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Windows 10 - First Impressions


dencorso

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... No one has wanted to find the Good in Darth Windows more than I, but ****, the dark side doesn't yield easily.  Each new build makes me want to adopt it less and less ...

 

t9a5581_emperor-meme-generator-good-good

 

 

(Sorry, couldn't help it  :D   )

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All they need to do is a bit of BM goodness in the title bars and all is fixed.

 

post-380749-0-33290700-1432352379_thumb.

 

Gosh the difference.

 

And maybe leave all the new metrotard controls for table mode. I notice 10074 has replaced the volume controls with a larger 'minimalistic' slider. Right click menu still works for now. I use mixer a lot.

 

Cheers

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I wonder if we could call the 9xxx series of Windows technical preview, Windows 9.

 

We had the return of the almost decent start menu in 9841/9879 that could still  be enabled via reg edit during 9926.

 

I just tried the EnableXamlStartMenu (0) key and it doesn't work anymore on 10041 or 10074.

 

No 10122 for me, I am skipping builds now.

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The bottom line for me is this: as far as I'm concerned, there's no good reason even to ask for audit rights in a license for unpaid software.

 

 

Maybe this VMWare audit clause was made for the case of virtual machines running not licensed versions of Windows, since one should have a licennce for each of 'em.

Just guessing, can't think of any other explanation making a smallest bit of sence. Not that this makes this much of it...

 

 

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The newest not-for-the-public build reportedly includes some additional customization options for the Start Menu:

 

Windows 10: Start customization improves with quick links

 

Windows 7 users will be glad to know that in the most recent builds of Windows 10, the ability to customize the quick links is now back, meaning you can change what shows up below the Most used apps list.

 

Windows 10 Build 10125 finally enables the Customize list area in the Settings app, and it allows you to change the quick links which are listed below the Most Used area. Windows 7 users have the same functionality on the right hand side of the Start Menu.

 

Ah, but therein lies the rub. The genius of the 95/98/XP/Vista/7 Start Menu is that it lets you do these things on the right-hand panel, while reserving the left panel for programs that you have used recently (thus saving on clicking and scrolling to get to them). It is all very logical and handy -- as well as discreetly and elegantly designed.

 

Now the right-hand panel is cluttered with comparatively gigantic squares and rectangles that clash visually with the items on the left panel, suggesting the esthetics of a four-year-old.

 

And what's the deal with these category headings for the tiles -- "Play and Explore," "Life at a glance"? Why do I even have to think whether my video player is for play or for work? How is that relevant?? I might use it to watch a music video or I might use it to see a scholarly presentation for my research. Having to decide (and remember) in what category to put an application, merely adds cognitive load, more pointless things to think about as I try to get stuff done on my PC.

 

--JorgeA

 

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The bottom line for me is this: as far as I'm concerned, there's no good reason even to ask for audit rights in a license for unpaid software.

 

 

Maybe this VMWare audit clause was made for the case of virtual machines running not licensed versions of Windows, since one should have a licennce for each of 'em.

Just guessing, can't think of any other explanation making a smallest bit of sence. Not that this makes this much of it...

 

 

 

 

Your guess is as good as mine!

 

We'd have to go into the VMware EULA to see if they require you to use it on a properly licensed copy of Windows.

 

--JorgeA

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All they need to do is a bit of BM goodness in the title bars and all is fixed.

 

attachicon.gifwindows.jpg

 

Gosh the difference.

 

And maybe leave all the new metrotard controls for table mode. I notice 10074 has replaced the volume controls with a larger 'minimalistic' slider. Right click menu still works for now. I use mixer a lot.

 

Cheers

 

Oh yeah, what you did there is so much better!

 

About the volume controls: I don't understand why they would relegate the mixer to the context menu. One of the neat things about Windows has always been the multiple ways that you can get to the same place.

 

They did add troubleshooting to the context menu, but OTOH they removed the speaker icon (at the top of the pop-up) that takes you to the speaker/headphone properties. Is there only a fixed number of lines of code, such that in order to add one feature (troubleshooting) they need to remove another (properties)?

 

Finally, the left-right orientation of the volume slider is less logical than the previous version up to and including Windows 8. It's intuitive to associate "higher" volume with moving the slider "up," and "lower" with "down." Left-to-right requires more mental processing in terms of setting a volume.

