Windows 10 and now Windows 11

Electronics & Technology
41

Win 10 Home does allow pausing in version 1903. 7 days initially next option after selecting that is a further 7 days. Currently if you choose Advanced options you can delay out to 13 Oct.

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42

Here’s how to disable Cortana on Windows 10 Home Edition

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43

Home users do not have but can enable the group policy editor. It makes a lot of things easier, including disabling Cortana :wink:

@Peterchu’s link has how to do.

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44

Maybe, maybe not. It is also possible that most people don’t have problems and issues and those who experience constant problems are in the minority but don’t realise it. Anecdotal advice is not very reliable on such matters, what we need are objective statistics. Sentiments that have a religious element, such as OS wars, are distorted more than more neutral topics when it comes to selective recall and confirmation bias.

In the last 30 years the energy that has gone into arguments over operating systems could have lifted a small third world nation out of poverty. All that was achieved was the warm inner glow of righteousness for the participants.

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45

Windows 10 does not REQUIRE touchscreens to operate. If you have ‘standard’ monitors, then it works in much the same way as Windows 7 did, without touchscreens. I am obliged to use Windows 10 at work, with two very ordinary 24" screens, and it is OK in that respect at least. (In all other respects I consider it to be a piece of crap on four prongs. Microsoft has had over THIRTY years to get to the same level of usability, stability, and security of Linux or Mac OS, but apparently cannot be bothered even copying them any more. Mind you, why should they, when they have a monopoly grip on the desktop market?)
BTW, I would not even WANT any touchscreen capability in a desktop (or even a laptop) environment; I suspect I would end up with rather sore arms! (Tablets are a whole different kettle of fish.)

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46

Windows 10 is just so last week:


Let’s see:

  • Microsoft skipped Windows 9.
  • This mob has skipped Windows 11.
  • Book now for Windows 14?

[edit]
Meanwhile:

47

So of course it won’t run any Windows software except through emulation.

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48

Or via a Virtual Machine eg Oracle’s Virtual Box which has a Linux host program for VMs

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49

And in either case you still have to own a Windows licence.

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50

Do you really need Windows software?

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51

Well I need air to breathe, water to drink, and food to eat
after that shelter after that it becomes less a need and more a desire for more fulfillment. Like any OS do you need any of them? Or more importantly do you need the programs that a particular OS supports? So does a person really need the programs that run in Linux, does a person need the programs that run in macOS or android or iOS or Chromium, Solaris, Unix and so on.

However if you wish to use a particular OS then what other programs you use may be limited by that OS and thus create a “need”.

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52

Let’s see. As of January 2019, someone boasted that 132 of the top 250 Steam games were available on Linux. That equates to just under 53% of the most popular games, while ignoring all the smaller titles that are only ever going to be released on one system. (It also ignores all the other game platforms.)

Moving from games, what other software do I use? I won’t go through a full list, but a fairly large proportion is not available on Linux and I would have to re-learn half a lifetime of operating system use while trying to find replacements for all of my Windows software - including some fairly expensive licences.

Do I really need Windows software? No. Am I invested in the platform? Yes. It also happens to be the most widely used desktop operating system, and many more programs are available for Windows than for any other operating system.

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53

Some do, critically those who depend on certain types of applications. Accounting and financial modelling, Engineering design, CAD drafting and architecture to suggest a few.

Importantly being able to interchange and share work without the need to convert between file formats is also a limitation or concern for many. The greater majority of businesses live in a Microsoft packaged environment. As often as I’ve tried to work with the non MS alternatives on Linux or Windows platforms, exchanging files with the windows world fails to be defect free in all but very basic examples. The advanced or latest program features found in MS Word or Excel are often missing in the alternatives. The methods of bringing up or applying different features and tools are also different and slow productivity. I’ll leave it at that.

P.S.
MS did have viable commercial alternatives in the beginning. Quattro Pro was once my preference in particular for graphing and other features MS at the time was less capable in.

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54

In the beginning were Visicalc, Wordstar and dBase (other options were available). Microsoft effectively copied a large proportion of their features (well, Lotus 1-2-3 by the time Office was in development) and released then improved its tools.

You can still find a Lotus compatibility option in Excel’s settings; Word appears to have finally lost its own compatibility settings.

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55

Might want to check out whether this concerns your machine(s).

RSTS/E Users aren’t affected :wink:

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56

Not a problem for existing installations - and there are ways around it - but an indicator of Microsoft’s intentions.

57

From the looks of it, one to avoid:


58

Windows 10X is a version of Windows for low-cost devices. For those whose Internet is limited or unreliable, it might be one to avoid:

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59

It is an insidious direction from MS. Your PC is becoming a presentation and Internet device only. The apps you use, you run from the “cloud”. Your data is in the cloud too. You need to be Internet connected. If you want to have your apps local, then you can only install those that are available from the MS Store. And they may be free, with restricted functionality, or for a price. Or good third party apps are not available at all if software producers don’t agree to MS terms.

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60

I’d argue Microsoft is filling demand for what people want. Chromebooks do a similar thing and have proved quite popular. Some people want the simplicity of having a single app source, a simple interface and automatically synced data.

Personally I would never buy one as I want freedom with what I run on my device. But I don’t think it’s a bad move offering them for people who do want them.

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