My thoughts on Windows 10: Chapter One

My thoughts on Windows 10: Chapter One

I’ve been keeping up on the news regarding Windows 10 and so far I haven’t been really impressed. One of the things I dislike about it is the fact that you can’t turn off Windows Update unless you have the business version of the OS. This could get annoying if you’re writing a document, working on a project, chatting, playing a game etc as there seems to be no way to postpone the process.

Another problem is datacaps and internet connections in rural areas as people are finding out.

Consumer groups have slammed Microsoft for its policy of forced updates for Windows 10, which is hitting customers in remote locations with massive bill shocks by blowing out their data caps.

But they warn bill shock may affect many more customers, regardless of where they are located. And, with many customers yet to receive their monthly internet bills, the full extent of the problem may not yet be apparent.

Maureen Hilyard, an internet user in the Cook Islands, an autonomous region associated with New Zealand, claims she faces a bill as much as $NZ600 ($A532) for the month of August, thanks to Windows 10 automatic updates.

I’ve never even thought about this before. But because of the way Microsoft wants to roll out updates now, it’s pretty much mandatory to have an internet connection and a good one at that. Why? With Linux and older versions of Windows this wasn’t a requirement, and I don’t see how Microsoft can think this will be a good idea. I’ve been having customers ask me about Windows 10 and so far everything that I’ve told them about has made them either stick with older versions of Windows, or contemplate getting a tablet or switching to Mac, and in semi-rare cases consider Linux.

I remember when they rolled out the XBox One it was supposed to be an online 24/7 console, and if you lost the internet connection you wouldn’t be able to play any of your games. I also remember they got enough flak for that decision. Microsoft has to get it together and realize that yes we have the technology and the internet connections to pull this off, but people don’t always have the access or the money to make it work.