Windows 10 Preview: Start Button Is Back, Charms In Limbo
Microsoft may have succeeded in throwing a curve ball at the world by not naming the next version of its operating system Windows 9. But as William Shakespeare famously wrote in Romeo and Juliet, "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." In other words, if Windows 10 is a stinker, it won't matter what Microsoft calls it.
In his First Look of the preview, Brien Posey wondered if trying to come up to speed with Apple's OS X had anything to do with the choice in names -- a theory that quickly came to mind by many others wondering what Microsoft is up to (the company apparently didn't say why it came up with Windows 10). Perhaps Microsoft's trying to appeal to the many Windows XP loyalists?
The name notwithstanding, I too downloaded the Windows 10 Preview, a process that was relatively simple. Posey's review encapsulates Microsoft's progress in unifying the modern interface with the desktop and gave his thoughts on where Microsoft needs to move forward before bringing Windows 10 to market. One thing he didn't touch upon is the status of the Charms feature. Introduced in Windows 8, Charms were intended to help find shortcuts in managing your device.
In the preview, the Charms are no longer accessible with a mouse, only with touch. If you got used to using the Charms with a mouse, you're going to have to readjust to using the Start Button again. For some, that may require some readjustment, especially if they continue to use the Charms with their fingers. Would you like to see Microsoft make the Charms available when using a mouse? What would be the downside?
Meanwhile, have you downloaded the Windows 10 Preview? Keep in mind, this is just the first preview and Microsoft is looking for user feedback to decide what features makes the final cut as it refines Windows 10. We'd love to hear your thoughts on where you'd like them to refine Windows 10 so that it doesn't become a stinker.
Posted by Jeffrey Schwartz on 10/03/2014 at 12:35 PM