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What's in a number?

Some of you may have noticed that Windows 7 expired in January 2020; the only option now is to upgrade to Windows 10, if you want to stay on that platform and receive security updates. So what's better or worse about 10?

The Pros:

• Longevity. It is meant to be Microsoft's ongoing operating system, meaning it will receive feature updates, but not actually change to a new version. In practical day-to-day terms this doesn't mean much, but may result in more software compatibility long-term.
• Security. It is more secure than Windows 7, which is a good thing going forward, as the internet takes over more aspects of our day-to-day lives.
• Hardware support. This is one great thing Windows 10 has going for it. I've installed it on systems that were 15 years old, and it worked just fine. It has perhaps the broadest hardware coverage of any operating system in existence, meaning that it runs on more computers than anything else.

The cons:

• The updates. Windows 10 has a history of updates accidentally knocking out wifi and various other issues. Most users are not affected, but there simply isn't the quality control for updates that we've seen in previous versions of Windows, yet. There are some signs that Microsoft are starting to take notice of this, but after 4 years of development, they're a bit late in catching up.
• Performance. By default it installs a lot of unnecessary applications and background processes, which consume memory and processing power.
• Look and feel. For anyone used to previous versions of Windows, the default experience can be rather befuddling. The 'flat look', as it is now called, gives little indication to users about which things do what actions.
• Telemetry ie. spying. Microsoft, following in the footsteps of Google and Facebook, now gathers data about user activities (supposedly anonymously) on a hitherto unprecedented scale.

Luckily all the 'cons' above are fixable. I've written in previous articles about how to disable telemetry and improve the look and feel of Windows 10. But there are a lot of other ways to improve the performance, and you can delay updates so that you only get them once they've been more thoroughly tested. The latter is a bit technical and beyond the scope of an article. But if you don't want Windows 10, what are your options? Well if you've got the money, don't need any windows-specific software and you're happy to learn something different, you could buy a Mac. But if you want to stick with your existing computer, and all you do is browse the internet, check your email and send the occasional photo someone's way, cross-grading to Linux isn't a bad option. Linux doesn't have the cons listed above and is very stable, but it might take some getting used to. If you need specific software such as Microsoft Office, the Linux-based equivalents may or may not meet your needs, and it's also possible that some of your hardware and printers may not be supported.

How do you know what version of Windows you have? Have a look in the bottom left corner of the screen and compare with the following table:

	Windows 10 (you're fine)
	Windows 8 (expires 2023)
	Windows 7 (expired 2020)
	Windows Vista (expired 2017)
	Windows XP (expired 2014)

Microsoft, for some reason, skipped a version 9 of Windows. Yes, all this stuff is confusing. But Microsoft, as perplexing as they are, are just trying to make a buck like everyone else. I occasionally wish that it wasn't so often at the consumer's expense, however.

- Matt Bentley, computer expert at Bentley Home PC Support.
Email info@homepcsupport.co.nz or phone 0211348576.

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