Windows 10 – The Desktop is Back!

January 27, 2015 David Gemma
Posted by David Gemma on

Article by Ken Rode, Director of IT Services at UNAPEN, Inc.

 

The New Windows 10

Clearly bowing to the almost complete condemnation of Windows 8/8.1 in the enterprise, Microsoft announced on September 30, 2014 the planned release of Windows 10.  This version returns to a more Windows 7 like desktop interface while also retaining the benefits offered in Windows 8/8.1. In April 2015, Microsoft is expected to provide an official release date; the current expectation is sometime late in 2015.

From what I have seen through the Technical Preview, Microsoft continues its trend in recent years of releasing a problematic operating system followed by a strong, reliable one:

  • Windows ME followed by Windows XP
  • Windows Vista followed by Windows 7
  • Windows 8/8.1 followed by Windows 10

The most egregious errors were clearly with Windows Vista and Windows 8.  While Microsoft has not specifically explained why the latest version isn’t named Windows 9, I suspect this has to do with an attempt to clearly delineate it from Windows 8/8.1.…..as they did by changing to a numbered system when replacing Windows Vista.

Microsoft Windows 10 interface
The Windows 10 interface is a return of the Desktop!

 

How It Differs from Windows 8

On August 1, 2013 I wrote a blog post here on Windows 8. At that time, my conclusion was that Windows 8 was not something I could envision our clients using on a business desktop.  I have stood by that statement and only Windows 7 desktops have been installed in our client base (other than home/personal machines).

With the restored desktop and “Start” button in Windows 10, I am very hopeful that we will be able to start rolling out a modern operating system within a year.  I will be running Windows 10 on one of my laptops here at UNAPEN and will provide a more detailed analysis of operability for the enterprise as things develop.

David Gemma is UNAPEN’s CMO and Head of New Business Development and Ken Rode is the Director of IT. 

UNAPEN, Inc. is a nationally recognized consulting and software development firm that provides software and technical consulting to the financial services industry. Visit http://unapen.com or follow on twitter @UNAPEN.  You can email David at: David.gemma@unapen.com or Connect with David on Google+