10 Reasons to Hate Windows 10

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The highly anticipated Windows 10 PC operating system has launched. Highly anticipated primarily within the confines of the Microsoft campus. For the end user, anything to get away from Windows 8 is a treat.

A few months back I registered to be notified once the free upgrade was available and a couple days ago I began to see notifications pop-up on my Windows 8 system alerting me that Windows 10 had dropped. More out of curiosity than actual desire I went for the upgrade.

Now a couple days into life with Windows 10 I’m ready to share some observations and opinions regarding this latest attempt by Microsoft at an operating system. (Note: I’ve been a Windows user for my entire working career and even include Microsoft as a previous client for a number of cool projects I had a chance to participate in). With that said, I still find plenty at fault with a number of their offerings and provide this feedback not to bash but to hopefully help improve.

Here’s my list of 10 Reasons to Hate Windows 10 (actually 7 hates & 3 likes). Notice that I’m using the word ‘Like’ rather than ‘Love’ – that’s because I truly cannot claim to love Windows. I settle because it’s prevalent in almost every business environment I’m engaged in but when it comes to my personal vote & choice, I always spend the extra money to buy products I do love – my iPad, Macbook Pro, and iPhone.

HATE

1. It’s just another face on an aging platform.
The buttons may look different, the screens may look better, but at the heart of it it’s still just Microsoft Windows. Not since XP Pro have I really had a good experience with any version of Windows. Let’s see if this improves my outlook.

2. The software isn’t specific to the hardware.
Unlike Apple which owns the hardware and the software and builds them together to work seamlessly and optimally, Windows is built to run on any non-Apple PC. An OS that has to run on a DELL as well as some no-name foreign brand can never be as good as a product released by a company that fully owns and controls the entire experience.

3. Where’s my right swipe?
Under Windows 8 I could swipe the right side of my monitor and have access to the power options to put my machine to sleep or in hibernate mode. Under Windows 10 I have to click the Windows icon and then go into the power options. Too many clicks.

4. Unimpressive screens and icons.
With all the financial resources in the world you’d think Microsoft would hire the best, brightest and most creative user interface designers on the planet. It doesn’t seem to the the case. The login screen is boring and features a dumb looking Windows logo. The trash can looks like clip art. Come on, it’s 2015. Spend a little money and some time on design improvements. I haven’t launched all my apps yet but the calculator is easy to see with its monochromatic look.

5. Privacy Concerns.
I hate that Windows and my system login are tied to my Hotmail account. Yes, it’s kinda cool that when switching from my desktop to my tablet my bookmarks from one browser carry over to the other device, but the fact that all my activities and communications are linked to my email, and thus my identity, is unsettling. It’s all part of the massive data mining activities deployed by all consumer product companies that will be used to offer me products and services I have to interest in. Absolutely hate this!

6.  Start Menu.
I’m not a fan of the screen that appears when you click the Windows logo in the lower left corner. Why does Candy Crush appear?  Why are random photos from my Pictures directories displayed here? Why does the icon for Microsoft’s store appear here?  So much useless information (at least to me) is displayed on this screen. I’m sure it can all be customized but again why make me go through the pain of having to do so? I’m a web developer and IT project manager. I care only about Adobe Photoshop, my browsers, Textpad, Outlook, Excel and a few other development tools and platforms. I don’t care about Candy Crush or purchasing anything from Microsoft’s store.

7. Poor Task Bar Real Estate Management.
I tend to pin a lot of apps to my task bar. Programs I launch often such as Outlook, calculator, various browsers, Microsoft’s office suite, etc. I can quickly fill up the visible space. It seems silly to me that the ‘search the web and windows’ search field is twice as wide as it needs to be. Give me back some of my real estate.

Despite all of the above, I have found a few reasons why I’m starting to like some of Windows 10.

LIKE

1. Task View.
With a single click of an icon on the task bar I can view all my running apps nicely presented.

2. Running Apps Indicator.
On my task bar a thin horizontal line is displayed beneath an icon when an application is running.  Nice touch.

3. File Explorer.
This useful feature returns. Gone is the stupid Windows 8 start screen and stupid search tool. Now I can search for files in the manner I prefer.

Trust me when I say I understand the challenges and complexities facing Microsoft’s operating system development team. I’m currently engaged in a number of ventures that are attempting to break away from convention. Much easier said than done, so applause to Microsoft for dumping that pig of an OS called Windows 8 and releasing a version that’s starting to look and work like my favorite Windows OS – XP Pro. It’s not easy chasing after Apple and the Mac OS.