Microsoft’s Windows 10 a joy to explore

  • By Sven Mogelgaard Tech Talk
  • Friday, August 28, 2015 5:40pm
  • Business

It’s hard to believe that we’ve been using some form of Windows for more than two decades.

The very first versions of Windows weren’t really more than an overlay on top of Microsoft’s DOS operating system.

Starting with Windows 95, however, it took on a life of its own and became — for all intents and purposes — an independent operating system.

Since then it has become an integral part of our computing life, running on more than 90 percent of computers worldwide.

While Windows has been wildly successful, not all versions have been loved by users.

It seems that since the release of Windows 98 Microsoft stumbled a bit after each successful version. Remember Windows ME? Windows Vista? Even Windows 8?

Now it looks like Microsoft may have another winner on its hands.

Windows 10 was released at the end of July. If you have been using recently purchased versions of Windows 7 or Windows 8, you have no doubt seen the pop-ups asking you to reserve your copy of Windows 10.

Many of my clients have told me this upgrade process hasn’t exactly been user-friendly, but once upgraded they were very happy they made the leap.

Windows 10 takes the best features of Windows 7 and 8 and merges them into a sleek, responsive operating system that any user can enjoy whether at home or at work. It even works well on tablets.

Let’s take a quick look at the obvious changes. The first thing you’ll notice is the Start button is back!

The much-maligned Tiles of Windows 8 have now been moved to the Start window. The colorful 3D Aero interface has been replaced with a sleek and flat look.

You’ll also see that Internet Explorer has been replaced by the Edge browser.

There are lots of subtle changes,too such as the fact the Control Panel is now simply called Settings.

One of my favorite additions to Windows 10 is the ability to create virtual desktops on your PC. It’s a feature I’ve been enjoying on my Mac for a long time.

If you find yourself with a lot of applications open at once, the Taskbar gets a bit crowded and it can be a bit difficult to find your applications. Now, by clicking the Task View icon on the Taskbar, you can create multiple virtual desktops, each with its own set of applications open and it’s own taskbar.

I like to have one desktop for support programs, one for writing and research, and one for email and social media. The beauty is you can set these desktops up just the way you want.

The next feature that is entirely new is Cortana. This is Microsoft’s answer to Apple’s Siri. You can type or speak questions and Cortana will search your PC and the Web to find what you’re looking for. You can even have Cortana remind you of upcoming events, read news headlines and update you on sports scores and much more. It can be a little quirky, but it’s still a very powerful tool.

The Calendar application has matured as well. In previous versions of Windows you were pretty much locked in to using your Outlook calendar and couldn’t sync with other calendars. Now you can use not only Outlook and Exchange calendars, but Google and iCloud as well.

But every silver lining has its cloud. Some privacy advocates have raised alarms at the amount of personal information that Microsoft collects.

Their privacy statement is over 12,000 words long, so understanding exactly what Microsoft keeps and shares can be a challenge.

You can change these privacy settings and view the privacy statement by clicking on the Setting options from the Start menu.

Under Privacy option you can change options in over a dozen categories. How you configure these settings depends on your level of trust or paranoia.

Overall, I think Windows 10 will be a big hit with both business and personal users. It has most, if not all, the features you’ll want. It automatically connects you to your favorite cloud services and simply makes it easy to use your computer, tablet or phone and easily share information between everything. Of course, being brand new there are going to be some compatibility issues. But I am pretty impressed.

If you have comments regarding this column, suggestions for future columns or just want to talk tech please visit my Facebook page at Facebook.com/millcreektech.

Sven Mogelgaard is the President and CEO of Mill Creek Technology Services. He provides affordable IT services to businesses and individuals locally and around the world. Visit www.millcreektech.guru to learn more about him and his business offerings.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Business

Black Press Media operates Sound Publishing, the largest community news organization in Washington State with dailies and community news outlets in Alaska.
Black Press Media concludes transition of ownership

Black Press Media, which operates Sound Publishing, completed its sale Monday (March 25), following the formerly announced corporate restructuring.

Maygen Hetherington, executive director of the Historic Downtown Snohomish Association, laughs during an interview in her office on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024, in Snohomish, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Maygen Hetherington: tireless advocate for the city of Snohomish

Historic Downtown Snohomish Association receives the Opportunity Lives Here award from Economic Alliance.

FILE - Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs poses in front of photos of the 15 people who previously held the office on Nov. 22, 2021, after he was sworn in at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash. Hobbs faces several challengers as he runs for election to the office he was appointed to last fall. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
Secretary of State Steve Hobbs: ‘I wanted to serve my country’

Hobbs, a former Lake Stevens senator, is the recipient of the Henry M. Jackson Award from Economic Alliance Snohomish County.

Mark Duffy poses for a photo in his office at the Mountain Pacific Bank headquarters on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Mark Duffy: Building a hometown bank; giving kids an opportunity

Mountain Pacific Bank’s founder is the recipient of the Fluke Award from Economic Alliance Snohomish County.

Barb Tolbert poses for a photo at Silver Scoop Ice Cream on Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024 in Arlington, Washington. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Barb Tolbert: Former mayor piloted Arlington out of economic brink

Tolbert won the Elson S. Floyd Award, honoring a leader who has “created lasting opportunities” for the underserved.

Photo provided by 
Economic Alliance
Economic Alliance presented one of the Washington Rising Stem Awards to Katie Larios, a senior at Mountlake Terrace High School.
Mountlake Terrace High School senior wins state STEM award

Katie Larios was honored at an Economic Alliance gathering: “A champion for other young women of color in STEM.”

The Westwood Rainier is one of the seven ships in the Westwood line. The ships serve ports in the Pacific Northwest and Northeast Asia. (Photo provided by Swire Shipping)
Westwood Shipping Lines, an Everett mainstay, has new name

The four green-hulled Westwood vessels will keep their names, but the ships will display the Swire Shipping flag.

A Keyport ship docked at Lake Union in Seattle in June 2018. The ship spends most of the year in Alaska harvesting Golden King crab in the Bering Sea. During the summer it ties up for maintenance and repairs at Lake Union. (Keyport LLC)
In crabbers’ turbulent moment, Edmonds seafood processor ‘saved our season’

When a processing plant in Alaska closed, Edmonds-based business Keyport stepped up to solve a “no-win situation.”

Angela Harris, Executive Director of the Port of Edmonds, stands at the port’s marina on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024, in Edmonds, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Leadership, love for the Port of Edmonds got exec the job

Shoring up an aging seawall is the first order of business for Angela Harris, the first woman to lead the Edmonds port.

The Cascade Warbirds fly over Naval Station Everett. (Sue Misao / The Herald file)
Bothell High School senior awarded $2,500 to keep on flying

Cascade Warbirds scholarship helps students 16-21 continue flight training and earn a private pilot’s certificate.

Rachel Gardner, the owner of Musicology Co., a new music boutique record store on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024 in Edmonds, Washington. Musicology Co. will open in February, selling used and new vinyl, CDs and other music-related merchandise. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New Edmonds record shop intends to be a ‘destination for every musician’

Rachel Gardner opened Musicology Co. this month, filling a record store gap in Edmonds.

MyMyToyStore.com owner Tom Harrison at his brick and mortar storefront on Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Burst pipe permanently closes downtown Everett toy store

After a pipe flooded the store, MyMyToystore in downtown Everett closed. Owner Tom Harrison is already on to his next venture.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.