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The Dev Channel for Windows Insiders (cue the unintentional beta tester snark) has many of the changes noted here already implemented. The all-new icons have been rolled out (Build 21343) for several releases (21364.1000 is current as I write this). File Explorer has been updated in subtle ways. As the changelog for Build 21337 says,

The default layout of File Explorer adds additional padding between elements. For users who prefer a more information-dense layout, there is a setting in View Options called “Use compact mode,” which will restore the classic layout of File Explorer. The UX for toggling this setting is not final. The level of padding is designed for better consistency with modern (XAML) experiences. This should also make it easier to work with File Explorer when using a touch screen.

Collaterally, this also helps those of us with Baby Boomer eyes.

 

There is one other reason why you might want to follow Apple as well as catering to the core audience of Microsoft users. In my case ( and I’m probably not unique) I have an iPhone and an iPad. While my multiple Windows 10 computers are my primary tools, the iPad is essential to my working life. I am a pastor and I use the iPad exclusively for my preaching, funerals and weddings. Cool factor aside (having an iPad at a wedding is a great icebreaker, for example), the iPad is an exceptional tool for public speaking. If there is a down side it has to do with integration between the various systems. It keeps getting better, but it’s not there yet. I try to use the right tool for the job and both the iPad and the PC fit that.

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RamRod, Will Fastie

I found your comments about painful printer setup interesting. I had the opposite experience. I live in a small house of of 1,000 sq. ft. My office and the DSL modem are in my office at one end of the house in the finished basement. My wife’s office (she is a health care professional and city councilor) is at the other end of the house on the main floor. Both of us are working.

For many reasons, a wired connection has never been possible or realistic. I tried all kinds of solutions to connect the printer and internet in my wife’s office to the modem in my office. Wireless repeaters were not reliable and subject to repeated disconnections, no matter where they were placed. Powerline adapters were equally unreliable, possibly because of the house having  60 year old electrical wiring in that part of the house.

The solution, which was easy to set up and simple to operate were Plume pods, supplied by my ISP at a nominal charge with a credit, so in the long run, free. Frustration solved. All printers (there are three) working seamlessly in Windows 10. Setup was simple and easy. There are no reliability issues. I no longer get a frantic call from the top of the stairs,  “The internet is down!” Most important, domestic tranquility is restored.

While all of the security issues raised are certainly relevant, one issue which does not appear to have been recognized is internet availability and quality. In Canada, download caps are universal. You pay a premium for unlimited data. Then, even with a premium account, many users are speed limited.

My DSL connection with Bell Canada is 10 Meg/.9 Meg. Yes, .9 meg up. Any kind of system backup is totally unrealistic, even overnight. Fibre does not exist in my city. In my part of Ontario I actually have the fastest internet availble, although Rogers does offer a 1GB/30Meg service.

My iPhone account with Telus has a 10GB/month data cap. Same issue. And before you say “Use your WiFi”, the iPhone backs up through the Bell account.

Cloud storage solutions only work in urban areas with unlimited data plans and high speed access. Otherwise the model is just not applicable. No cloud storage for me!

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Cybertooth, OscarCP

Many years ago, possibly twenty or more, Bell Canada’s Sympatico internet service, which dates back to 1994 (I signed up the day they went public on a tip from a Bell Canada employee who had tested the service)  had their e-mail managed by Microsoft through Hotmail. That meant, as far as I could tell, that sympatico.ca accounts were actually hotmail.com accounts and could be used as Microsoft credentials. I have discovered that to this day, although Sympatico no longer uses Microsoft Hotmail for their e-mail provider, a sympatico.ca account is still valid for any Microsoft account function including Microsoft store purchases, downloads and as Windows login credentials. It could probably be used for any Microsoft 365 functions as well, although I refuse to touch rented software at any price nor use cloud storage, either.

If you have a sympatico.ca account, you actually have a Microsoft account. I wonder how many other ISP’s accounts give you similar credentials with Windows?

The USPS and Canada Post have legal mandates to provide service, as opposed to a private business which is accountable to their shareholders. Both the post office and private shipping companies, as you correctly point out, are part of our infrastructure and infrastructure matters.

