Cave News

Is Windows 10 Microsoft's best operating system?

The screen grab below shows how Windows 10 looks like on one of our laptops using icons rather than tiles.

Our Windows 10 welcome screen is shown above.

We have had no trouble running all of our programs using Windows 10 including a 15-year-old
version of Paint Shop Pro (v7) that hit the market before Jasc sold PSP to Corel.

When Windows 8 was released we joined the mythical Hate 8 club. However, we soon learned there was more good than bad in Windows 8.

We upgraded to Win 10 last August and would not want to go back to any other version of Windows.

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If you like Siri, Apple’s intelligent personal assistant, you may like Cortana, the intelligent personal assistant that is included in Windows 10.

Should Microsoft put this error message in Windows 10?

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Will windows 10 be the last version of windows?

"Right now we’re releasing Windows 10, and because Windows 10 is the last version of Windows"

That was the message from Microsoft employee Jerry Nixon speaking at the company's Ignite conference this week.

Microsoft launched Windows 8.1 last year, but in the background it was developing Windows 10.
Microsoft has altered the way it engineers and delivers Windows, and the initial result is Windows 10.

Instead of big releases, there will be regular improvements and updates. Part of this is achieved by splitting up operating system components like the Start Menu and built-in apps to be separate parts that can be updated independently to the entire Windows core operating system.

Full report here.

Our first look at Windows 10

When Windows 8 first rolled out I quickly became a member of the “Hate 8" club. I never did learn to like Windows 8 but did developed a peaceful coexistence with it. However, I do like Windows 10 right from the start.

Any third-party menu program you may be using in Windows 8 won’t work. Windows 10 will kill it and automatically replace it with it’s own menu which can be found in the lower left of the screen.

To find Control Panel, right-click on the Windows 10 menu icon and it will be one of the selections.

Microsoft Edge replaces Internet Explorer.

In Windows 10 you will meet Cortana. She is an "intelligent assistant" much like Siri on your iPhone. Maybe Cortana can tell us why so many computer users hate Windows 8.

The childish looking (and childish sounding) Windows 8 “charms bar” (shown on the right) can no longer be brought up on the right side of the screen. It’s gone - and good riddance!

My 25-year-old Jasc Paint Shop Pro runs nicely in Windows 10. Jasc later sold Paint Shop Pro to Corel who changed the program beyond recognition and tripled the price.

Attention Windows 8 users - Widows 10 is not far away

Do you use Widows 8? Do you hate 8? Windows 10 won’t be any easier to learn. In fact the learning curve will be much steeper as Win 10 will be able to do so many more things.

From a PC World report:

It’s official: Windows 10 is coming.

After kicking off Windows 10 with a bevy of business-friendly features, Microsoft drew back the curtain on the operating system’s new ‘consumer-focused features’ at an event on Wednesday, while simultaneously driving home a vision of an operating system designed to deliver a singular, cohesive experience across a myriad of device types.

Windows 10 will be a free upgrade for Windows 7 and 8 users, who can get it free the first year after Windows 10 hits the streets.

We will upgrade an Asus laptop to Win 10 to test out the new operating system when it’s available. The Asus is a computer that Best Buy’s warranty gave me after my Dell laptop died due to a coffee spill.

I have a huge dislike for the Asus so it is appropriate to use it to test the new operating system in case we have a huge dislike for Win 10 as well.

Windows 10 will probably never ‘see the light of day’ on my Win 8 HP notebook that I use 90% of the time. It’s a sweet running machine that needs to stay just as it is.

Our Dell desktop will probably stay with Win 7 and the laptop I take on trips is an old Toshiba that runs on Vista. There also is a Toshiba laptop with Win 8 that was purchased on a weak moment.

Yes, I know, I know - we have way, way too many computers for just the two of us.

Anyway, if your head isn’t spinning enough after reading about Microsoft’s new operating system, there is a list of Windows 10‘s new features here.

Testing a new Toshiba Satellite laptop running Windows 8.1

In the early 1980‘s we had a DOS computer that would send the contents of the screen to the printer by pressing three keys simultaneously. If memory serves correctly it was the JKL keys.

Most Windows computers have a print screen key (PrtScn) that will capture the screen contents and paste it to the clipboard.

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We use a program called PrintKey that allows us to copy the screen capture directly into a graphics program for editing without the need to retrieve it from Windows clipboard.

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On the Toshiba we were testing, the PrtScn didn’t work until we learned that we needed to press and hold the FN key first.

FN key (pictured) is a modifier key found on the lower left on many laptop and notebook computers.

Why do huge numbers of corporations still use Windows XP?

Most corporations still use Windows XP and ccording to a Reuters report about 95 percent of the world's ATMs still use Windows XP!

Greedy Microsoft had hoped all corporate Windows users would have purchased Windows 7 (or better still Win 8) by now. They haven’t.

In hopes of collecting upgrade fees from corporations, Microsoft announced three months ago that the ‘tried and true’ Windows XP would no longer be supported.

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Windows XP was the first operating system from Microsoft that didn’t run at a snails pace (Windows 95) or didn’t have an inordinate number of serious bugs (Windows Millennium).

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Besides the payments to Microsoft, it would collectively cost corporations billions in retraining costs.

That same Reuters article reports that Windows XP currently supports around 95 percent of the world's ATMs.

An incentive to save the Microsoft upgrade fees and the retraining costs is the knowledge that Windows XP is viewed by corporations as solid and “battle hardened.” If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Bill Gates spent an entire day trying to install Windows 8.1

Think you had trouble with Windows 8? How about Bill Gates taking an entire day installing Windows 8.1

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Don’t get too concerned about Mr. Gates because the Borowitz Report in The NewYorker magazine is a tongue-in-cheek look at whatever Andy whatshisname decides to lampoon.

Oh, yes, I remember now, his name is Borowitz.

Link

Miss the Start Menu in Windows 8?

Setting up the tiles on the default Win8 Metro start screen is not the least bit appealing to us.

Purists will take the time to use the Win 8 Metro start screen as it was intended but we don’t have the time nor the desire. The Metro start screen is a major reason people hate 8.

To do what Windows should have done there are some third party start menu programs for Win8.

Our two favorites are: StartIsBack and Classic shell. A program called Start8 is also getting good reviews.

Link

If Apple made a car would it have Windows?

Designer of the fictitious iCar

Even if a car made by Apple did have Windows, it probably wouldn’t be able to use the same fuel other cars.

And you couldn’t get parts for it unless you went to an Apple Store.

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Seriously, there actually is a concept car inspired by Apple called the iMove (shown above).

Hmm, after looking at the picture -- maybe it really does not have Windows.
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