A look at Windows 10, Microsoft’s latest operating system
IF YOU’RE over a certain age, it’s likely that you remember playing Solitaire, Minesweeper. Hearts, or FreeCell. As few of the first games available on Windows PCs, at a time when computers were finally being accepted as a mainstream office tool, those games were responsible for wasting countless worker hours all over the world.
They weren’t simply included for entertainment, however. Microsoft packaged the games in the third iteration of Windows as a sneaky way of training users how to use the mouse.
Before this era, many computer users were still used to the command-line input way of doing things. Solitaire taught them how to drag and drop. Minesweeper taught precision, as well as how to use the left click and right click.
Nowadays, it’s nearly impossible to find a person who doesn’t have these skills, much less someone who can run a command line. It’s one example of how Microsoft changed the world with its Windows operating system.
Moving forward, Microsoft is drawing from this history of game-changing innovations to offer the consumer the latest iteration of Windows in Windows 10. Promising new computers improved start-up time (up to 28% faster), builtin security and trusted apps, Windows 10 was announced on Sept. 30, and is the company’s present flagship operating system.
Windows 10 was designed to bring together all Windows platforms across multiple devices, including the Windows phones and tablets. Universal apps can be downloaded from the Windows Store, and can be run on all Windows devices seamlessly.
Security-wise, Microsoft vowed that Windows 10 is the most secure Windows ever built, with comprehensive end to end security that covers antivirus, firewall, internet protections, and more. This means more security features, dashboard displays, and ongoing updates to help safeguard against future threats — all built-in at no extra cost.
Other interesting features of the system include the ability to switch between a keyboard and mouse mode and a tablet mode, in synergy with Microsoft’s other products like the Surface Pro 3 with a detachable keyboard.
The latest update of Windows 10, released at the end of April this year, promises to do a lot more, introducing new features like Timeline, Focus Assist and Windows Mixed Reality.
“We’ve all had the experience of digging through e-mail or file folders for the document you know you wrote, but just can’t find. Or looking for photos and videos that you know you’ve seen and love, but can no longer locate,” Microsoft writes on its Windows 10 blog.
“Timeline can help you get back this wasted time, by helping you easily find what matters to you across your devices. Timeline lets you go back in time to past activities you’ve worked on across your devices, so you can jump back into them like you never left. So, if you’re looking for a specific document, image, or video you worked on yesterday or a week ago, Timeline makes it even easier to find what you’re looking for. You can even pick up what you were doing on your iOS or Android device on your Windows 10 PC when you’re ready to get back to it.”
Focus Assist, meanwhile, attempts to help users get more done by blocking notifications, sounds, and alerts to create distraction-free work times. The feature gives users the flexibility to choose when to block interruptions, create a priority list of exceptions, as well as a summary of notifications and alerts that appears on screen after Focus Assist is lifted.
Windows is also moving into virtual reality with the launch of Windows Mixed Reality for SteamVR. In the Microsoft’s latest update, the company has further improved integration with haptic motion controller feedback, and improved the user experience of taking photos of their mixed reality experiences. The feature is a snapshot of what personal computing will look like in the future.