Current CITE-ings from the popular and trade computing literature – Windows 10

Citation

Kesselman, M. (2015), "Current CITE-ings from the popular and trade computing literature – Windows 10", Library Hi Tech News, Vol. 32 No. 9. https://doi.org/10.1108/LHTN-09-2015-0067

Current CITE-ings from the popular and trade computing literature – Windows 10

Article Type: Current CITE-ings From: Library Hi Tech News, Volume 32, Issue 9

Martin Kesselman

Features

Unlike Windows 8.1, Windows 10, after many complaints, has returned the start menu to the bottom left-hand corner of the screen. But Windows 10, a free upgrade, goes much further in the capabilities it offers which include numerous apps from the Windows store (Windows response to Android and Apple’s IOS), Cortana, Window’s answer to Apple’s SIRI, which is a voice recognition system and digital assistant, and Window’s new browser, Edge. Edge works seamlessly with Cortana, offering personal assistance when searching the Web. The article reviews many more new features of Windows 10 and gives a positive review [Chacos, B. (2015), “Windows 10: the 10 best new features you should try first”, PC World, September, pp. 73-82].

A much larger guide to Windows 10 is the Windows 10 Super Guide, a cover story for PC World. PC World has also created a Window to introduce all the new features. Other features not already mentioned include Direct X graphics technology, Windows Hello that is a biometric authentication system and the Cortana Bluetooth button. The author notes that uninstalling programs is much easier with Windows 10 [Hachman, M. (2015), “Windows 10 superguide”, PC World, September, pp. 52-59]. Here is another review of features (“Windows 10 a fresh start”, Computer Shopper, January, pp. 110-117). A welcome feature is that Windows 10 includes complete language support [Frank, B.H. (2015), “Windows 10 adds full support for Canadian French, Mexican Spanish”, PC World, 28 July, p. 1].

Edge

Windows 10’s Edge Web browser is found to be 37 per cent faster than Google Chrome [Hernandez, P. (2015), “Edge browser ouperforms chrome in latest Windows 10 build”, eWeek, 19 July, p. 1].

Firefox

Although Windows 10 tries to steer one to the Edge and Bing Web browsers, Firefox 4.0 now works with Cortana and can still be your default browser. Firefox 4.0 has improved the user interface and new security checks [Newman, J. (2015), “Firefox sticks it to Microsoft, redirects Cortana searches in Windows 10”, PC World, September, p. 112).

Installation

This article takes you step-by-step in installing Windows 10 onto your computer using The New Windows Media Creation Tool Shortcut [Hachman, M. (2015), “How to install Windows 10 on your PC”, PC World, September, pp. 104-109].

Upgrading to Windows 10 appears to be painless. A clean install takes about an hour at which time the system asks for name and password and, finally, a PIN. Windows Explorer is now called File Explorer. A new icon is created for notifications. Windows 10 also includes a link to the Microsoft app store. It is still suggested that you back up all your information from Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 before performing the installation [Rash, W. (2015), “How to successfully install the Windows 10 free upgrade”, eWeek, 3 August, p. 1].

IT and the enterprise

According to a Spicework survy, nearly all CIOs and IT professionals will install Windows 10 within two weeks of it release. Some concerns remain however, related to hardware and software compatibility, bugs, training and third-party support [McCafferty, D. (2015), “What IT leaders seek from Windows 10”, CIO Insight, 1 July, p. 2]. Another article feels that Windows 7 enterprise users will be reluctant to make the switch to Windows 10 (Bender, A. (2015), ComputerWorld, 22 January, p. 1].

Linux

The unified extendible firmware interface (UEFI) Secure Boot feature of Windows 8 computers is replaced by the toggle option for user-configuration in Windows 10 that has an effect on the Linux generic loader (Hoffman, C. (2015), “Microsoft tightens Windows 10’s secure boot screws: where does that leave Linux?”, PC World, 26 March, p. 1).

Mobile devices

As Windows 10 operates on several different devices, this article, beside reviewing many of the features above, also focuses on how the operating system works on mobile devices (“99 things you need to know about Windows 10”, PC Pro, August, pp. 44-52).

Another step-by-step guide is available for using Windows 10 special Mobile application software (“Windows 10 mobile”, PC Pro, The Ultimate Guide to Windows, 2 September, pp. 100-103).

Privacy

According to the Windows 10 agreement statement, data can be shared with Microsoft-controlled affiliates and vendors. Of particular concern is Cortana, having access to an individual’s email. The software, TrueCrypt, although abandoned by its creators, seems to be the best solution to keep your information private [Cambell, A. (2015), “Broken Windows: the ugly side of Microsoft’s OS”, Maximum PC, November, p. 17].

Another article notes that Windows 10 is the most secure version of the operating system. Besides the Windows Hello fingerprint feature, with additional hardware, face recognition software is available. Edge is also expected to be the most secure Web browser to date [Hernandez, P. (2012), “Microsfot calls Window 10 the ‘most secure’ windows ever”, eWeek, 27 July, p. 1].

Search bar

The new Windows 10 search bar works exactly like Windows 8 Charms but includes a new search box to search in Windows, Web and the Cortana interface. The search bar can be customized and even removed by the user (“New Windows 10 build reveals new search bar”, Computer Shopper, March, p. 17).

Too little too late

Murray compares Apple’s evolution of its operating system with that of Windows, and feels that Windows comes pretty short. Even with the new features of Windows 10, the operating system is still way behind when compared with Apple. Windows support of touch screens is also criticized [Murray, M. (2015), “Windows 10 is what Windows 8 should have been–3 years too late”, PC Magazine, August, pp. 28-32].

Troubleshooting

This article provides step-by-step directions for troubleshooting and debugging Windows 10 [“Troubleshooting Windows 10”, PC Pro, The Ultimate Guide to Windows, 2 September, pp. 140-145].

Updates

Windows is transitioning to a Windows-as-a-service model, where updates will be automatically made via the cloud. Problems may exist when updates become buggy, and can potentially create problems with millions of PCs running the operating system. But on the other side, many users do not update the operating system when new versions become available [Lilly, P. (2015), “Windows 10 update headaches”, Maximum PC, November, p. 12].

Windows 10, as noted, will include automatic upgrades that include new features for all kinds of devices. The new operating system includes options for holographic displays to create and preview objects for three-dimensional (3D) printers. Microsoft developed HoloLens to view holographic images that appear real. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has plans to use Windows Holographic for the Opportunity Mars Rover project to simulate walking on Mars [Rash, W. (2015), “Microsoft says Windows 10 will be the last OS upgrade you’ll ever need”, eWeek, 21 January, p. 3].

Virtual machines

Virtualization allows one’s operating system to run inside another. So it is possible to run both Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 simultaneously. This allows you to experiment with Windows 10, while still using Windows 8.1. To download VMWARE Players for non-commercial use, go to: http://vmw.re/1J8x5At. The author provides all the directions you need to do this [Evenden, I. (2015), “Run Windows 10 on a virtual machine”, Maximum PC, November, pp. 64-65].

Martin Kesselman (martyk@rulmail.rutgers.edu) is based at Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA.