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View Full Version : Windows 10 is out and the reviewers have delivered their verdicts.



alanjg007
31-07-2015, 04:18 PM
Windows 10 may only be a day old, but reviewers have been working with the "final code" for a couple of weeks now and have delivered their verdicts on a pivotal release for Microsoft. With Windows 8 failing to win over the computing public's affections, and with Microsoft heaping pressure on itself by skipping a version number and heading straight to Windows 10 - because it's "a material step" - there's much riding on this release. Has it won the critics over? Find out below.

Alphr: A hit - for now

Our colleagues at Dennis Publishing's new technology site, Alphr, are smitten with Windows 10. They've given the new OS a five-star review, describing it as "without a doubt ? the best OS for any desktop, laptop or convertible that?s capable of running it".

"On the desktop it feels as right as Windows 7, yet it?s equally at home on compact tablets," Alphr's review team state, applauding Microsoft for taking heed of the feedback from the millions of Windows Insiders who've been testing the OS for the past few months.

However, the new model of rolling updates for Windows 10 brings a note of caution to Alphr's verdict. "Windows 10 could morph into something quite different to the platform before us today, and there?s no guarantee that we?ll like it," the review states, although Alphr is confident that the ongoing band of beta testers will "flag up any disastrous decisions before they?re rolled out to regular users".

Ars Tehnica: Good - but wait for the bugs to be squished

Peter Bright takes a more considered view over on Ars Technica. He describes Windows 10 as the best version of Windows to date (which, arguably, every version of Windows should be) and praises Microsoft for introducing features, such as the new Action Centre notifications, that work equally as well on desktops as they do on tablets. "In fact, it's a little strange that it took the rise of the smartphone to get this kind of thing in our operating systems ? it's not as if notifications aren't abundant in desktop software, after all," Bright notes.

He reserves particular praise for Continuum, the new feature that automatically adapts the Windows 10 interface depending on whether a hybrid device is being used in tablet or laptop mode. "Continuum is how Windows 8 should have always worked," says Bright. "It lets the operating system play to the strengths of the hardware it's running on, even as that hardware changes."

However, he cautions against rushing to upgrade existing Windows 7/8 PCs because of the many bugs that linger in the Windows 10 code. "I think almost everyone upgrading from both Windows 7 and Windows 8 will be upgrading to a better operating system that is less annoying and more effective," he states. "But I'd also wait a few weeks, maybe even a couple of months, before making the move."

ZDNet: Great for laptops, not for desktops

Microsoft's biggest battle is convincing consumers and businesses running Windows 7 to upgrade to the new OS. ZDNet's seasoned Microsoft watcher, Mary Jo Foley, says Microsoft may not have done enough to convince users without touchscreens. "I like Windows 10 a lot more than I liked Windows 8 or 8.1," she says. "But I'm still not entirely sold on putting it on my main desktop PC - a 22-inch Dell Optiplex that doesn't support touch."

She's not won over by many of the features that Microsoft introduced for desktop users. " I'm not thinking I'll use Task View (pictured below) and Virtual Desktops much, if at all. And I admit, even though Microsoft has done work to make snapping apps easier and more intuitive, I just am not a snapper."
Windows 10 task switcher

While she heaps praise on certain aspects of Windows 10, she's convinced it will get better in time. "To me, this is a soft-launch, as the OS still is lacking some of the functionality and apps that are needed to make it feel 'done'," says Foley. "The 'real' Windows 10 launch will come this fall when Microsoft delivers more Windows 10 features, and can tout new first-party and PC-partner-made Windows 10 machines."

The Verge: A wonderful work in progress

The Verge's Tom Warren has mixed feelings about some of the new additions to Windows 10. He's a huge fan of the revamped Xbox app, which lets you stream console games to your PC. "It works surprisingly well, with no lag even over a Wi-Fi network."

He's not as bowled over by the Edge browser, which "feels like a work in progress, much like Windows 10 itself". He says Microsoft makes it too hard to switch to better equipped alternatives, such as Chrome or Firefox. "Perhaps the most disappointing part of Edge for me is the lack of extensions," he writes. "Firefox and Chrome have both supported web extensions for years, and it feels like a miss not to have these available in Edge at launch."

Nevertheless, it's a strong nine out of ten from The Verge, although once again with a word of caution for upgraders. "If you can deal with a few oddities here and there and you?re frustrated with Windows 8, then by all means upgrade now," says Warren. "But if you depend on your Windows computer on a daily basis and it?s working fine for you, you should hold off until everything is a little more polished."
source (http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/software/operating-systems/1403679/windows-10-the-review-of-reviews)

berley
31-07-2015, 10:21 PM
Whats your own views on it Alan ?


scrub the Q, just noticed you've already posted a review