With a new build released and a summer release date imminent, David Crookes looks at the latest delights that are set to be included in Windows 10
As the weeks begin to tick down, it becomes clear that the day of reckoning is coming. People are getting ready to cast their vote, and they're about to choose the candidate they feel is the best way forward for them for the foreseeable future. Most of them would agree that the outlook had looked good in 2009 when one of the major players had proved to be very strong, solid and approachable. Many of them will also feel frustrated that a change came that they didn't necessarily want and that the newcomer underperformed - its lacklustre performance and all too frequent U-turns making life rather confusing and difficult.
But that newcomer - Windows 8 - is on its way out. And in 2015, many wrongs look set to be put right. For this is the year when Windows 10 is going to be released, an operating system that promises to make life much clearer and easier. It will end, once and for all, the flip-flopping over the Start menu, which has so marred Windows 8 and 8.1, and it will, so the consensus suggests, be more of a return to the good old days of Windows 7. As for the other party, Apple, Microsoft hopes to pull clear. It has been very vocal about its achievements, it has tried to position itself as the people's OS developer, and it has even tried to push out fringe offerings such as Linux by opening its doors and inviting people in.
Indeed, the company has been making many promises and showcasing ever more features in order to encourage people to nail their crosses to its operating system. There is no doubt that it wants Windows 10 to be the operating system to overpower Apple's OS X and, to that end, it says it is actively listening to feedback in a bid to ensure the OS is the best it can possibly be. With a summer release pencilled in, the 'revolution' is closer than we envisaged. It's a bold plan, a new Microsoft in some respects, and something that we continue to watch very closely as each new build is released.
Make A Start
So what's new this time around? Well, at the end of March, Microsoft released the latest build of the Windows 10 Technical preview to anyone signed up to the Windows Insider program.
And the first thing that was starkly noticeable was a different, neat look to the Start menu which, as all Microsoft users know, was initially dropped from Windows 8 only to be resurrected, much to everyone's joy.
Last September, the Start menu of Windows 10 showed how it would merge the interface and live tiles of Windows 7 and 8 to offer a modern look to the new OS. But we can now see that the Start menu is set to boast a transparent background, which allows the desktop to shine through and gives prominence to the menu icons and tiles. It's not a fundamental change to the way the OS works, but it sure looks neat.
At the same time, the All Apps button has also been made more user-friendly. As well as being accessible via a finger-touch, it's possible to manipulate the All Apps list to best suit your needs. You can pin apps from the list to Start as well as drag and drop them to a most-used list. It is one of the many features that the development community surrounding Windows 10 had asked for and, according to Microsoft, it was one of the top requests.
Virtual Desktops
The biggest request, though, was for improvements to be made to the Virtual Desktops. The Virtual Desktops are nothing new, of course, but they are now a firmly mainstream Windows 10 feature, which allows for dozens upon dozens of virtual desktops to be created via the Task View pane. The only problem with the Virtual Desktops as it stood was that the feature had many limitations that upset many testers. The latest build makes a good attempt at widening the scope, however.
According to Microsoft, its Windows Insiders (the volunteers testing Windows 10 builds) wanted to make it easier to move between the desktops. They asked for Windows 10 to allow them to simply drag a window to a Virtual Desktop as opposed to the clumsier method of right-clicking and using a context menu. The change has made a huge difference, and it gets around the problem of having multiple screens of apps on a single monitor that are hard to move between. It will reduce clutter and make for a more fluid computer experience for users too.
What's more, the new build - which, incidentally is entitled 10041 - also lets users drag windows to the '+' icon, which not only creates a fresh virtual desktop but inserts the window into it. Microsoft has declared that it still wants to do more work with Virtual Desktops to make it a killer feature of the new OS, a move that will surely appease all those who want to see this feature exploited to its full potential.
One way it's already doing this is by sensibly supporting a filtered taskbar so only the tasks set up in a particular Virtual Desktop will show. Microsoft says it's "doing some A/В testing" in this area so that it can decide on the best defaults to offer. Windows 10 is also offering a filtered Alt+Tab, which the company says will allow users to only see the windows on a given Virtual Desktop. This is an area we'll be keeping a close eye on over the coming months.
Cor... More Cortana
We'll also be keenly looking to see how Cortana develops within Windows 10. Earlier in the year, we saw Joe Belfiore, the corporate vice president of the Operating Systems Group at Microsoft, showing off Windows 10's integration of Cortana, the digital voice assistant which had, up to that point, been confined to Windows Phones. We saw how Cortana's ability to learn the interests of users and present relevant information was set to make an impact in the world of digital personal assistants while making it even easy to search for items on Bing, the computer and a OneDrive account. We also saw that it would support seven languages and impersonate Yoda (!) and that it would be built into a new web browser intended to end Internet Explorer's 20-year run called Spartan.
