Windows 10

Let’s admit it. We all loved Windows 7. It was refreshing after the Vista failure. When Windows 8 launched in 2012, the concept was brilliant, but the execution was disastrous. Microsoft tried to hybridize the PC and tablet experiences into one, but eventually diluted both. The UI looked alien, cluttered with detail, and excruciatingly painful to use on touchless devices. Many decided to stick to Windows 7, and those who did move to Windows 8 (a mere 12%) were not completely satisfied with the new experience.

Fast forward 2 years. Microsoft, out of the blue (pun intended) decides to release the preview to the next version of Windows. Funnily enough, Microsoft was off by one in naming the next Windows. Why not Windows 9, you ask? Remember Windows 95 and 98? Apparently, naming Windows as 9 would have resulted in a clash in the code written for that legacy software and that for the new version and potentially lead to big problems for developers.

Moving to the important topic, what’s new with Windows 10? I’d call it the only “Hybrid” you would ever want. It removes most of the problems that Windows 8 had and exemplifies what Windows 8 should have been.

It needed to improve the PC experience and it definitely does that. Windows could not be resized as needed on PCs and only 3 windows could be snapped together side-by-side. But in Windows 10, not only can you resize every app as required but also snap four apps in a quadrant kind of view. Also multiple desktops like the ones seen on OS X and Ubuntu are supported to provide more workspaces. There’s also a new overview that’s called “Taskview”.

Back from exile, the start menu also features healthy additions in the form of 7-like vertically stacked recently used apps and also a custom space for pinned apps and social feeds in the form of live tiles.  

There is also a special provision for the hybrids like the surface family. While the keyboard is attached, the device operates in desktop mode. But when the keyboard is snapped off, the device prompts the user to turn on tablet mode. This brings up a new look version of the Windows 8 Modern UI which look much better suited for tablets than how Windows 8 was. 

Microsoft has created this platform for all its devices, so they will be sharing the same application store and other Microsoft programs. The UI will be tweaked to give the best experience (in Microsoft's mind) for each style of device. So desktops will get a more mouse and keyboard friendly interface while the phones and tablets will get a more touch oriented interface.
  
Signing off, Windows 10 is the brilliant revision Windows 8 was supposed to be and is the true successor of Windows 7. Having said all this, keep in mind that this is still only a preview.