Windows 10 Update Poll

[JoshPettus]

once you got use to the crap UI windows 8.1 was fine. But by then most people had written it off as another Microsoft failure. Unlike its other true failures (vista and ME) It is fast and stable, there is no denying that. Windows 10 is most likely faster. I haven't had it long enough to give a true evaluation there, but, on first glance, I am pleased with the results. They certainly fixed the silly UI decisions. And one way or another windows 10 will work, because it has to. Microsoft is putting everything into it. This is going to be the OS that replaces 7 in the business world. It's been 6 years since win7 release and a lot of machines don't last 5.

[bnemias]

It is fast and stable, there is no denying that. Windows 10 is most likely faster.

I don't understand this though I hear it frequently. Actually, I read it frequently. The OS isn't some magic bullet that grants CPU cycles. If you compare nps of your chess engine you are not going to see any difference between different windows versions on the same hardware.

And stable... Give me a break. the NT kernel has been stable for decades. The blue screens of death you hear about are usually hardware related and often because of uncertified drivers. Yes, windows is stable. It has been for a long time. It is not an argument for the latest windows release.

If boot times are your thing, knock yourself out. (Not that you were saying that) But often people talk about stability and boot times in the same paragraph. It's hilarious.

[bnemias]

If you compare nps of your chess engine you are not going to see any difference between different windows versions on the same hardware.

I wanted to expand on this but the time window for editing has elapsed. Anyway, this isn't quite true. One thing that does matter is how much is running in the background to consume cycles at the expense of your engine. Newer windows versions are notorious for having more junk running in the background.

[carldaman]

It's hard to find any reason to want to install 10 on a desktop system. I guess if you like Cortana or the new browser or DX12... Apps are going to be a wasteland and everyone knows it. But I suppose you might have one that you can't live without.

But in general, here's what I tell people:
If you use a touch device and basically like Win8, then you will be happier with windows 8 than with windows 10.

If you are running windows 8.x and hate it because you use a keyboard + mouse, then windows 10 is better. However, windows 7 is far superior.

If you are running windows 7 and are on a keyboard + mouse, you are wasting significant effort and going through needless stress in trying to change. Stick with it.

Windows 10 is going to mine you for data and feed you ads. It's also going to force you down some MS vision of the future like it or not thanks to updates you can't disable. (Ok, paid versions don't do this, but this thread is about the gratis version) I won't use the word free... it's far far from free.

Hi Eric,

Could you please elaborate on the "paid versions that don't do this" part?
Are you saying Windows 10 is available in different versions, where some allow you to disable the forced updates?

Thanks,
CL

[bnemias]

Could you please elaborate on the "paid versions that don't do this" part?
Are you saying Windows 10 is available in different versions, where some allow you to disable the forced updates?

The paid versions just have a 3 month window for which you can defer them. Probably not terribly useful-- as far as I know even the paid versions eventually require the updates too. Sorry if I misled you.

[carldaman]

Could you please elaborate on the "paid versions that don't do this" part?
Are you saying Windows 10 is available in different versions, where some allow you to disable the forced updates?

The paid versions just have a 3 month window for which you can defer them. Probably not terribly useful-- as far as I know even the paid versions eventually require the updates too. Sorry if I misled you.

Thanks for the clarification.

Do you know if these are updates that forcibly reboot your computer out of the blue, or will the update process prompt you to reboot at a time of your own choosing?

[bnemias]

I don't know. I have read complaints by people about the process suggesting that MS doesn't cater to immediate circumstances. But it's real hard to take that as reliable data. I'm sure it will become clear in the next week or so.

[elpapa]

Do you know if these are updates that forcibly reboot your computer out of the blue, or will the update process prompt you to reboot at a time of your own choosing?

You can choose between automatic or notify. If you choose automatic the computer will reboot "when you're not using it".

[carldaman]

Do you know if these are updates that forcibly reboot your computer out of the blue, or will the update process prompt you to reboot at a time of your own choosing?

You can choose between automatic or notify. If you choose automatic the computer will reboot "when you're not using it".

That's nice to know.

And what if one has a computer disconnected from the internet and only used for engine testing and analysis, (as many here do) ?

[JoshPettus]

It is fast and stable, there is no denying that. Windows 10 is most likely faster.

I don't understand this though I hear it frequently. Actually, I read it frequently. The OS isn't some magic bullet that grants CPU cycles. If you compare nps of your chess engine you are not going to see any difference between different windows versions on the same hardware.
.

I think you misunderstand speed, which is fair as it's a rather generic term. Of course chess engines aren't going to magically play better. What they mean is it loads applications very quickly, is responsive, and able to multi-task much better. It is simply much better at resource management and able to make better use of your multicore system.

As to stability, I was talking in reference to ME and Vista which weren't stable and thus true failures as OSs as they simply weren't useable. I don't consider a poor UI necessarily unusable if it can be worked around easily. Which any problem I had could. Don't get me wrong, windows 8's design was a joke as we all know. But the inner workings of the OS were quite sound. As you say, NT was quite mature by then. And as I said windows 10 seems to have fixed that gaping flaw.