New Windows opening soon

Later this year, the company will roll out Windows 10. Could this version finally achieve what Microsoft set out to do in 2012?

– Integrated menu

Microsoft’s commitment to getting it right this time shows up even in the new OS’s name; the firm skipped “Windows 9” entirely in naming the new system. While some people in the computing industry have speculated that this could be for technical reasons related to software version checking, there is no doubt that the big one-zero represents a break from past mistakes. So, what can new users expect?

One big change in the new version of Windows may be the integrated menu. The biggest complaint about Windows 8 was that the “start” menu had disappeared. In Windows 7 and previous versions, start was the menu that showed your most commonly used programs when you clicked the “start” button. People really missed it in Windows 8.

Microsoft reintroduced the start button in Windows 8.1, but the menu was still AWOL. Windows 10 reintroduces the start menu properly, setting it alongside the tablet-style “Live Tiles” interface, which has become a trademark of Windows 8.

The start menu may bring back an old feature, but Windows 10 also introduces some completely new ones. One such feature is virtual desktops. This feature, which has been in the Mac OS and in some versions of Linux for several years now, creates “ghost” desktops, which you can choose depending on your immediate needs. Each desktop can have its own configuration of apps and Windows, which will help to reduce screen clutter because you don’t have to fit everything on one desktop. You might want one virtual desktop for work, for example, and another for when you get home at the end of the day.

– Cortana

Microsoft has leapfrogged Apple in one area: personal software assistants. Cortana, the company’s software assistant program, has been available for the mobile phone version of Windows (Windows Phone) for a while. Similar to Apple’s Siri, Cortana uses cloud computing to understand what you say to it and then provide help on everything from web searches to reminders – and even making phone calls.

In Windows 10, Microsoft is bringing Cortana to the PC. Cortana will be able to help you send emails (you can dictate them and tell Cortana who to send them to), find files and carry out other PC-based tasks on command. Cortana on the PC also will integrate with Microsoft’s Maps application to help you remember where you parked your car, for example.

– Spartan

Cortana also is embedded in Spartan, the new web browser included in Windows 10. This feature has some useful functionality, including the automatic delivery of extra information about a website. For example, when you search for a restaurant, Cortana will provide a menu and opening hours.

Other features in Spartan include the ability to make collaborative notes on websites with other members of your team, either using a keyboard or, on enabled devices, a stylus.

Spartan features native support for PDFs, which will make those files easier to read and annotate directly in the browser. Spartan also will contain a reading list that will enable you to save online articles for reading later offline, directly in the browser.

– Universal apps

Spartan will be one of several “universal apps” in Windows 10. That means the same software will run on Windows 10-enabled devices of any format, from your phone through to your desktop PC. This feature is a marked change from the past, when applications were written differently, depending upon the corresponding device. Spartan should provide a consistent experience across Windows 10 hardware.

Microsoft Office for Windows 10 will be an important part of the universal apps base. The OS will be fully touch-enabled, unlike Office 2013, which featured some touch functionality, but still was effectively a PC-focused office suite. Microsoft promises an experience so seamless that you will be able to review and mark up documents, even on a Windows 10-enabled phone.

Windows 10 will have another feature designed to help with that seamless transition between devices. Called Continuum, this new feature will offer you content in a format appropriate for the device you are using and in the mode in which you are using it. So, if you are using a hybrid tablet/laptop device, such as Microsoft’s Surface Pro, content will display differently depending upon whether the keyboard is attached (as a laptop) or detached (as a tablet).

Continuum will solve one of the biggest problems for Windows 8, which is that the OS didn’t really know whether it was a tablet system or a laptop system, and thus presented a confusing interface to tablet and desktop users alike. Now, hopefully, Windows 10 can be whatever type of OS you need, depending upon the device you are using.

– A smoother experience

Finally, one of the most important things about Windows 10 is that its software will update itself behind the scenes and on the fly. This function finally will do away with those annoying OS messages informing you that Windows was going to update and, in some cases, leaving you no choice but to quit all the work you were doing so that your device could restart.

Microsoft will make the Windows 10 OS available as a free upgrade for a year after launch. Clearly, the company wants to usher as many people as possible forward from the dark days of Windows 8, and provide a fresh start for Windows users.

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