think] very telling of the limited esteem & expectation they must hold for their targeted consumer.

 

 

 

 

 

That's windows 8, we are talking about w10 and while the UI (start menu) on it may not be ideal, it's not as bad as metro.

[Gizmo]

I mean you paint it out to be like you can't install what you want on windows anymore. While they maybe working towards that, it's still not the case.

Well... From what I've read, the future is now: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/x-programs-windows-10-may-remove-device/

That's windows 8, we are talking about w10 and while the UI (start menu) on it may not be ideal, it's not as bad as metro.

Windows 2000 is "Windows Nt 5" rebranded for the millennial name. Windows XP is 'Windows NT 5.1' ~Meaning it's Windows 2000 with a point upgrade and a flashy UI change so they can re-sell it again.

 

Windows 7 is for all intents a re-packaging of Windows Vista, and Windows 10 seems a repack of Windows 8.

 

It should be telling to all that when a new exploit gets found, and they release a patch for it... more often than not this exploit effects all versions of Windows back to Windows 2000 ~~Why is that?  It is because they do not so much redesign Windows (more than they must), they redesign the UI to sell it again in a new box; under the hood there is Windows 2000 code in Windows 10 and every version previous all the way back to Win2k.  The only reason Win10 doesn't use the Win8 UI, is because Microsoft was rightly shamed [mea culpa] for their UI absurdity,  in light of the decades that businesses have spent training employees to use the common Windows UI, and their predictably vehement resistance to being expected to chuck it all and retool.

 

The Windows 8 UI [like the AOL ui], seems shamefully akin to the modern [touch the pretty picture] cash register; which is itself an adaptation of one of these:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 3, 2016 by Gizmo

[AwesomeOcelot]

The NT version is actually the kernel build. 2K = 5, XP = 5.1, Vista = 6, 7 = 6.1, 8 = 6.2, 8.1 = 6.3, 10 = 6.4*. XP brought better application compatibility, networking (QoS, Firewall, uPnP), remote desktop, better prefetch, security features, and UI effects. Vista brought Aero, network group features, WDDM 1, DXVA, DirectX 11, UAC, and a new driver model. A bigger kernel change allows for the underlying systems to be dramatically changed but massive features can be introduced without a large kernel change, such as SSD support on 7, Metro on 8, DX12, UWP, and WDDM 2 on 10. Other changes that aren't features can have a large effect, each version since 7 has improved performance noticeably. 7 had many quality of life updates for instance, small tweaks to UAC, performance, and UI that had large effects, so despite being the second smallest update (8 to 8.1 being the smallest) it's also one of the most lauded and important Windows versions.

 

People don't actually want large system updates, 2K and Vista were large system updates, that were necessary, but they're also the least successful. Mostly because they need to mature, they need driver support, application developers need time to get to grips with new APIs. Microsoft actually knew this back when 2K was developed to replace 98 and NT 4 but they decided to delay changing over the MSDOS line and released 98SE instead, giving home consumers XP when driver and application support had settled, and much better application compatibility for software designed for 95/98.

 

*during dev, they switched to a new version naming system starting with 10

[Gizmo]

It would not surprise me in the least if it came to light that the new versioning was simply done to have an equal number to Apple's OS 10... in the same way that the browsers started leap frogging each other's version number due to consumers assuming that a higher number means it's better ~even across products.  I can easily imagine people deciding between OS 10 and Windows 9...

I remember that the media player WinAmp skipped their version 4; but they had a really good reason; because their application was known to be user skin-able, and the new skins wouldn't be WinAmp 2 skins.

Edited August 4, 2016 by Gizmo

[Humanoid]

I prefer the theory that skipping Windows 9 was because of all the potential issues with applications looking for the "Windows 9*" string when trying to figure out what OS they're running on.

 

My reasons for going with Win10 are more pragmatic. DX12 isn't just coming, it's already here, and has tangible advantages over older APIs. I don't discount any of the concerns about what Win10 does with regard to privacy and control of you own machine, but apart from doing my best to mitigate its problems, I can't pretend that my machine isn't made for gaming first and foremost. It's the same rationale for something like Steam for example. Yeah, some people avoid it outright, but even the majority of people who dislike it choose to tolerate it because it's the price of playing the games you want to play.

 

As for the day to day user experience, the differences are so small as to not be a deciding factor at all. It doesn't change how I do things, and that's how it should be.

[Fighter]

I have had no issues with win 10. Besides I don't see a choice if you're still planning to play newer games on your PC. DX12 & optimization, support, etc.