The endless cycle of releasing software: Is it coming to a close? Every time a new version of Microsoft Office or Windows has been presented to the media, something in my mind kicks back to the first few chapters of the great Douglas Coupland book, Microserfs, in which low-level software developers go through a crazy schedule of product development. The meetings with supervisors, endless hours working around the clock coding and de-bugging and the subsequent late night escapes to the local grocery stores catering to the nerds and their need for fuel. Namely, junk food. Are the newer generations of microserfs finally going to be allowed to live a normal, healthier life?
Back in late July, the giant software monolith operating out of Redmond, Washington launched the latest and greatest version of its PC/Laptop/Tablet operating system, Windows 10. The reasoning behind this update/release can be boiled down to two main objectives: Fix the issues the consumers have been complaining about since the introduction of Windows 8/8.1 and create a platform that will no longer need innovation every three to four years. Stop the endless cycle of newer, better releases and go to a model that Apple has been using with its desktop operating system, OS X.
You would have thought Microsoft had learned its lesson back in the middle of last decade when they decided to try to take advantage of the improved graphics hardware on the market and released Windows Vista. This was a both an improved security model and a fancier face than the previous version of the OS kernel, Windows 2000/Xp. Two problems: Most older PC’s couldn’t run efficiently after the upgrade, and Vista itself was marred by several glitches even though it had been in development for many years. Maybe those serfs shouldn’t have tried to squeeze in so many improvements! So given the bad feedback they received, Microsoft was quick to make a fix by toning down Vista somewhat with Windows 7. Similar in the way they hastily put out Windows 8.1 to correct some of the ‘improvements’ the buying public didn’t like in Windows 8.
This brings us back around to Windows 10. Is it another step forward that will bring a series of complaints or has Microsoft finally smartened (and lucked) out with their own OS X? If you ask me, this release has finally hit the mark and should make most users happy. Even though most machines will be updated from Windows 7 or 8/8.1 or purchased new, I took the route of a completely fresh installation on an high-end, but old Dell Latitude laptop from the XP era. Everything worked like a charm. There are several improvements that both bring the operating system back in step with the familiar Windows Xp and Seven environment that many users prefer, but also includes small additions that provide a layer of innovation on top of the usable desktop that people enjoy. Some of these are:
1. A return of the Start Menu. An improvement that allows live tiles and traditional shortcuts to live in harmony in the familiar Start Menu shape many users demand. Plus it can be easily re-sized, a big improvement over Windows 7.
2. Both a new text-based web search bar directly on the taskbar and a brand-new voice search tool, Cortana. Microsoft’s answer to Apple’s ‘Siri’ and Google’s ‘Now’. Both of these innovations are completely optional and can be deactivated with ease.
3. An option to run multiple work-spaces at once (similar to Apple’s Mission Control) and a new tablet mode for touch-screen devices that converts the desktop into something looking more like Windows 8/8.1.
4. Dumping Internet Explorer for a new web browser named Edge. A completely new engine built from the ground up.
5. Xbox one streaming from the console to the PC and the new Direct X 12 video drivers for the gaming crowd.
There are things that some users won’t like. Cortana is still a work in progress and isn’t even completely available in Canada yet. And in order to use her, users need to create a Microsoft account and allow their web and desktop usage to be tracked and indexed. Also in line with the premise that Windows 10 is the last operating system, Windows updates are now baked into the system and there’s no easy way to stop them if you are a home user. This include security updates and can be considered good or bad depending on your perspective. Power users don’t like automatic updates!
All in all, I would say its a rather large improvement over Windows 8/8.1. Especially for the PC user. If you have an older machine still using Windows 7 (or even XP), there are less ‘problems’ to be fixed but it still might be worth your time to upgrade. Just make sure you make a complete backup of your files. Similar to it’s Windows OS, Microsoft has just released a new version of its office suite: Microsoft Office 2016. At first glance of the press release, there are very few radical improvements. Just some tweaking seems to be the new Microsoft way. Hopefully this way, the microserfs will live a normal, healthier life 🙂
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