I’ve a confession to make. I’m the only person I know who actually likes Windows 8 and its successor, 8.1. Everyone I’ve met hates them.
They bemoan the loss of the familiar start menu. They bristle at the hiding of their beloved desktop behind a confusing wall of live app “tiles”. And don’t even get them started on the subject of how a simple operation like powering off their computer now involves a tortuous, multi-stage journey through the loathed charms bar.
If you’re one of those disgruntled people, I’ve got some good news. On Wednesday Microsoft launched the latest version of its operating system, Windows 10, worldwide.
Thanks in part to feedback from virtually millions of beta testers over the past year or so, Microsoft has managed the tricky feat of incorporating the best bits of 8 while ditching its more annoying features.
Windows 10 is like a souped up hybrid of Windows 7 and Windows 8.
If you’ve been wondering whether you should upgrade, here are 10 reasons you should.
1 – It’s free
Well, not for everyone. But if you own a legally bought version of Windows 7, 8 or 8.1, Windows 10 is a gratis upgrade, provided you get it within a year of launch. It will also come free with most new Windows PCs and laptops from this week, but be sure to ask about this before you buy.
2 – It’s easy to get
It’s a 3GB download, but if you have Windows 8.1 with automatic updates enabled, Windows 10 may already have been downloading quietly in the background and should load fairly quickly when you choose to upgrade.
If you have a slow internet connection or don’t want to flatten your data cap with a big download, big tech retailers like Incredible Connection will install it for you for free.
3 – The start menu is back
And it’s better than ever, blending the best elements of the traditional start menu and Windows 8. There’s a list of programs on the left, with a shrunk version of the tiles menu on the right.
Not only does it show recently used apps, but hover your mouse over an app and you’ll see a list of recent files or documents opened in that app.
4 – The charms bar is gone
It’s been replaced with a much more useful notification hub or Action Centre as Windows calls it. It’s where you can monitor all your notifications from apps like Twitter, Facebook and e-mail, as well as edit how and when you want to receive them.
A really cool feature of the hub is that it will sync across all your Windows devices, so if, for example, you dismiss an alert on your PC, it’ll disappear from your tablet and phone.
5 – Play Xbox games on your PC
If you own an Xbox One gaming console, you’ll now be able to play its games on any Windows 10 device. So when Dad comes home and wants to watch the news, junior doesn’t have to log out of Far Cry 4. She can simply decamp to her room and carry on playing on her laptop.
6 – Easier updates
If you have more than one Windows device in your household you’ll know what a schlep updates can be. With Windows 10, automatic updates will be compulsory.
But you’ll be able to nominate one device to do the heavy lifting and then “seed” the update over the home network to the other devices, so you only have to download the update once.
7 – Multi-task like a pro
For those who don’t know how to see which apps are running in the background and switch between them using the Alt-Tab keyboard combination, Windows 10’s revamped task switcher offers bigger thumbnails as well a task view icon in the taskbar.
8 – Edge-ier web browsing
In an effort to take on nimbler, newer competitors like Chrome and Firefox, Microsoft has banished its bloated and dated Internet Explorer browser from the start screen, replacing it with a leaner, faster browser called Edge.
IE is still there, but you have to dig deeper into Windows 10’s innards to find it.
9 – Appy days
Microsoft plans to have versions of Windows 10 working across all its devices over the next three years.
One important step in this direction is a single app store. Buy any app and it will immediately become available on your other Windows devices at no extra charge.
And good news for South African Windows users is that you’ll be able to buy apps by billing your Vodacom or MTN account, a boon for those unable or reluctant to use a credit card online.
But wait, that’s only nine reasons. Well spotted. I don’t know where that extra reason went, but if I had to guess I’d say it’s gone to the same place as Windows 9 and the Xboxes Two to 359.
Follow Alan Cooper on Twitter @alanqcooper