Hi Reg. Windows 10 and 11 but 11 is a pain, Mindblower!

However, I DO think 10 has 11 beat hands down , at least with 10 you can update without the worry of the update going sideways, seems after a year in development and ALL the insider builds , MS STILL can’t put an update out for 24H2 that doesn’t break something.

However, I DO think 10 has 11 beat hands down , at least with 10 you can update without the worry of the update going sideways, seems after a year in development and ALL the insider builds , MS STILL can’t put an update out for 24H2 that doesn’t break something.

“Windows 10 is best … for whom? Definitely not for senior citizens who took a long time to get used to Windows 7 after Windows XP.”

I’m 78, and have used every MS operating systems from MSDOS (in 1989) to Win 10. Loved XP and 7, of course, but nothing holds a candle to 10, my favorite and what I hope to continue using until 12 comes out, and maybe after then, too.

Give 10 a try. Bet you’ll like it.

I do agree there have been some bugs and problems down the road but it seems like MS are listening a lot more than previously.

For example it seems like rather than 2 big updates a year they are going to do a big one and then a follow up one aimed to be like a service pack for the previous update that will I believe be delivered as just a normal update rather than the big upgrades seen.

A lot feel like MS have been doing too many updates but I feel like in the past they didn’t update enough and usually by the time they released a new big update that was usually a new full OS version it was already behind. Now with windows 10 apparently being the last main version they are constantly working on new features and fixes. Also they used to keep a lot in the dark but now anyone can try upcoming features via the insider program.

You also mentioned security but Windows 10 is far better than any previous version security wise. Lately theres been a lot of fixes for older versions of windows but not windows 10 as they have targeted issues with previous versions which must mean something. No os can ever be 100 percent secure but theres been some handy features to make windows 10 better security wise.

I will say I do agree with the privacy concerns but a lot of the issues are not just limited to windows. I see a lot of people complaining lets say about Cortana and location info from the same people who use things with location info on their phones. These people seem to want relevant search results without giving personal information and you can’t have both. If you want personalised results you have to give it personal information. But I do agree they should be more open about what information is collected and make it easier to turn this off with one button as I believe theres lots of options in multiple areas

That’s not for lack of ability. I started in computers with CP/M, through DOS, and all the versions of Windows, and now to 10. I have an engineering degree and a law degree, and I have had careers in both of those fields. I ran my wife’s business with a program I wrote in dBase II running on DOS. And I’m not a dummy, as attested by my Mensa life member’s card.

And from where I sit, in my common person’s chair, Windows 10 is ridiculous. It may do all sorts of things, and it’s certainly customizable (if a variety of colors is really important) — but what good is a program that breaks, forces untimely updates, hides common functions in the bushes somewhere, and sells us spyware in the guise of apps? Why do “inveterate tweakers” tolerate a program with a seemingly infinite stream of bugs and crashing functions?

Whatever happened to the concept of selling a quality product? If any car company produced a line of cars with as many malfunctions as Windows has, they would be bankrupt and out of business in a month, and their top management would likely be in jail.

The answer, of course, is money. Microsoft’s people can’t make their obscene incomes and stock options without bloatware, new versions, push advertising, end-of-support dates, selling knowledge of how to fix their busted products, and other tactics not related to the purpose of their products.

You can’t say, with a straight face, that their thousands of smart engineers can’t write a program that simply operates a system, and with a whole lot fewer than a million-plus lines of bug-ridden code. I’ve seen estimates that there are up to a million new viruses written every day. I don’t believe that number, but I do believe that an operating system doesn’t have to have more hacker-holes than a chain link fence.

No, from the viewpoint from the vast majority of people like me, with a life beyond a computer screen, Windows doesn’t deserve the honor of having people argue about whether it’s the best … anything.

