Only 10 reasons?

At this time, Windows 8.1 combined with Classic Shell is probably my favorite operating system, with an up-to-date Windows 7 x64 being a close second –unless you’re in a corporate environment, where I’ll probably say Windows 7 wins because you may not wish to support Classic Shell for your userbase.

Just remember, Microsoft’s continuing down this path not just with Windows, but with Office as well. At what point does the push to make everyone go to Office 365 start, then begin to become more onerous, then add advertising opportunities, etc.?

Someone, other than Microsoft, please introduce competing solutions good enough to make them shake in their boots. I guarantee the IT world will show interest.

Thank you for this comprehensive, authoritative, and useful review. I emailed the link to family members. In the last week alone the subject has come up with several people that I have been working with, and they will find the article useful as well.

My short summary for these folks is that Windows 10 has some new gimmicks that a birdbrain might find entertaining, but there seems to be a paucity of evidence that it brings other user benefits (not the same thing as features–something that many advocates forget).

I tell them that if you want to be entertained by a computer that talks to you, go for it, but be aware that Cortana may be listening all the time, and who knows what it’s passing back to Microsoft. Be aware that the most likely future is that Windows 10 will be used to push even more advertising in our faces, and M$ will exploit the information it gathers in whatever way seems profitable.

The whole thing appears to be a case of milking a franchise for whatever can be gotten out of it before it dies.

I was joking today with someone about the “good ole days” when I owned a Hayes modem. The joke was it was the last time I owned the latest and greatest. Kinda wish I’d kept that 286 AT.
But, there is a reason I’ve stayed well behind the field. Hell, I didn’t get XP until 2011, and only recently moved to Win7. I like to watch disasters from a great distance. Windows 10 anyone?

Thanks for the very informative article. At least some and possibly many Thinkpad laptop users have another concern over upgrading. The Trackpoint does not work properly in my legacy X-230 or in several new Thinkpads I’ve tried with Windows 10, whether upgraded from Win 7 or factory installed. Nor will my legacy Win 7 UltraNav driver work on the newer Win 10 units in compatibility mode. After I upgraded my X-230 to Win 10, the failings caused me to revert within the 30-day window to the perfectly working Trackpoint under Win 7. I also just bought a Thinkpad Yoga with Win 10 factory installed. For the first time ever with a Thinkpad, I had to buy an external mouse just to get the full range of normal Windows scrolling and other mouse features that Trackpoints always previously had. Hopefully, the Trackpoint driver developers will fix this.

On the new Thinkpad Yoga that comes with Win 10 factory installed, the problem is with the Trackpoint driver, not Windows 10. With an external mouse, the scrolling function works perfectly. With the 5-year old X-230, don’t upgrade from Win 7, if Trackpoint scrolling is important. Lenovo should get the driver working as intendef.

Buy an Apple. I am as soon as their new Mac Book Pro comes out in October or November.

Woody,

I’m not sure whether I should offer congratulations… or condolences for finally unplugging from the Matrix and acknowledging the horror that is Windows 10…

Don’t hate the Fanbois, they aren’t interested in truth, it’s just their way and they can become unstable should reality be thrust upon them…

Now eat your Tastee Wheat and get some sleep. Being unplugged is traumatic and your training to battle the M$ machine and find a new desktop replacement begins tomorrow…

Good Work and welcome to the real world!

PS… I know you’ll say you’ve been cautious about Windows 10 all along, true. But you were also cautious about condemning it. Hey, nobody would blame you. Anti-Windows 10 books don’t sell nearly as well… So congratulations on doing what’s right and coming out. Let me know and I’ll make sure to have a torch reserved for ya(unless a pitchfork is preferred)… The villagers are massing…