Start Preferences
This is one of the
most-debated topics concerning Windows since 8 was released. Some people
actually prefer the Metro Start Screen, some prefer the traditional (Windows 7)
Start Menu, and some prefer the hybrid Start Menu introduced in 10.
The best solution,
IMHO, is to incorporate the ability for users to switch between the following
modes at-will:
- Metro Start Screen (default for mobile devices)
- Metro-Style Start Menu (default for All-in-One devices)
- Windows 7 Start Menu (default for desktops/laptops)
with the option to dock Metro tiles to the top/right
Problem solved -
everyone gets what they want.
Backwards
Compatibility
One detail I noticed
with the Preview (largely thanks to testing on such a minimal system) was how
Windows 10 loads a 'compatibility shell' when using software intended for older
versions of Windows.
(cue applause)
This is by far one of
the best features I have ever encountered using Windows - it keeps the OS lean
and mean while still supporting older software. This is going to be a
major selling point for businesses and I strongly encourage Microsoft to give
this capability the dedication it deserves! (Should also include the
ability to select/set such compatibility manually.)
Visual Preferences
Some people like the simplified
visual themes from Windows 8/8.1 while others feel that it's 'unfinished' and
prefer the Aero styling from Windows Vista/7. It should be a simple
enough matter to make both features available through Desktop Themes.
Restore the ability to
customize Desktop Themes, including the ability to alter the background color
of content windows.
Internet Explorer
IE has a long-standing
bad reputation for poor compatibility. Testing IE 11 (included in
Preview) reveals it to only be 67% compatible with HML5 Standards and 45.2%
compatible with CSS3 Standards. This lack of compatibility with industry
standards is a major contributor to its minuscule (9%-18%, depending on source)
market share among browsers.
Whatever version of
Internet Explorer is included in the final release, Microsoft needs to do
everything in their power to ensure that it is the most-compliant browser
available from any source. Otherwise, it will remain the first thing to
be uninstalled by computer enthusiasts.
Windowed Apps
An enormous peeve
among computer users is how Windows 8/8.1 apps (including Office) only function
fullscreen and cannot be windowed. These applications should
automatically detect whether the system is operating in Metro mode or Desktop
mode and operate accordingly - fullscreen in Metro, windowed in Desktop.
Microsoft Account
While convenient for
some, many (myself included) do not want to tie our third-party accounts
(Skype, Facebook, Twitter, etc) to a Microsoft Account. Even though the
apps included with the Technical Preview list the option to sign in without a
Microsoft Account, it is currently not functional. This needs to be
corrected ASAP - definitely prior to actual release.
System Architecture
With desktop systems
beginning to trend toward Harmonious System Architecture (such as with AMD's
Kaveri-based A10-7850k APU) and the general increase in mobile devices (also
mainly APU-based), Windows 10 (as a whole) should be specifically optimized
towards this architecture. Likewise, 6- and 8-core CPUs are fairly
commonplace, 16-core CPUs are already on the market, and 32- and 64-core CPUs
are on the near horizon - Windows 10 needs to be able to take better advantage
of these multi-core CPUs. (Yes, 8.1 and 10 already do this to some
extent, but it needs improvement.)
Native Archive Support
Windows has featured
native support for .ZIP files since way back when. Support for these
archives in Windows 10, however, seems a bit lacking performance-wise.
(It may just be that the system I tested with barely met minimum specs,
but still.)
With the growing
popularity of .RAR archives, it would be great if Windows 10 could include
native support for this format as well.
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