QUEEN’S ROAD: Last month, tech giant Microsoft released Windows 10, the last instalment of its flagship operating system.
The highly anticipated OS succeeds the company’s last major release, Windows 8, and it’s free. Machines that run on Windows 7, 8 or 8.1 can be upgraded at any time. Microsoft says it needs most of the devices on the planet to have Windows 10, which is the reason for the sweet offering.
Despite the great new features and the improvements on the previous incarnations of Windows, Bengaluru-based users have mixed opinions about the upgrade.
Ankit Chowdhury, an Android application developer, says, “Windows 10 amalgamates all the goodness of Windows 7 with features like the Start button and the stability with Cortana, Edge and DirectX 12. The new Edge browser doesn’t disappoint but it is not better than Google Chrome. The game changer for me would be the addition of DirectX 12, which might make room for next-gen gaming on Windows”.
Ajay Ramachandra, software engineer, says, “The new OS combines the most liked features of Windows 7, not so liked features of Windows 8 and a few new features. The user interface is refreshingly new and your old softwares will continue to work. It is definitely a worthy upgrade.”
Chirag Maladkar, associate software engineer at Accenture, says, “While Windows 10 does present a really good offer with the free update, it also holds a lot of uncertainties for me. Firstly, I need to know whether my work-related applications support Windows 10. Secondly, I need to know whether there will be compatibility issues with the applications and games that I am using. If I’m satisfied with my findings, I shall consider an upgrade.”
Akshay Anand, postgraduate student and freelance designer, says, “Windows has been my favourite OS for a long time and Microsoft has never disappointed me. I’d have gone for the upgrade even if it was not free.”
The OS is compatible with all his applications, drivers and games, he adds, and also says the DirectX 12 is a big step-up. “This means PC gaming is set to be better than ever and the graphical output for multimedia editing will be at its best.”
Anand isn’t too excited about the return of the Start menu. “I have adapted to the tiles thing from Windows 8; nevertheless the tiles are now inside the Start menu. Another feature likely to impress users is the Cortana. I can just tell my PC to shut down from a distance and she will!”
Tanmoy Das, research scholar, says it’s better to wait and see how stable Windows 10 is before upgrading.
“I don’t want to kill my NVIDIA graphic card. I also noticed some malfunctioning keyboard commands in the Technical Preview. But there is no harm in trying out Windows 10, as there is an option to revert back to the previous OS if you’re not satisfied,” he adds.