posted on: Friday, December 11, 2015 by: jhildeman
Background
First of all, I have been Microsoft person for years. I
generally prefer the Windows/PC approach of customization over
strict convention (i.e. Apple approach - this is the right way and
that's the way it works). It pains me to dump on a tool I
have been using since literally Windows 1.0 (yes I actually did
have a Win 1.0 install on some weird box but never used it
much), mostly Win 3.0, 3.1, 3.11 WFW, Win95, Win98, WinNT,
Win2000, WinXP, Win7, Win8, 8.1, Win10.. I use a Windows
Phone (although my HTC One is really buggy now - will probably go
iPhone next time around). I am a developer so I work with
Windows from the front end to the back end, as a user and as a
developer and admin, as someone who browses the web as well as
someone who builds for the web. That being said, here are my
opinions as submitted to Microsoft.
I use Windows 10 in "tablet mode" on a Dell XPS 12 9q33
64-bit". I also use Windows 10 on an HP Pavilion Elite
HPE.
Specific Issues/Objections
- Every so often, it jumps out of tablet mode and back to that
ugly partial home screen. No specific reason, it just stops
being in tablet mode.
- Workflow: Open Outlook, open email, close email and I end up
back at the home screen instead of in outlook. WTH? Why not
back to Outlook where I started. There are a lot of
little situations like this where the context is lost and workflow
broken.
- List of apps does not show the "snipping tool" - where did it
go? I can just type in it's name and search for it.. Say
what? Then what...can I add it to the apps? No.
Can I "favorite" it? No. I can pin to task bar or pin
to the start screen.
- Start button list - no ability to "favorite" something -
instead I get a stupid "most used" which continually changes and
never seems to be what I actually used most. It cannot be
counted on to find my important tools.
- Microsoft Edge - again this useless "most used" list which
never reflects what I use the most
- Microsoft Edge - again useless "news feed" with very limited
customizability. Let me put my own pages there and stop
pushing things at me. Not a fan.
- Microsoft Edge - no ability to dictate what page opens in a new
tab.
- Snapping to one side or the other used to be very nice, very
simple in Windows 7. Very predictable and simple - half
screen snaps. Now they have incorporated 1/4 screen snaps
that makes it hard to get a simple half screen snap to work.
I don't like that you make me reselect what application I want
snapped opposite. If I keep snapping something to the left, I
have to keep reselecting the same thing on the right side.
Poor.
- I cannot open a .MOV video file with anything. Suddenly
all the HD video from my Canon Powershot SX40HS is
unviewable. Thanks. I know it's an Apple format and I
don't care - neither should you.
- Windows Media center is gone and you gave us NO
REPLACEMENT! Now I have a TV Tuner card in my HP desktop that
is useless. UPDATE: I have currently
trying out Media
Portal. I'll post an update as I
have it.
- The old desktop behavior of clicking on an app on the taskbar
and click it again toggled between minimized and restored...that's
gone.
- Upgrading my Win 8.1 on Dell XPS 13" lost my customizations to
my home screen (all groups gone, my icons gone).
- Home screen live tiles cannot be "renamed" to something "that I
find useful". Example: link to a web page with a big
long ugly SEO title and you get a useless live tile
"shortcut". No rename. No choices.
- No ability to set a live tile icon that might mean something to
me. Seeing the Edge logo on 10 links I use all the time is
not useful.
- The other day my Dell XPS magically reboots as I'm looking at
it and applies updates for the next 1 hour. There was no
advanced warning. There was no ability to delay the reboot
while I saved my work. In addition, it was as I was ready to
leave work -- not very convenient -- hope I didn't have anything
that needed saving.
- UPDATE: there is a setting that prevents
this annoyance. Start/Settings/Updates/Advanced Settings/ and
goto "choose how updates are installed". By default, it is
"automatic", change it to "notify to schedule restart"
- Cortana does not work with my microphone - useless even though
I have a high-end Dell XPS convertible (i.e. not a cheap
machine)
- How are "settings for tablet mode" a "notification"???
- One good thought…OneNote is still awesome in all clients
(Metro, 2013 desktop, phone). When are we bringing Ctrl-dot
(bulleted list) to Outlook??
- Preview pane fails to preview when used in an "insert a file"
modal window
General Thoughts
- Windows 10 strikes me as a poor over-reaction to too many
customer complaints about wanting Win8.1 to be more like Windows
7. You had finally started to head down a "refined design
path" (like Apple) and Windows 10 feels like you just dumped that
and went back to Win7 plus. Windows 10 should really be
called Windows 7.5 if we're being honest. By the way, what
happened to windows 9?
- Microsoft Store: Lookup the TD Ameritrade App (and others
I've used before) say "This App will not work on your
device". Why? How? What next? No
context. No help. Just another "it doesn't work like it
used to".
- It feels as though Microsoft has forgotten that "Software
Applications sell the operating system" and not the other way
around!! The windows 8 and 10 apps are just not that mature
or rich. They are all staying as "desktop apps".
Illustrator. Photoshop. Even the good metro apps
are not well known, publicized or advertised - everything
appears equivalent in the store.
- Why should I buy Windows? How about because of One Note -
you still WAY, WAY under market this golden jewel of an
application. How about marketing your top notch applications,
maybe something like "StaffPad" that demonstrates amazing
stuff with the pen.
- Have you guys read the book "Don't Make Me Think"?
I am sorry if it stings but that is my honest assessment as of
December 11, 2015. Updated 12/30/2015.