Windows 10 Gets Another Coat of Polish By Keith Ward Windows Expert
As it nears general release, Microsoft continues to tweak it. The latest version of the Windows 10 Start menu. Windows 10, Microsoft's newest operating system, is getting closer to its late July (in all likelihood) release. But unlike what often happened in the past, we have a much better idea what it will look like and how it will function, thanks to Microsoft's extensive preview program. It lets those brave enough to work with an unfinished product have full access to the current state of that product. In this case, the latest "build," or version, of Windows 10 is 10122 (at this stage, the versions get numbers rather than names). Microsoft's Gabe Aul has blogged about some of the improvements in the latest build. Here's a summation of the important stuff. Stability Improvements First is that the latest release of Windows 10 is the most stable yet, and that most of the critical stuff has now been put into place. "From here on out you'll see fewer big feature changes from build to build, and more tuning, tweaking, stabilizing, and polishing." That's good news, because it means we can get a better sense of what Windows 10 will be capable of in its final form, and can start digging deeper into its strengths and weaknesses. The biggest change in Windows 10 is the re-introduction of the Start menu. In my "Brief History of Windows," I discuss how badly Microsoft erred when it removed this core feature in Windows 8. That's why the Start menu returns, and with a vengeance. Microsoft keeps tweaking the Start menu, adding more to it and trying to make it more useful and graphically pleasing. Start Menu Changes One significant change is that the File Explorer and Settings buttons have been added to the Start menu, right above the Power button. Before, they were at the top of the screen, sort of separated from the rest of the menu. This may seem like a tiny detail, but in reality, all of these small changes add up to a large effect for users. Microsoft found that these two items are frequently accessed by users, and it made more sense to move them closer to other important items. There also used to be a button at the top-right of the Start menu -- it looks like two arrows pointing toward each other -- that would make the menu full-size, filling the entire screen. That button has now been hidden. The reason given was that the button was creating confusion for users, who thought it would make the computer enter "Tablet" mode, when it didn't. "Tablet" mode is a way of displaying Windows 10 that's optimized for touch. Again, it may be a small thing, but anything that makes the user interface (UI) more clear is good. I've always thought the key to good UI design is clarity and simplicity, not fancy graphics, transparency effects and the like. Microsoft seems to be understanding that as well. Microsoft Edge Browser Updates Other improvements of interest include several updates to Microsoft Edge, the Web browser that will be replacing Internet Explorer (IE): *I've already written that initial testing finds Edge to be fast, and the new update makes it even faster. *Edge now also has the ability to pin Web sites to the Start menu (watch for a how-to on that, later this summer) *An animated Reading View icon (Reading View, explained here, is a way to save articles for later reading) *A feature designed to let the user know which open Web page has started playing a video or audio clip automatically. This is a very nice feature; I don't know how many times I've tried to find out which Web page among my plethora of open tabs has had some un-prompted audio file start playing suddenly, and it takes me forever to find it. Source: http://windows.about.com/od/Windows-10/fl/Windows-10-Gets-Another-Coat-of-Polish.htm?utm_source=cn_nl&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Computers%20Channel%20Newsletter&utm_campaign=computersl&utm_content=20150602 ________________________________ Caution: The Reserve Bank of India never sends mails, SMSs or makes calls asking for personal information such as your bank account details, passwords, etc. It never keeps or offers funds to anyone. Please do not respond in any manner to such offers, however official or attractive they may look. Notice: This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you are not the intended recipient, any dissemination, use, review, distribution, printing or copying of the information contained in this e-mail message and/or attachments to it are strictly prohibited. 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