Louis
Since writing this article in May 2018 I have tried macOS, albeit on customers’ computers and I found it to be a real struggle if I’m honest.
I won’t deny that the OS is slick and very refined, but from a technical point of view, a format and reinstall is an unpleasant and challenging experience which I do not enjoy at all.
As I mentioned in this article – a point that you appear keen to avoid – I am a gamer with very expensive gaming machines and specialise in building such machines. In that respect, macOS is out of the question, not to mention the closed garden aspect of it in the first place.
I have also recently installed Linux Mint (dual boot Windows/Linux) on a dedicated video capture and editing machine and whilst I like Mint, I still prefer Windows for capture and editing.
As for macOS, I would need to buy a Macintosh, but I have no intention of paying Apple’s inflated prices under any circumstances.
Know what I’m talking about?

Considering you say you’ve never experimented with OSX (which BTW is now called macOS), how can you say this in your article “…[Windows 10 ] in terms of usability, knocks mac OS and Linux completely out of the park.”

I have had to support a myriad of OS’es in my work lifetime: Windows, Linux, Mac’s and some more obscure like Citrix, VMware, TSO, Vax VMS. In the support world every Windows version has always required considerable hand holding; Windows 10 is no different. Most of our servers are Linux based and require little to no effort. I cannot say the same for the Windows 10 desktops, which thankfully are in the minority here. At home I stick to macOS, as I already spend enough time keeping Windows desktops going elsewhere. Mac’s just don’t require any extra attention.

It’s probably like everything else; you like what you have and change is difficult. But after putting in some effort switching OS’es can be an eye opener. Try using Linux or macOS for at least a week or two exclusively. If you still like Windows 10 better, then at least you know what you are talking about and I can respect that.

Hi Kingneutron
If I just wanted to do Facebook then Linux would be just fine. If I want to print or scan anything then it is either fight the machine or just use Windows. Linux is just fine for an older machine, that may be running XP, Vista or W7, that may need a secure way to access the internet. No way do I dual boot Linux with W10 and will never run anything that resembles a Mac. BTW I keep Linux Mint and Zorin on two different small SSD.s to pop into machines if Windows will not boot. Have a good day.

Hi Mr Schuh
Would like to know what OS you would perpetrate upon us delusional PC USERS????? I am frankly amazed that W10 runs on as many different devices that it does. Marc, glad your Children and Cat are OK!!!!!

Thanks for your concern Alan, and I’m delighted to inform you that the kids and the cat have now been released unharmed.

Guilty as charged, Kingneutron. I am indeed a Windows 10 fanboi.
Whilst I do step outside my front door from time time, I’ve also experimented with Linux Mint, Ubuntu but never OSX. I’ve played with various versions of Apple software on customers’ Macs, but am always left feeling like a hostage to Apple’s total lack of flexibility.
But frankly, the most important aspect of a PC for me is that it has to run games, I must be able to upgrade it with easy to find drivers and the user interface needs to be WYSIWYG as I really don’t have time for mucking about with lines of code.
As I summarised in the article, Windows 10 does all those things and more, although I’m now tempted to give Mint another whirl on an experimental machine, but certainly not OSX. I’d rather poke my eyes out with sharpened stick.

M$ with their forced updates that break PCs (they broke USB drivers a couple of months ago – no keyboard/mouse at boot?!), random forced reboots IN THE MIDDLE OF PRESENTATIONS AND GAMES, spyware, telemetry, constantly resetting default apps? I walked away years ago. Been using Linux since 1997 and barely use Win7 at all anymore – most of my stuff can be done in virtual machines if needed. And OSX El Capitan on a 2008 iMac (albeit a little slow because I haven’t upgraded the RAM and HD yet) is now my new daily driver – I can control everything else in my house from it with Nomachine NX AND dual-boot Linux.

Literally the ONLY thing I like in Win10 is the virtual desktops “task view”. Linux and OSX have had that for YEARS. I had it back in XP as well, and Win7 can do similar with 3rd-party software. But Win10 is arguably WORSE in some ways than Win8, even though they at least fixed the Start menu.

HI George
You can run W7, XP, Vista, W8 or whatever, for as long as you want. But if one wishes to run an updated copy of Windows then W10, or whatever it becomes, then one will have to deploy W10. I myself run W10, not because I like it, or think it is the best OS ever, but it is the future whether we like it or not.