Windows 10 Technical Preview

We do not intend to do an in-depth analysis of Windows 10, but rather to explore what Microsoft has to offer us this time. Of course, being a previous version I have found some bugs that I will not review (some problem with a driver and a restart of the graphical system, in general much less than what I expected), although we will comment on design decisions that Microsoft has made now, even if they change them later.

Windows 10 Tech Preview is certainly not the big leap from Windows 7 to Windows 8 preview. Some will see it as a bad thing, for me it's the opposite: it's the sample that Windows 8 is a very mature and very good system, no matter how many complaints there are about the start screen.

Windows 10 continues with everything good from Windows 8

Windows 10 comes with all the great things of Windows 8. For example, something I'm an absolute fan of: synchronizationIt's great that simply by entering my Microsoft account during the installation process, all linked accounts, themes, preferences, applications and even settings of each application are synchronized.

The design is also roughly maintained, although window frames are made smaller and there is a slight shadow underneath of the applications.What does not change is the font rendering, which is still somewhat ugly: compare for example with Windows Phone or Modern UI itself.

To mention more small details, in Windows Explorer a tab has been added to share files through the corresponding charm. Also the icons have changed, which right now are a bit strange: there are some planes but not others, but it is something we imagine will change soon.

Windows 10 for the Heavy Desktop User: On the Right Track

I consider myself primarily a desktop user. I've hardly ever used Modern UI apps, so one of the things I was most interested in about Windows 10 is how it makes things easier for more intensive mouse and keyboard users .

And so far it starts very well.The snap mode, which allows you to arrange your sales in a grid, works very well (the idea of showing you apps to fill in the gap is great). In addition, it supports keyboard shortcuts (Windows key + arrow keys to paste>"

As for the multiple desktops, they are fine but lack maturity. They appear when we press the button on the taskbar (button that, by the way, I have not been able to remove) and when we press Win+Tab. From there we can easily create new desktops and switch between them. At the moment we cannot drag applications from one to another (you have to right click to move them).

We can't directly switch desktops either with keyboard shortcuts (from Win+Tab view we have to press tab again to move to the row of desktops, and then use the arrows to move), and if we want to use the Win+Tab shortcut in the same way as Alt+Tab, the desktop view will be closed again.Things from the preview that we hope will improve.

(Almost) the same taskbar

The taskbar is mostly the same, with a small change to support multiple desktops. Applications open on another virtual desktop have a small bottom bar: tapping on it will take you to the corresponding desktop.

What does stay the same is the application switching view with Alt+Tab, which will allow us to switch between all open applications and switch to the corresponding desktop.

So we're off to a good start for now: for a preview we've got two good changes for anyone with lots of windows on the desktop, and I'm sure we'll see more. While we're at it, I'd love for Microsoft to take ideas from other, more advanced window managers (my reference here is KWin, the KDE window manager, both in customization and in features), such as the possibility of customizing even more keyboard shortcuts, allowing certain windows to be on top of the rest, windows to always open in the same position... Small things that, although few users claim it (few know that these things exist) could come in handy for all slightly more advanced users.

The return of the Start menu and its merger with Modern UI

One of the most anticipated things in Windows 10 is, without a doubt, the return of the Start menu (if you don't like , in properties of the taskbar you can return to the Windows 8 screen). I have to say that, looking at the images, I was not completely convinced. But trying it out is a different matter.

And once installed, the new menu is convincing. In the end, I still keep the live tiles to see information at a glance, opening the menu doesn't take away the entire screen and I gain quick access to the most used applications. In addition, this menu is still just as fast when typing, searching for an application and launching it.

The new Start menu nicely unifies what we had in Windows 7 and the ModernUI/Live Tiles philosophy of Windows 8

Of course, it is clear that for new users it will be a much easier adaptationThe style is different, but the arrangement of elements is very reminiscent of Windows 7, also giving access to quick actions in certain applications (for example, most visited websites in a browser).

Also, by making the control panel and shutdown button easier to access, the charms bar, which disappears on the desktop, isn't really missing (it takes getting used to not being there, yes indeed). And by the way, a nice touch: the start menu still opens on the active screen if you have multiple monitors.

If Microsoft's intention with this menu was to win back the skeptical user of Windows 8, I think that has succeeded And not only that: it's done it without leaving out Modern UI, which is a plus. It maintains one of the most important ideas, which was to see all the information with the live tiles, and it does so with a good design (the interface is not very overloaded, you can even remove all the tiles) and also gives options so that he wants to keep using the Windows 8 Start screen.So while this is still a preview, Microsoft gets A's here.

Modern UI back to desktop, and for desktop users

Another of the Windows 10 changes is the disappearance of the gap>"

Here Microsoft has also changed, allowing you to put Modern applications in individual windows. It works well and without problems, and in fact it is very curious to see how they adapt the interface to the size they have available ( although they all have a minimum size). There are no performance changes and they continue to work the same as before despite not being full screen.

Modern UI apps are much more useful in Windows 10 for the desktop user

As for the missing charms, you already know that they are transformed into a small options menu next to the application icon, in the title bar.Granted, it's slower than the charms bar (larger buttons are easier to click), but it's easier to find and it's not a button you'll find either. we are pressing continuously.

From this menu we will access the settings, sharing menu and other things that we are used to in Windows 8. Of course, everything will open in the sidebar, as it used to. And if we like the full screen mode, we can activate it with a button. The downside is that Windows doesn't remember that preference and if we open the application again it will show it in a maximized window.

Another consequence of the disappearance of the charms is that the search button migrates to the taskbar At the moment its purpose is a bit useless: it just takes us to Bing to search for things and shows us current topics. We assume that Cortana will appear there in the future, but in the meantime it would be nice if the button could be removed.

Windows 10, off to a good start

After fiddling with this Tech Preview a lot, I'm left with good feelings We continue to have all the good things about Windows 8, from synchronization and integration with the Microsoft ecosystem up to the good performance and power (I have not mentioned it, but Windows 10 is still as fast as Windows 8). New ideas are on the right track, and any complaints you may have are limited to small details that will probably be fixed soon.

It's just a preview, but it starts very well

Now then: Microsoft, we look forward to more For now this Tech Preview is just that, a preview and we hope that the changes in Windows 10 be more. In the part of integration with touch devices we can't talk much because the relevant features, like Continuum or the taskbar on the start screen, are not available.There we also have hopes and although we will see more detail when they are available, it also seems that in Redmond they have done a very good job to improve the experience of these users.

In Xataka Windows | All about Windows 10