6 Windows 10 Features You Should Know About
Windows 10 is still a fair ways away - due out in 2015 - but enthusiasts and early adopters
can already get their hands on an early build via the Windows 10 Technical Preview from
Microsoft.
There are many features and updates coming to the Windows platform with Windows 10, plenty
of which have not been announced yet.
Here are 6 core Windows 10 features and updates you should know about:
Number 1 - Start Menu Re-Imagined (Again) Microsoft’s re-imagination of the classic
Start Menu as a Start Screen in Windows 8 did not go over so well with a large portion
of consumers.
The drastic UI change has caused many - especially the elderly population - to cling to their
decade-old Windows XP computers to avoid.
Microsoft has taken that immense amount of feedback over the last few years and reached
back to its roots on Windows 10’s Start Menu.
Windows 10’s Start Menu is a pairing of the traditional Start Menu and the resizable
Live Tiles of Windows 8.
On non-touch computers, the Start Menu will look and feel very similar to the Windows
7 Start Menu with some added-in Live Tiles and functionality, but the menu will be much
closer to Windows 8’s Start Screen on touch devices.
Number 2 - Command Prompt Modernization During Microsoft’s live Windows 10 announcement,
it was announced that the Paste functionality via pressing the CTRL+V keyboard combination
would finally be added into the Command Prompt.
(The Command Prompt is also known as the “Console.”)
This is something users have complained about for years.
Other “experimental” settings for the Command Prompt are available to users.
These include line wrapping selection, line wrapping adjustment when users resize the
Command Prompt window, and opacity of the window.
Number 3 - Virtual Desktops & App Switching Virtual desktops (also referred to as “Workspaces”)
have long been a feature in many Linux-based operating systems.
Microsoft has added this feature into Windows 10 with a complete app-management and switching
overhaul.
Changes were made to the visual appearance of the ALT+Tab and WIN+Tab app-switching dialogue
in Windows 8, and have now re-purposed the ALT+Tab key combination to switch between
virtual desktops
Number 4 - Explorer’s New “Home” Referred to as “This PC” in Windows 8
and 8.1, and “My Computer” in earlier versions of Windows, Windows 10 brings forth
the “Home” for Windows Explorer - the program used to manage files and folders.
In recent versions of Windows, “This PC” would present users with a selection of devices
connected to the computer (hard drives, flash drives, optical drives) and the default Libraries
on the system.
Number 5 - Better “Snap Assist” Users have been able to “Snap” windows
to a few preset resized positions in previous versions of Windows.
By dragging a window the the left or right edges of the screen, the window would automatically
resize to take up half of the screen, on that side.
Similar gestures could be made for maximizing a window, etc.
Windows 10 has introduced a new and improved “Snap Assist” feature, which helps users
determine how to best “snap” windows into place for optimum productivity.
Number 6 - No Barrier Between “Modern”/”Metro”/”Universal” UI & Desktop
Microsoft has virtually removed the barrier between the commonly called “Metro” (or
“Modern”) apps and user interface and the traditional desktop environment.
Along with that, they’ve also officially dubbed these apps “Universal” apps, as
they work essentially the same across all Windows 10 devices - phones, computers, tablets,
etc.
These “Universal” apps no longer have their own UI.
Instead, they are completely integrated into the desktop environment and Start Menu, just
like normal desktop programs.
The app windows are resizable and feature a menu icon for a variety of options, which
resemble the “Charms” options menu on Windows 8.
Microsoft have made some strong moves towards blending the traditional desktop Windows that
consumers are still clinging to and the touch-friendly, “Universal” interface experience introduced
in Windows 8.
There will be many more changes to come to light as the launch date gets closer.