Microsoft opens up about more Windows 10 preview features
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Hi there
Great in theory -- Make sure you have PLENTY OF BACKUPS for each stage of the operation.
My main concern with these sort of "Dumbed Down" one-click type of updates that IF (and WHEN) they DO fail they are invariably next to impossible to fix.
I like the idea but I hope some of the people who design this stuff have tested them out where things FAIL - from HDD being full to Internet connection broken halfway through download etc etc.
What these people should do is BE LOCKED IN A ROOM with Nothing to eat or drink until they've tested this and provided good roll back facilities in case something breaks.
I like the idea in principle but if the roll back facilities are missing there's going to be a huge extra amount of unnecessary work for people to do in fixing these computers.
Cheers
jimbo
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Some people seem to forget they're testing an ALPHA level product here.. things are going to fail.. that's the purpose of you testing it. So that (hopefully) when the final is released consumers won't have those problems.
Of course, that's likely wishful thinking, but they probably said that about a lot of things. For instance, at one point in time they probably said "It's wishful thinking that you can own a car without being your own mechanic" or "It's wishful thinking that a car could start itself" or "It's wishful thinking that cars will be able to drive themselves" and all that has either happened or is happening... sure, it might fail at first... it may even fail a lot... but eventually the problems get ironed out.
MS should:
- Abandon the idea of storing program settings in the Registry (i.e. all programs treated as portable)
- Provide a Windows Settings Import/Export tool (e.g. an xml file)
IMO, it's ironic that the Registry’s main function (DRM) even prevents MS from being able to make in-place upgrades work.
Congratulations, you've just suggested the very thing Microsoft has been doing since the invention of .net in 2001.
Ever heard of manifest files? .config files? WinRT is largely XML or JSON file based.
Even a company with Microsoft's resources can't throw away legacy code the size of Windows without years and years of slowly upgrading it.
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Just wondering how long people thank ISO's will be around. The days of what some like to refer to as clean installs are looking to become a dead issue. It would appear that Microsoft is looking to do away with install media in favor a the internet. As for businesses I am sure if necessary they will work with them with VL for install media. It just makes sense for them to do so in order to cut down on pirating of their OS, and Office software. Apple has come along way in doing just this though not quite there.
The only way I see this happening is if you had a chip with the OS on it (Like a USB drive). There are too many home built systems, SSD drives, HD drives, or people without internet, that don't come with pre-installed OS.
I think ISO or something close will be around for quite sometime.
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We get electronic updates all the time - how is this any different (other than size)
ISO aren't used to update, they can be, but it's just a file packing standard.
Electronic Software Delivery (ESD) has been around in different forms and by different names for a long time. Think Digital River (Tiramisu, a data recovery application, was my first from DR back in the 90s)
->Mr. E: I would love it if MS threw away legacy code. I'm amazed how far back Windows supports. Yeah - scrap the past and make a solid new beginning. Oh wait - they're trying to do that.
Bill
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Last edited by Slartybart; 03 Nov 2014 at 23:38.
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Some people seem to forget they're testing an ALPHA level product here.. things are going to fail.. that's the purpose of you testing it. So that (hopefully) when the final is released consumers won't have those problems.
Thank you. And it's often conveniently overlooked while at the same time bashing Microsoft.
Anyway it was written that what you see today may not be what you see in final release...
This is prerelease software
Windows Technical Preview
may be substantially modified before it’s commercially released. Microsoft makes no warranties, express or implied, with respect to the information provided here. Some product features and functionality may require additional hardware or software.
And this important note...
Important
Remember, trying out an early build like this can be risky. That's why we recommend that you don't install the preview on your primary home or business PC. Unexpected PC crashes could damage or even delete your files, so you should back up everything.
In short... Expect issues on a beta / Tech preview OS
They'd also welcome feedback...
Register for the
Windows Insider Program and help shape the future of Windows—you'll get a steady stream of builds with all the latest features and the opportunity to tell us what you think about them.
source: Download Windows Technical Preview ISO - Microsoft Windows
Don't know what else some expect of MS on a beta OS 
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Folks we chose to be the guinea pig testers.
