What are the best features of Windows 10?

[gnome]

"Cast to Device" works tons better than going through stupid Windows Media Center.

As a result, I don't need to run wires from my computer across the room to my TV if I want to play a downloaded movie file or something.

 

[Modified]

I can definitely see the advantage if you need to switch between one application and the simultaneous display of several applications. You're right, though that that doesn't apply to me.

Thank you. You are the first person to ever demonstrate that the idea has utility, albeit one that is inapplicable in my case.

You never want to use an application while reading associated documentation or instructions in a browser? You never copy data back and forth between applications or an application and the command line?

Generally I get by with two physical screens, but in the old days I used to use virtual desktops.

 

[Yalius]

Here's my personal list:

Outstanding network resource location and autoconfiguration: NAS, media servers, DLNA devices, printers, WMP targets, all located and configured automatically.

Network stack performance: Data transfers at near maximum theoretical, well over 100MB/sec. Apparently near zero performance overhead from the network stack.

Excellent multimonitor support: independent taskbar on each additional monitor, improved DPI scaling, multiple wallpaper support.

Flexible window positioning with multiple options per display.

Extremely good Remote Desktop server that supports dynamic resolution changes with very good performance.

 

[Squeegee Beckenheim]

You never want to use an application while reading associated documentation or instructions in a browser? You never copy data back and forth between applications or an application and the command line?

Seems like either having the two applications side by side or switching between them with ALT + Tab would be more efficient than switching between desktops, for both of those things.

 

[Greebo]

One of the things I like best is that I still can't find the file I'm looking for - but with much greater ease.

 

[commandlinegamer]

Can you explain what's beneficial about having those programs on a different virtual desktop?

If you've ten programs open but only three are currently in use for whatever task you have in hand, alt-tab might take a while to get to the app you currently want to access.

On a virtual desktop I can still use alt-tab to cycle between only programs that are open on that particular desktop so it's not bringing up stuff I don't need at that precise moment.

Ultimately it's a conceptual thing. I've used it for nearly twenty years; it's what I'm comfortable with. I use a taskbar as well, but again, that's for switching between windows on one virtual desktop.

It strikes me that the Windows 10 implementation is not helping matters by having you click the task view button and only then showing the pager (the small preview of the desktops).

 

[Squeegee Beckenheim]

If you've ten programs open but only three are currently in use for whatever task you have in hand, alt-tab might take a while to get to the app you currently want to access.

But ALT + Tab cycles through the most recently used programs first, so if those are the three you're using, those are the three it will cycle through.

 

[elgarak]

One of the things I like best is that I still can't find the file I'm looking for - but with much greater ease.

Here's the thing I always say: The Windows Explorer and Mac's Finder are very appropriately named.

The Explorer allows to to easily navigate anywhere in your file system and explore anything you might find in great detail. But it's rather limited to easily find the one file you need right now.

The Finder, OTOH, finds always what you need. But it doesn't allow you, without obstacles, to go anywhere you want, or allows you to tell the details a system developer needs -- it tells you just enough for "average joe" types.

 

[Modified]

Seems like either having the two applications side by side or switching between them with ALT + Tab would be more efficient than switching between desktops, for both of those things.

Right, for each major task I'm working on, I may have two or three windows visible on the desktop at once, and possibly a few more in waiting. Those windows may be fully visible, I may leave just enough showing so I can switch quickly by clicking on the window, or there may be some combination of the two. Mixing major tasks on one window/desktop makes switching between them time consuming.

The various panes, menus, etc. for each application you use are generally grouped into a single window for convenience and efficiency. Just think of the collection of applications for each major task as a single application.

 

[Squeegee Beckenheim]

Right, for each major task I'm working on, I may have two or three windows visible on the desktop at once, and possibly a few more in waiting.

As I said above, I can see the utility if you need more than one application visible at a time and want to switch between different sets.

I do understand that. But, for myself, when I'm doing something that involves more than one application, it's a decided disadvantage for any of them not to be fullscreen. So I personally would gain nothing from that.

 

[Modified]

I do understand that. But, for myself, when I'm doing something that involves more than one application, it's a decided disadvantage for any of them not to be fullscreen. So I personally would gain nothing from that.

I think it's probably just your mindset rather than it being a disadvantage, unless you have a small screen. Reading documentation etc. related to another application you're using is one obvious example most people would encounter. Word processing would be another, where you are typically pasting things in from an image editor, spreadsheet, etc.

 

[Squeegee Beckenheim]

I think it's probably just your mindset rather than it being a disadvantage, unless you have a small screen.

