Comparing Windows 10 with Windows 8.1
Microsoft is planning to launch Windows 10 by the third quarter of this year. The rumours were live in the market that genuine users of Windows 7 and Windows 8 users including those who use Windows 8.1 will be getting a free upgrade to Windows 10 straightaway. That too without spending a single penny from your pockets. Isn’t that tempting? Microsoft claimed that they have imparted many changes in Windows 10 over Windows 8. However we are spotting nearly seven of such changes, which we found exciting and notable.
Charms Bar
Microsoft has eliminated Charms bar especially for Desktop users. With this change, the application for search has been placed over to taskbar. Eventually Settings Panel has turned out to be a Modern User Interface. The ‘Devices App’ has been removed from the new OS, but don’t worry. Users can use ‘Devices and Printers’ from the Control Panel of OS. The Windows has retained the Sharing option, but it is available only by the help of individual applications.
You could find Charms Bar coming up in Windows 8.1. But if you would like to disable this, you will have to right click the taskbar and select the menu item named ‘Properties’. There you may find a tab named ‘Navigation’. Then you have to uncheck the options in ‘Corner Navigation’ section. If you want them to be live, repeat the above mentioned steps, but finally check the boxes.
In Windows 10, you may find only one Hot Corner. The upper left corner will be set to disabled, but you can control the visibility of upper right corner. But it is already mentioned in the top that, no Charms Bar is activated in new version of Windows 10 for desktops.
Notifications
Windows 8.1 also had the facility of notifications. They include notifications that reminds of someone’s birthday or some Facebook messages. But they are just short-lived in the sense that they can’t be seen again once they get out of the sight. On the other hand Windows 10 has newly adapted notifications bar which slides down to the bottom of the screen. If you ever happened to miss them, you can have the access to then by selecting Notifications on the System clock. This will have certain other messages for us. This may include the message foe a system restart that is to be taken place at the midnight. It may be a message from Razer Synapse requesting for downloading software updates. It also remembers us about the birthday of some of our friends or reminds of rechecking of some documents before uploading them to cloud.
Windows 10 is under the build 10074, notifications panel consists of many commands. These may include a button that could turn on tablet mode. This one also consists of a shortcut button to Settings App, an easy access to Bluetooth settings. This one also has a button to turn on or off the location, another button for locking rotation. Notification bar also consists of a shortcut to VPN part in the Settings Menu.
Windows Launch Screen
The Launch Screen of Windows 10 cannot be accessed from desktop. But by clicking Start Button on the desktop, you can have access to Start Menu. This Start Menu is having lists of various applications and Live Tiles. The Tiles are designed in such a way that they are having a 3D effect due to rotation animation. This would be a greatest change that happens to Windows platform as far as desktop users are concerned.
In total there are six parts to the Start Menu of Windows 10. They are File Explorer, Most Used (Apps), Settings, Documents, All Apps Button and Power Button. The All Apps Button, may list down every application that has been installed, whether from Windows Store or manually installed by the user. In Windows 10, the view of Live Tile at the Start Menu can be expanded when it is compared to Start Screen of Windows 8/8.1.
In Windows 8.1, User Interface Applications used to take entire screen. But when it comes to Windows 10, these Modern User Interface apps, instead of taking entire screen, they glide on the desktop. Due to this Recent Apps bar is no longer moved away to the left side of the screen in desktop version. But if the users want the User Interface Applications to take up the entire screen, then can do so.
Cortana
Cortana is the popular A.I software that was used to appear on the Windows Phone. Microsoft successfully made this available on new Windows 10. Cortana is a search toll that resides next to Start Menu Button and is powered by Bing. It also contains a box for doing the task of Searching. The box can be identified by the tagline of ‘Ask Me Anything’, along with a tiny button with microphone icon on the right. Cortana will have an access to your current location, once it has been installed. It also asks for the name of the user also. Then Cortana may grab interesting update of informations like weather, local news and so on. It will also provide us the information regarding the movies that are playing nearby. It can also be used as an alternative calculator.
Microsoft claims that Cortana always keep record of user’s calendar, and help them to remind about certain important appointments, meetings and birthdays. This application also provides suggestions and also infos that are essential to one who uses it, as Cortana automatically understands what the user requires by examining the usage pattern.
Settings of Windows 10
Settings Menu in Windows 10 can be opened from the right side of the screen. It already has made a Modern UI application that can be opened on the desktop. This application has about nine sections and they include Devices, Network & Internet, System, Accounts, Personalization, Ease of Access, Update & Security, Time & Language and Ease of Access. The most important thing is that it is totally different from the control panel. Control Panel is still can be opened by clicking right on the Start Button and then selecting Control Panel from the Menu.
Virtual Desktops
This feature provides you with access to more than one desktop. The tool for this is seen near to the Search tool present on the taskbar. On clicking on this, you will be able to see every application that is eventually opened on the current desktop. If you want to have another desktop to be opened with the current one, then simply tap on the “+” sign which can be seen on the bottom right hand corner. The similar application can be seen on Linux Ubuntu also. This facility is ideal for those who uses more applications and files that cannot fit to one desktop at a time. This works perfectly when you are working on application and you want to do another task on another application. For instance if you are working on MS Word and simultaneously you want to certain tasks in Photoshop, all you have to do is to click on Windows key Plus Tab. You will be able to work on both the applications just by changing between the desktops.
Project Spartan aka Microsoft Edge
In Windows Microsoft Edge becomes the default browser. Internet Explorer 11 is still present, but still the company insists its users to have access to internet using Microsoft Edge. The new browser is swift, simple and easy to use. One of the unique features of Edge is that it permits the users to take down notes immediately on the web page itself on real time basis. It includes a pen, eraser, highlighter, text tool and a clip tool for the purpose. It is also provided with an option to automatically save these markings to the local drive. It also has an option to share these markings with your friends and other family members. This application comes in handy for the software developers in their task of software developing.
Summing Up
Even though Windows 10 promises many other changes and innovations from the earlier version, the above mentioned 7 stands apart from the rest. These changes are expected to ease the task of each and every user of Windows 10. The present users of licensed version of Windows 7, Windows 8 and 8.1 are provided with an elegant opportunity to use Windows 10 for free for the initial year. It is expected to launch by the third quarter of the year. Also Microsoft will be launching various versions of Windows 10. One must be cautious of selecting the version by considering the purpose or task for which the system is mainly used.