 

--JorgeA

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Maybe this VMWare audit clause was made for the case of virtual machines running not licensed versions of Windows, since one should have a licennce for each of 'em.

 

Ugh, don't remind me how much money I've sent to Microsoft over time.  I bought Ballmer a basketball player toe or two.

 

Hm, I wonder...  If I have a legitimately licensed Win 7 VM all nice and activated and everything (which I do), and I clone it...  Will I be able to upgrade it to Win 10 and still continue to use the Win 7 VM it was cloned from?

 

-Noel

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http://www.neowin.net/images/galleries/2370/screen_shot_2015-05-23_at_9.23.52_am.jpg

 

Looks like the icons have gained a bit of life back in Build 100125, much closer to Win8.1 icons, not the bright puke yellow of now with one dimensional graphics.

 

But I have just noticed the MetroTard photo viewer can't open GIF images.

'Can't open this file. It might be damaged'

 

They open in IE just fine, and the older Windows Photo Viewer.

Edited by ralcool
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Looks like the icons have gained a bit of life back in Build 100125, much closer to Win8.1 icons, not the bright puke yellow of now with one dimensional graphics.

 

Seriously?  After all that revamping of the icons to be such an eyesore, they're throwing them all out and replacing them again?

 

Is this an "it feels a lot better when it stops hurting so much" move?  Are we supposed to thank them for this?

 

Doesn't anyone at Microsoft have real work to do?

 

I can't help but think that multiple branches are being developed and that there's really little hope we'll get good icons by the time of release.

 

-Noel

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Ugh, gets creepy...

Can't tell you why, but for some reason keeping 7 as "main" and upgrading system on VM to 10 seems more "legal" to me ;)

 

I'm not running 7 on the host - there I have Win 8.1.  I don't plan to change that until after the Win 10 release has proven itself.

 

-Noel

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@NoelC, When I bought a retail box of Win8.0 for a reasonable price, I knew it could be of some use.

 

When 8.1 came out, my key was eligible and the htpc upgraded itself. Later I even paid a nominal fee for the MCE upgrade.

 

So, Now I have a new key for 8.1MCE.

 

In a fit of boredom I decided to try to use the original set of 8.0 discs to freshly install my laptop to 8.0- figuring it was now a redundant unused key.

 

But no, I had messages telling my the key was still in use on a different PC, and I had to buy a new one. Interestingly everything installed fine.

 

I ran it until the Windows preview program appeared and it upgraded itself directly to 9841 IIRC. Yay for the trial program. Again. Its cost several GB of data.

 

Somehow I hope that by being in the insider program on real hardware I might get a bargain price for a final key. For the laptop.

 

The HTPC will remain on Windows 8.1 for a long time... its working perfectly and stable. Aeroglass/ClassicShell- everything is good enough. Yet it is entitled to a free Win10 update.

 

decisions.

 

Edit, This isn't about running unlicenced, I have several boxed sets & licences for Windows editions. It is annoying that a previously expensive Vista licence appears to be useless... unless I attempt to want to keep using an obselete OS.

Edited by ralcool
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Right, this isn't about running unlicensed, it's about what's considered legal by Microsoft and doing proper planning.  In the case of virtual machines, as I recall there is a clause in the Windows 7 Ultimate license that allows the installation and use on multiple virtual machines.

 

-Noel

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http://www.neowin.net/images/galleries/2370/screen_shot_2015-05-23_at_9.23.52_am.jpg

 

Looks like the icons have gained a bit of life back in Build 100125, much closer to Win8.1 icons, not the bright puke yellow of now with one dimensional graphics.

 

But I have just noticed the MetroTard photo viewer can't open GIF images.

'Can't open this file. It might be damaged'

 

They open in IE just fine, and the older Windows Photo Viewer.

 

The new icons do look more discreet. Even Paul Thurrott was complaining about the icons in 10122:

 

There are no major changes on the desktop, and File Explorer retains the same washed out look as most Windows 10 windows—seriously, Microsoft, how about some contrast in the UI?—unless of course you consider the icons, in which case it’s too garish.

 

For comparison, here's what those look like:

 

fe.jpg

 

 

Unbelievable about GIFs not opening in the Metro photo viewer, though. What could be the thinking behind that?

 

--JorgeA

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