The Reviews Are In: Windows 10 Is a Hit

[Mommalina]

The Reviews Are In: Windows 10 Is a Hit

Like a good movie, the critics are giving it a thumbs-up.

By Keith Ward

Windows Expert

http://windows.about.com/od/Windows-10/fl/The-Reviews-Are-In-Windows-10-Is-a-Hit.htm?utm_content=20150928&utm_medium=email&utm_source=cn_nl&utm_campaign=computersl&utm_term=Computers%20Channel%20Newsletter

 

 

Quote and comment:

 

"This is a reference to the fact that Windows 10 won't be replaced by a newer version of Windows down the road. Instead, it will be updated on a regular basis, into the foreseeable future. It will become more and more refined as time goes on, instead of completely re-imagined then re-worked."

 

And I have a bridge in Brooklyn I'd like to sell you!

:rotf:

 

 

Windows 10 was officially released Wednesday. Currently, there are more than 14 million devices running Microsoft's newest operating system (OS), the company reports. Because of the huge demand, Microsoft was worried about slowing down the Internet, and is releasing it in waves (although it's possible to force your computer to download Windows 10, if you just can't wait.)

 

My own review of Windows 10 will be coming eventually -- suffice to say for now that I find it completely fantastic, as I've written.

 

It answers the negatives that existed in Windows 8/8.1, and adds much-needed functionality, along with cool new stuff. That doesn't mean it's perfect -- its flaws will come to the surface -- but for now, the tendency is to see where it shines. And Windows 10 shines in many places.

 

That opinion is shared by most major media outlets, that have for the most part given Windows 10 high marks. Here's a sampling of what they're saying.

 

• CNN says "it's everything a PC operating system should be: familiar, beautiful, easy to use and helpful in unexpected ways." It lauds the fact that Windows 10 has a Start button, application icons and a taskbar -- in other words, many elements of the much-loved Windows 7 interface. But it goes beyond Windows 7 with new things like the Action Center and Cortana (digital assistant) integration. These factors lead CNN to call it an "awesome upgrade."
  
• Engadget sums it up in their headline: "the best of Windows 7 and 8." Microsoft learned its lesson the hard way: that sacrificing desktop and laptop functionality to force users into the touchscreen era was a big mistake. One thing Engadget likes is the upgrade process, which it calls "pretty painless!" I must agree, since my experience was as trouble-free as any Windows upgrade I've ever done -- and I've done a bunch. The reviewer says "I never quite got used to the way the last OS treated keyboards and mice as an afterthought." Amen, brother.
  

• CNET calls Windows 10 the "Goldilocks" version of Windows -- a proper balance of desktop usability and touchscreen friendliness. "It's a vision of the future as Microsoft sees it, where a single user experience spans every piece of technology we touch," they say. What that means is that Windows 10 is equally at home on a desktop, laptop, tablet or smartphone. It has features that make it a fun, useful experience on the devices we now use every day. The review also dispenses some advice for those wondering whether to upgrade or not: "If you're running Windows 7 or Windows 8 you've little to lose, and quite a bit to gain, by making the jump to Windows 10."
  
• Wired gets right to the point: "Before we go any further, let’s get this out of the way: You should upgrade to Windows 10." As have most of the reviews, Wired notes that Windows 8 moved too fast, too aggressively to the touchscreen-only idea, at the expense of the millions and millions of us who still use traditional computers. It calls the Start Menu "a perfect microcosm of what Windows 10 does well." That is, it returns the familiar look of Windows 7, while keeping the positives of Windows 8, including Live Tiles that constantly self-update.
  

• The Verge started out with a mini history of Windows, noting how some versions have been attempts to make users forget about the previous version. I've made similar points in an article: how Windows 7 was the antidote to Windows Vista, for example. "It’s nice to be on the good part of the cycle," the review says of Windows 10. And it ends on a high note. "The best part of Windows 10 is that it ends the cycle of good and bad in favor of something great."
  

This is a reference to the fact that Windows 10 won't be replaced by a newer version of Windows down the road. Instead, it will be updated on a regular basis, into the foreseeable future. It will become more and more refined as time goes on, instead of completely re-imagined then re-worked.

 

That's why I think the last sentence of that review, about Windows 10 being "something great," is so important. Since it's the last OS from Microsoft, it needs to be amazing out of the box (to use an old-fashioned term that no longer applies). I think Windows 10 is exactly that. It's nice to see that so many others agree with me.

 

 

 

 

 

[AWS]

I enjoyed it for a while. Now that I've used it for a while I can take it or leave it.

[allheart55 Cindy E]

Same here, I've used it enough to get use to it.

I'll keep a machine with Windows 10 on it but I've lost interest.