I think it's more the nature of what I'm doing. If I am, for example, drawing or editing photos, then I'm going to want as much screen space as possible devoted to the area on which I can draw. If I'm writing music, I'm going to want to see as much of as many tracks as possible simultaneously, and if I have to edit samples precisely I'm going to want to be able to make very small distinctions. And if I want to switch between different programs to do that (assuming that the additional editing, etc. programs can't be used as a plug-in, as many can), then I'm going to want them to be fullscreen, as well.

Reading documentation etc. related to another application you're using is one obvious example most people would encounter. Word processing would be another, where you are typically pasting things in from an image editor, spreadsheet, etc.

Both of those seem to me to be something that would be relatively infrequent and much better suited to switching back and forth than to having each program permanently taking up only a half or a quarter of the screen.

 

[Modified]

Both of those seem to me to be something that would be relatively infrequent and much better suited to switching back and forth than to having each program permanently taking up only a half or a quarter of the screen.

Read step 1 for how to do something.
Switch to application and do step 1.
Switch back to documentation.
Repeat for steps 2 through 20.

The whole point of having two 30 inch screens is that I don't need a whole screen for most applications.

 

[Squeegee Beckenheim]

Read step 1 for how to do something.
Switch to application and do step 1.
Switch back to documentation.
Repeat for steps 2 through 20.

Read step 1 for how to do something.
Do it on application.
Read step 2 for how to do something.
Do it on application.
Read step 3 for how to do something.
Do it on application.
Read final step for how to do something.
Do it on application.
Continue to use application in half-screen mode for the next seven hours with now-not-being-used manual taking up the other half of the screen.

The whole point of having two 30 inch screens is that I don't need a whole screen for most applications.

Good for you. I've explained why fullscreen is valuable for me.

And two screens is a different set-up than 1 screen with 2 virtual desktops.

 

[Beelzebuddy]

Are you talking about virtual desktops or virtual reality.?

The former has been around a long time on Unix and Linux desktops, but only recently has been built-in to Windows (third-party solutions were previously available).

You can of course just use the taskbar to manage your open programs, but I prefer virtual desktops as they allow me to group windows specific to a particular job I'm doing.

One desktop might have a browser in it, another a data recovery task, another photoediting tools, etc. And I've used them for almost as long as I've used PCs.

I wasn't sure what he meant, so I googled "virtual desktop windows 10," and there's a VR application called Virtual Desktop, so I went with that.

But it does sound like he's talking about Linux-style workspaces, in which case it's good to hear Windows 10 is finally catching up to the late nineties. What's next on the list, bash support-oh.

But yeah, workspaces/virtual desktops are about organization. At any given point in time I might have six different terminals open and pointing to different arcane subdirectories, and dozens to hundreds of open windows depending on how heavily I'm using certain programs. Segregating them into different workspaces based on application makes navigation much easier, whatever method you prefer for it.

 

[paulhutch]

Yes, I understand that. That's part of why I upgraded. I'm talking more about applications and features.

OK, wish you'd mentioned that you were discounting that big feature before I took the time to write up a reply. Sorry I tried to help.

 

[Dancing David]

Yes, I understand that. That's part of why I upgraded. I'm talking more about applications and features.

Well, that will vary by user experience. Some will like them and some won't, some of the Window store apps are useful, others are dreadful.

Like the Mango signage app is cool.....

Main benefit is that it runs faster that the uber patched Windows 7

 

[Squeegee Beckenheim]

Well, that will vary by user experience. Some will like them and some won't, some of the Window store apps are useful, others are dreadful.

Well, this is why I ask - since my copy is a few days old almost everybody who has it has a lot more experience with it than I do. I think it's worth getting suggestions for things to try from people who have been using it for a while.

Sure, not everything will be for me, but I though I was more likely to get a sensible answer from talking to real people when I could start by saying what I wasn't interested in than I did from endless "10 best features of Windows 10" articles which seem to be 99% "you can sync your OneDrive (which I don't have and don't want) to your Android phone (which I don't have and don't want) really easily!"

 

[Squeegee Beckenheim]

OK, wish you'd mentioned that you were discounting that big feature before I took the time to write up a reply. Sorry I tried to help.

Well, I don't mean to be rude, but I spent a fair bit of time in the OP explaining the kind of things that I was talking about, and specifically said that I was looking to find out about things that I could try. Your post didn't address that at all.

 

[baron]

I won't be moving voluntarily to Windows 10 until Microsoft start to respect their customers and implement a fair and reasonable Windows Update policy that allow professionals to use their machines without fear they will go into meltdown as a result of the most recent morass of bloated, buggy, pointless code forced upon them by Microsoft. If they fail to do that before I actually need to make the move then I'll block the Windows update servers via the router and have done with the whole process.