An open letter to Microsoft management re: Windows updating

Have to say I agree with this

DavidY said:

I think that one thing the Insider program is particularly bad at testing is Windows Updates.

It's a while since I've run an Insider build but my impression was always that a lot of insiders were avidly waiting for the next build, and would intentionally grab each update as soon as it was available.

Insiders will also be more likely than average users to have gone through the Settings page to tailor Active Hours, Notifications etc. around Updates.

Whereas for most W10 users in the wider world, the Update process is an unexpected event which often catches them by surprise at some inconvenient moment when they least expect it.

Notifications are getting better but for those users who don't know how to set Active Hours etc., updates can still be a major disruption which hits just when you don't want it.

And because Insiders are generally more aware of what's going on, they aren't a particularly representative set of users for this process.

Totally agree. And I think quit a few run it in a VM, which won't really flag any hardware / driver issues. I think they only really start looking at Insider build issues when it gets close to time to release the next consumer release. That's how it appears to me anyway. That's when the actual bug fixes start showing up, and the know issues list slowly shrinks.
My other pet peeve is after so many years Windows 10 still feels like an unfinished product. Fix what you have already and stop changing things just for the sake of change. Clean up the loos ends already. I'll likely get raged on for my next comment but IMHO we don't need Control Panel and Settings.

alphanumeric said:

[snip]...
My other pet peeve is after so many years Windows 10 still feels like an unfinished product. Fix what you have already and stop changing things just for the sake of change. Clean up the loos ends already.

alphanumeric said:

I'll likely get raged on for my next comment but IMHO we don't need Control Panel and Settings.

RAGE RAGE RAGE

It seems, to me anyway, they seem intent on depreciating what I do use, and continuously adding stuff I would never use. If its not depreciated its just broken so you can't use it anyway by the last Windows update.
The twice yearly feature / build update seems a bit much to me. Is 6 months really enough time to lock down a build and iron out all the kinks? Assuming they take advantage of those full 6 months.

From what I can see, most of the 6 months between releases is spent incorporating new stuff. For instance, MS seems to have put alot of time in Skype, why? The Skype that was available before MS got involved was decent, why was it ever incorporated into Win 10?

What I would like MS to do:

Step 1
1. Fix networking.
2. Fix Windows Update and allow control of when updates are applied to be up to me, the user.
3. Fix System Restore (yes, many people still like it and if it was reliable would be a good tool to recover from many problems).

Step 2
Move all the Apps into a separate, opt-in feature. I don't use any of them and have no interest in any of them. I'd be very happy to see them all disappear. If not all Apps, then separate games and Apps and make the games opt-in or allow me to opt-out.

Dream on, I know.

The repeatedly reinstalling Candy Crush etc on an "upgrade" to a new build needs to stop. I removed them for a reason, I don't need or want them. How many times do I have to say NO?
And please stop greying out the uninstall option for some of the bundled Apps. I fail to see how Movies and TV is integral to Windows 10's operation?