If W-10 met the standards of a quality complete operating system Microsoft would of put a ($) in front of the (Windows 10)
and sold it to us.
Windows 10 is like any other operating system; it will never be perfect.
With our input, Microsoft ability, updates and upgrades it will get better.
Remember W-10 is not competing against W-8 but rather W-7 and that's a tough row to hoe.
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Congratulations, you've just suggested the very thing Microsoft has been doing since the invention of .net in 2001.
Ever heard of manifest files? .config files? WinRT is largely XML or JSON file based.
Even a company with Microsoft's resources can't throw away legacy code the size of Windows without years and years of slowly upgrading it.
The point is that MS brought this on themselves (slow handclap).
Before the Registry, ALL software was portable.
The Windows Servers (W2K8 & W2K8R2) we used in my Networking Course could export the setup (XML).
The W8 series can apparently export your settings to the "Cloud".
Why can't it be done locally?
So WinRT doesn’t use the Registry at all?
I wasn't aware of that.
I'm not suggesting that MS throw away legacy code.
They could create a Virtual Registry to support old code (like the Virtual Store in W7).
What you are saying is MS has spent 13 years (or more) working on this and they still can't make it more reliable.
Some people seem to forget they're testing an ALPHA level product here.. things are going to fail.. that's the purpose of you testing it. So that (hopefully) when the final is released consumers won't have those problems.
Thank you. And it's often conveniently overlooked while at the same time bashing Microsoft.
Thank you. And it's often conveniently overlooked while at the same time bashing Microsoft.
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Don't know what else some expect of MS on a beta OS
I use Windows for at least 95% of my computing.
I'm not an Apple fanboy who faces Cupertino and prays to the statue of Steve Jobs.
I don't defend MS when it makes "bonehead" decisions.
Using an update instead of an ISO has been around for years.
It has caused issues for users for the same amount of time (including W8 users too).
If you are going to throw out a system that works (clean install) and replace it with a new system (only allow in-place upgrades) it had better work.
If your great "new" idea still doesn't work after 13 years and at least 3 operating systems, maybe you should cut you losses.
MS needs W10 Final to be a success and as such it should work 100% of the time straight "out of the box".
Any system that doesn't work 100%, or at least as reliably as the rest of Windows, should be jettisoned.
If it isn't, the Internet & the mainstream media will be full of headlines like:
- "MS Screws Up Again!"
- "W10 Sucks!"
- "I swapped to a Mac and I haven't looked back."
- etc.
Last edited by lehnerus2000; 31 Oct 2014 at 20:50.
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Well let's not kid ourselves here - Microsoft could give us the Golden OS on a silver platter and people will still complain because it's Microsoft, and they didn't personally hand it out on a gold plated platter.
And I never pay attention to those sensationalistic headlines as they are nothing more than attention grabbing noise; usually with little credibility.
My two cents.
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Sure glad I went out and got that popcorn and diet Pepsi. . .it is starting. . .Microsoft you had better be reading this stuff or these people will be jumping ship to Linux or Mac OS. . .Oh wait. . .didn't they already do that over on the 8 forums. . .
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Sure glad I went out and got that popcorn and diet Pepsi. . .it is starting. . .Microsoft you had better be reading this stuff or these people will be jumping ship to Linux or Mac OS. . .Oh wait. . .didn't they already do that over on the 8 forums. . .
The one thing we know the majority of Windows users didn't do was rush out to buy W8.
Maybe MS is counting on the end of official W7 sales to force people to buy W8.
Windows 7 PC Sales to End on Friday - Windows 7 Help Forums
That said, there was a big jump in W8.1's market share (+4.3%) last month and a big drop in XP's share (-6.7%).
"Other" also gained a couple of percentage points.
It looks like MS has managed to outlast the XP holdouts.
Last edited by lehnerus2000; 01 Nov 2014 at 05:08.
Reason: Chart Added, Link Added
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