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#221
In the end I did drop out of the insider program.
My system is in serious need of reload, it really is limping along I'm thinking I may just go RTM from my MSDN account and keep insider in a VM.
I will go for RTM its better than my previous 8.1.. it has a lot of changes... :)
Where is the option to drop out or stay an insider? I upgraded my 8.1 Pro and after the upgrade was completed I used the Microsoft media tool to get the iso file. I then did a clean install using Rufus. Win 10 Pro has activated. I plan on opting out of the insider program on my main machine but don't see an option to do either.
I will probably tick don't know, I still haven't got 10, apart from the last preview still in my VM. I can't concentrate on 10 at the moment got too much else on my mind at present to worry whether I get the latest OS on launch day.
For now, I'm staying with Windows 7. My testing with Windows 10 has shown me that there's nothing it does to improve my daily use of the OS, and that there are things which it does to reduce the efficiency of my use of the OS. For example, the start menu, whose organization isn't as convenient as the Win 7 start menu.
And the search bar on Windows 10, as far as I've seen, cannot be moved into the start menu, and so it takes up space on the taskbar, even when it's reduced to an icon. There's no logic to having a separate popup for the search box when its box could be part of the start menu pop up. The search icon takes up space on the taskbar, when one icon can comfortably house both the start menu and the search bar.
And then there's the flat, bland Windows 10 visual design. While some people like the new design, others are very put off by it. I'm one of those who are put off by it. I simply cannot last in that environment for a prolonged period of time. Coming back to Windows 7 after using Windows 10 for just a month felt sooo refreshing - and I hadn't been expecting it to. The harsh, rigid, and ultra-sparse visual design of Windows 10 is just taxing on my concentration. By being so visually harsh, it's all too noticeable in whatever I'm doing.
Also, I was still experiencing many bugs in the 10166 build of Windows 10 that I last was using. Windows 7 is just about impenetrably solid. I do not want to move from one ultra stable OS to one that will still be having its bugs ironed out for the next while. Not to mention that there are still features yet to appear in Windows 10, and they will bring bugs with them, as well. Microsoft decided this was the time they wanted Windows 10 out by, but I think it isn't ready for prime time. In an OS, ready for prime time should mean bugs are a rarity, that most users don't encounter. I was finding them regularly in 1066, even multiple times a day.
Virtual Desktops has turned out to be a big disappointment for me. They aren't virtual desktops at all, but virtual taskbars and window setups. The spaces created have absolutely nothing to do with the desktop, and do not allow for custom organization of the desktop. Calling it Virtual Desktops is a misnomer - they're simply separate app window environments. I was excited for virtual desktops so that I could create unique spaces for my desktop icons and folders, which my one screen space is flooded with. I would love to have my default desktop clean, while when I work on a particular subject, I move to the desktop that hosts all its program icons, text files, audio files, and so on. THAT would be virtual desktops. What Windows 10 does is not virtual desktops, and what it does, I find very disappointing. I hope that Microsoft will tackle this discrepancy with future feature expansion, giving Windows 10 true virtual desktops.
Looking at how Windows 7 and 10 compare within the context of my daily, content-creator, power-user usage, Windows 7 has better features (start menu design and searchbar location), and better visual design (which makes it a superior work and creativity environment). And Windows 7 has better program compatibility, and is more stable and reliable.
Therefore, Windows 7 is the better OS for me at this point. I don't wish that Windows 10 were a step backwards in user convenience for me, but that's just the way that is truly is at this point.