With build 10041, Microsoft has announced that Cortana support would expand to China, the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. It has also said that it will continue to fix bugs and add new capabilities although, for the moment at least, nothing extra has been implemented. For those who don't want it, it can be turned off, with some users complaining that searches in Windows 10 automatically query Cortana as well as the web. As far as Microsoft is concerned, though, Cortana is a necessity given the inroads made by Apple's Siri and Google Now, especially given the latter announced it will open up Now's API to developers, allowing them to create interactive cards.
So far, it would appear that Cortana isn't as fully fledged as people would perhaps like (it cannot launch apps as of yet, and it tends to deliver web results in a browser rather than give a direct answer or carry out a specific action. But it is customisable, and privacy is seemingly important, with users able to dictate what it does and doesn't know about them (it makes good use of the Notebook, in which you're able to list what you like and give a flavour of your day-to-day dealings).
Cortana doesn't rely solely on voice commands either: it will respond to typed suggestions, and it will serve up a daily diet of news and sports items that are based on your interests. It will even be able to crack a joke or two. (Incidentally, it seems that Cortana on mobile devices is being given the capability to track packages that have been purchased online. The aim is to create a hub for package delivery information, but this doesn't seem to be making its way to desktops... yet!)
Network Access
Cortana will make good use of your network such as being able to find music on any your Windows devices. Networking will, as expected, be a core function of Windows 10. Microsoft is keen to make it easier to set up and maintain networks, and its new Windows 10 build has a fly-out menu that lists every wi-fi network in your vicinity and lists the wireless settings.
There's still much work to do with this function, but being able to manage networks and switch between them with minimum fuss is something to applaud, making it much easier to connect a Windows 10 computer. It's also more than a match for Apple's easy-access network function within OS X, and it shows that Microsoft is aiming for an operating system that 'just works'.
This Is Spartan
Okay, that headline that has been used a thousand times to describe the new browser on the block, codenamed Project Spartan, but we're making use of it because it would seem that Spartan really has muscled Internet Explorer off the scene.
Microsoft confirmed IE will be no more except for enterprise purposes on some Windows 10 versions. Spartan will be the new default browser instead. Not that Spartan is likely to be the actual name. "We have to name the thing," marketing chief Chris Capossela told the Microsoft Convergence event.
Better Photos
Microsoft is looking to extend that ease-of-use, no-fuss philosophy to the new Photos app that is heading our way in Windows 10. The previous Windows 10 build showed an app that would allow users to clean up images, remove duplicates and auto-enhance while supporting image sharing. It also showed that photos would be synced to the cloud. Now Microsoft says the updated Live Tile for the Photos app will include any images saved in OneDrive, expanding on the previous situation of only showing photographs that are saved on the actual computer.
Again, while this is really only aesthetic, Microsoft has been carrying out much work 'under-the-hood'. It has boosted the Photo app's performance and reliability but, more interestingly, it has tweaked the package to allow people to use a camera's RAW format files, a move that will surely please the keenest of photographers among us.
This gives users of the app the ability to use the very best digital image output, since RAW files are akin to undeveloped film that have not been processed into formats such as JPEG. All of the image data that is recorded by a camera's sensor is captured in a RAW file, but the main problem with saving in this format is that it can't be opened normally on a computer unless a special package is installed. The Photos app will make life much more simple, giving 'out-of-the-box' support. Even better, Microsoft says that the Photos app will be up to date with most of the new cameras on the market.
On top of that, Microsoft has included a small number of shortcuts for the Photos app that concern the tab, arrow keys and the page up/down, and it says that it intends to add more "for the most popular actions/workflows".
New Text Input
Microsoft also wants to make it easier to input data into Windows 10. For those using tablets and touch-screen devices such as the Surface Pro 3, Windows 10 has a new handwriting input canvas that is especially geared towards short text entry. It's better able to recognise handwriting, and it allows for edit control using a pen.
The edit options will be displayed nearby and be easily accessible with a tap of a pen. They will include the ability to delete words, return and select a different keyboard. Suggestions and next word predictions (similar to those found on a smartphone keyboard) will be automatically shown, and it will even be possible to toggle to the Windows 8 handwriting canvas, should you prefer it. All in all, it's a neat feature that we're sure will also be enhanced further.
Lock It Up
Of course, all of this will make Windows 10 an intricate beast. With more features and many little nuggets to discover, it's fair to say that it's shaping up into a useful, solid and considered operating system. At the same time, though, it could prove to be difficult for some to get their heads around. Microsoft is already seeing a great many people trying to adapt to life after Windows XP, and while they're just getting used to Windows 7, 8 or 8.1, it could be that they will struggle once more with Windows 10.
For that reason, Microsoft has been keenly looking at making the most of Windows 10's lock screen. It recognises that a new operating system release will lead to a noticeable learning curve and that there will be some who feel they are stepping back, daunted at the new interface (even something as simple as a switch from iOS 6 to iOS 7 caused a major fuss). So it wants to create a virtual noticeboard of sorts by positioning tips, tricks and hints on the lock screen that will sit alongside some nice imagery.
This will prove to be educational for users and hopefully get them to grips with the operating system. For those who feel they've grasped everything or don't care, there will be a way of turning off the hints, and it will also be possible for users to change the lock screen background from one of the many rotating, Microsoft-provided images with a lovely photo of their own.