In this month’s minutes of my city’s Community Services Committee (which receives a report on all building and renovation permits issued by the city) was this little gem.

“An interior renovation permit (valued at $50,000) was issued for the location of an ‘Amazon Prime Depot’ at 3225 East Bayshore Road.”

The location in question is already used by UPS as their sub-regional distribution hub. Purolater and FedEx also have distribution hubs here. A former manufacturing facility, there are ample loading doors and unencumbered warehouse space in the building.

Currently you can have your Amazon Prime parcels shipped to this city of 20,000 (serving a region of 150,000) by Canada Post for pickup at the main post office or the two sub-post office (called Retail Postal Outlets which are franchises) counters or any other CP outlet in the region. Amazon appears to be changing their delivery model in Canada, too.

OneDrive and almost all other Windows programs you don’t need (hello Cortana, I’m looking at you) can be uninstalled and will stay gone. MS has an annoying way of changing drivers on upgrades, but that’s another issue.

Again, the general statement may not be accurate. Bell, Telus and Rogers in Canada have no issues with smartphone tethering. The last phone I have which charged a penalty for tethering was with Bell and over a decade ago. In fact tethering is even encouraged today. You don’t want to watch Netflix however, as there are monthly caps and then speed limitations in place after 10-20 GB/mo, depending on your plan.

 

Tethering is much faster here than DSL. We use tethering on our iPhones at our cottage We get 50/20 or better on LTE (depending on how many neighbours are on line) while DSL is 10/.9. We expect this will change in rural Ontario as schooling has moved on line during the pandemic and has been found to be totally inadequate because of internet limitations.

For those reasons and more, we have resisted Office 365 in this house. My wife is a health care professional and elected municipal councilor. She requires MS Office for her work. Outlook in Office 365 has a nasty habit of sending attachments as winmail.dat file instead of the proper format (most common with .pdf files), causing a lot of frustration for both the sender and receiver. We have consistently used the standalone versions of MS Office so that we can retain control of our own files. This is particularly important for compliance with health care privacy laws and confidentiality, which, in this country, do not permit placing files on a computer you do not control. Success with free, non-MS Office programs has been abysmal, proving, in my mind, that you get what you pay for. Finally, given that the purchase of MS Office is a business expense, the upgrade to the latest version is a legitimate deduction from income for tax purposes. This is why we went to Office 2019. The upgrade process was seamless and without any unexpected problems. And yes, we use Defender on all computers. It works well.

Reliability Monitor is also available through Control Panel ==> System and Security ==> Security and Maintenance ==> Reliability Monitor. And that is the most recent Insider Dev Channel release, too.

I just completed upgrading 20H2 in two of the four computers in our home offices. One machine is on Insider Dev Channel and the last one was just moved up to 2004. The upgrade process from a USB took about an hour, including downloading. No bugs seen yet. Seamless, actually.

Alex5723 wrote:

Zaphyrus wrote:

I want to know which WIFI USB  is compatible with my laptop

Why not replace your wi-fi card ?

Examples : https://www.parts-people.com/index.php?action=category&id=141&subid=525&refine=wifi+card

I tried that option in my 9 year old Lenovo Y510P laptop, replacing the existing Intel Wi-Fi card with a newer one. On rebooting I was sharply told that illegal hardware had been found. I removed the Wi-Fi unit and went back to original equipment. The solution which did work with no difficulty was to install a Netgear A6210 Wi-Fi USB adapter https://www.netgear.com/home/products/networking/wifi-adapters/a6210.aspx into one of the USB3 ports. I added a USB3 extension (although Netgear says clearly not to do that) with no difficulty or speed loss. It connects at 867 Mbps down (640 Mbps actual) and my providers 30 Mbps up (actual) speeds (Rogers Ignite 1 GB service).

bbearren wrote:

woody wrote:

You don’t want it until it’s been thoroughly tested, and tested again.

Ah, but I do want it, as soon as Microsoft releases it.  I want to test it.  And I want to test it again.

If you want to live on the edge (and the computer is not critical) the latest Insider version is Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 20231. It’s listed as a pre-release version. And it keeps getting better. Frankly, I am impressed.

Outlook 2016 keeps asking through an opening nag banner if I want to switch to Office 365. I politely tell it to go away.