As well as the lock screen, there's a redesigned login screen, although it's a fair bet that this will be altered as the weeks tick away. With much experimentation, this is mainly a case of Microsoft finding a look that it is keen on pushing out to a mainstream audience, and it will have user-friendliness and simplicity in mind to ensure that the experience is welcoming from the very start. This will be the thinking behind the flat icons that are now part and parcel of Windows 10, unashamedly following a trend set by Apple during its redesign of iOS 7 and of the latest OS X, Yosemite. It will also be the thinking behind boosting consumer-friendly features such as Photos and Cortana.
Looking Forward
All of this makes us very excited about the future of Windows 10 which, like Windows 7 and Windows XP, looks set to be a success. It is vital that Microsoft gets it right given that the take-up is likely to be on OS X levels thanks to the operating system being free. The fact that the free offer is limited to one year will also hasten the number of upgrades, and it also means Microsoft must ensure the OS is as bug free and usable as possible. Given the current showing, we'd be happy to give it our vote when it's released in the summer. We only hope its promise is fulfilled.
Free For All?
We all know that Windows 10 will be a free upgrade for anyone who owns Windows 7 and Windows 8. But what we didn't know was that even those with pirated copies of Microsoft's OSs will also be able to benefit. According to Microsoft's executive vice president of operating systems, Terry Myerson, Microsoft will be "upgrading all qualified PCs, genuine and non-genuine, to Windows 10."
Microsoft seemed to confirm that in a statement that read, "Anyone with a qualified device can upgrade to Windows 10, including those with pirated copies of Windows. We believe customers over time will realise the value of properly licensing Windows and we will make it easy for them to move to legitimate copies."
Yet, in a statement to the technology website Ars Technica, Microsoft clarified the situation. It would appear that, yes, it will be possible to upgrade a pirated copy of Windows 7 or 8, but it will not mean that the licence is genuine. "With Windows 10, although non-Genuine PCs may be able to upgrade to Windows 10, the upgrade will not change the genuine state of the licence," the statement read. "If a device was considered non-genuine or mislicensed prior to the upgrade, that device will continue to be considered non-genuine or mislicensed after the upgrade."
Feeding Back
The development of Windows 10 is relying to a great extent on the Windows Insiders, a group of users who have volunteered through the Insider programme to test the operating system builds. At each step of the way, they feed back information about what works and what does not, and it helps Microsoft to get a good feel for how the final version will turn out. It should help to iron out bugs and avoid a good many of the various teething problems that a new operating system tends to have.
The programme was created to avoid the nightmare scenario that greeted the oft-panned Windows 8. Criticism of that OS was quick and the mud stuck. So more than ever, and with Linux, OS X, Android and iOS all vying for chunks of the market, it's imperative that Microsoft works its magic this time.
And while it's unlikely to start pointing the finger at those testers if there are any brickbats being thrown this time around, having people interested in road-testing Windows involved keeps them close to the project and helps to lower the opportunity for snark.
Indeed, Microsoft has done all it can to be accommodating to the testers, and with the latest build it has gone even further. It has enhanced the Windows Feedback app so feedback can be filtered and has made launching the app faster. It has also ensured that searching and submitting feedback has been improved, and it has updated the 'Your Progress' page so users can track the number of missions they have completed and see how often they have responded to feedback requests, how many feedbacks have been submitted and how many up-votes the feedback has attracted.
This approach to producing an operating system gives it a leg-up over Apple. It's not quite open source - there's no freely accessible code for anyone to just hack into, and everything is controlled and produced by Microsoft's workers - but it is tapping into the community.
With Microsoft's talent and a pooling of ideas, it's sure to create a winning OS. It's also great PR for Microsoft, which is not only showing that it listens to developers and respects ideas from outside its own four walls but is able to keep the promotional machine rolling on: every time a new build is produced, articles such as this are written to keep track. It maintains the spotlight for Windows 10, and it should mean the awareness and uptake of it will be raised as a result.
Get Involved
Are you a developer and do you want to get involved and check out the latest build? Then this is how you can get started with Windows 10.
1 You will need to sign up for the Windows Insider Programme by going to insider.windows.com. All you need is a Microsoft account. Simply read the Participation Agreement and the Privacy Statement, select your area of interest from the four options (apps or games for PCs, tablets and phones; apps for Microsoft HoloLens or company use) and then tick to accept to continue.
2 You will now be able to install the latest Windows 10 Technical Preview - in this case 10041. There is also the option of downloading and installing the Preview for phones. It's possible to install the software on multiple devices.
3 If you want to start creating an app, then you can use the universal app templates that are located under the <Language> | Windows 10 node. You can also click on How-to to view new updates, give feedback and choose how often you get a new build. The more frequent the updates, the more likely the operating system will have bugs.
4 There are other tools you can use to develop Windows Universal apps, including Visual Studio Tools for Windows 10 Technical Preview. You should also bear in mind that you need to back up everything before you install the new OS. It's not stable, and it could crash or even delete your files.