I'm a computer nerd so this is likely to be long but I'll try to make it coherent ;-)
I have multiple computers and I've upgraded to 10 on a couple to try it out. So far I'm happy with it, it has a lot of the improvements of 8 (yes there were some) without all the horrible things. A lot of the improvements are under the hood so you might not see them but they make it run smoother/faster/more securely.
That being said the best description of 10 I've seen is that it's basically 7 but polished up with some improvements.
I will answer what I can and hopefully not lead anyone astray!
The Hello feature (which logs in using a 3d print of your face) requires a special (and not widely available yet) camera. There some infrared wizardry going on to make sure it a real face as opposed to a picture. More here… (http://gizmodo.com/your-computer-probably-cant-use-one-of-windows-10s-cool-1721459061)
So, should you upgrade?
You have a year to take advantage of the free upgrade. There’s no rush. As many have said, unless you’re tech savvy and are comfortable ironing out some of the quirks wait at least a month or two before upgrading. I recommend 6 months to most of my non-tech friends.
How new is your computer? Most computers will do ok if you meet the minimum specs, but if you have older peripherals (scanners, printers cameras, etc) you may have issues getting them to play nice with the new system. Again, support may come in time as more companies make compatible drivers.
How is the OS (Operating System) you’re using now? Do you have windows 7 working perfectly? Do you have 8 and hate it? As they say if it ain’t broke… (although I would say that’s a reason not to rush into an upgrade rather than avoid it completely).
Don’t depend on the rollback system! You can roll back to your old OS for a month after installation but don’t depend on it working perfectly, backup your data!
What I’ve seen so far I really like, but I also feel that there are a LOT of privacy issues. This is the age of people not wanting to pay for things so developers are finding inventive ways to make money. There is a saying that if you're not paying for something on the internet then you are what’s being sold (meaning your information or surfing habits are probably being sold to someone).
These privacy issues are only really a problem if you don’t know how to get around them. If you have no concern about any of this you can skip the next part on how to disable all this stuff.
Opt out of info sharing for ads etc More details here (http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2015/07/30/windows-10-privacy-settings/)
Go to settings in your start menu, click on privacy and go through the 13 different screens to turn off anything you don’t like the sound of
Turn off/don’t use Cortana
Cortana is Microsoft's answer to Siri. She listens for voice commands and will act as a personal assistant for a wide variety of tasks.
If you like her and can’t live without her, more power to you, but by agreeing to Microsoft’s terms of service you give them a LOT of access to your information…
Use a local account or set up a second account for Windows.
If you use a windows phone and sync between devices or love the cloud, this might not be for you, but if you don’t use those features, there’s no reason to log in with your outlook/live account and send Microsoft all your data.
Windows Update concerns
Another controversial decision Microsoft made was to make updates mandatory. You cannot turn them off. This is good for security patches, but there are a lot of updates you may not like and now there is no choice but to take them. There is a lot of debate on this and you can look into a little further through Google if you like.
Windows will use your bandwidth to send out updates to other users. This is a file sharing system that has been used all across the internet for many years with other applications. The main issue is that it is on by default and a lot of people won’t know about it or how to turn it off. If you pay for your bandwidth, that’s a big issue. To turn it off, click on 'settings' in your start menu then 'updates and security' then ‘choose how updates are delivered’ then click the slider to off.
Full how to with pics here: http://www.redmondpie.com/how-to-turn-off-windows-10-update-delivery-optimization-feature/
I know this seems really negative but it’s hard to talk about all the good things that outweigh the bad when the good is technical and the bad things are far easier to understand.
When it comes down to it, you will have to upgrade eventually. Windows will stop supporting older operating systems (Vista ends April 11, 2017, Win7 on January 14, 2020 and Win 8 on January 10, 2023) and privacy issues are not going away or getting any more transparent.
I know I sounds a little ambiguous, but it’s hard to give a yes or no when there are so many personal factors involved.
If anyone has any questions I'm happy to lend my assistance!
I have multiple computers and I've upgraded to 10 on a couple to try it out. So far I'm happy with it, it has a lot of the improvements of 8 (yes there were some) without all the horrible things. A lot of the improvements are under the hood so you might not see them but they make it run smoother/faster/more securely.
That being said the best description of 10 I've seen is that it's basically 7 but polished up with some improvements.
I will answer what I can and hopefully not lead anyone astray!
The Hello feature (which logs in using a 3d print of your face) requires a special (and not widely available yet) camera. There some infrared wizardry going on to make sure it a real face as opposed to a picture. More here… (http://gizmodo.com/your-computer-probably-cant-use-one-of-windows-10s-cool-1721459061)
So, should you upgrade?
You have a year to take advantage of the free upgrade. There’s no rush. As many have said, unless you’re tech savvy and are comfortable ironing out some of the quirks wait at least a month or two before upgrading. I recommend 6 months to most of my non-tech friends.
How new is your computer? Most computers will do ok if you meet the minimum specs, but if you have older peripherals (scanners, printers cameras, etc) you may have issues getting them to play nice with the new system. Again, support may come in time as more companies make compatible drivers.
How is the OS (Operating System) you’re using now? Do you have windows 7 working perfectly? Do you have 8 and hate it? As they say if it ain’t broke… (although I would say that’s a reason not to rush into an upgrade rather than avoid it completely).
Don’t depend on the rollback system! You can roll back to your old OS for a month after installation but don’t depend on it working perfectly, backup your data!
What I’ve seen so far I really like, but I also feel that there are a LOT of privacy issues. This is the age of people not wanting to pay for things so developers are finding inventive ways to make money. There is a saying that if you're not paying for something on the internet then you are what’s being sold (meaning your information or surfing habits are probably being sold to someone).
These privacy issues are only really a problem if you don’t know how to get around them. If you have no concern about any of this you can skip the next part on how to disable all this stuff.
Opt out of info sharing for ads etc More details here (http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2015/07/30/windows-10-privacy-settings/)
Go to settings in your start menu, click on privacy and go through the 13 different screens to turn off anything you don’t like the sound of
Turn off/don’t use Cortana
Cortana is Microsoft's answer to Siri. She listens for voice commands and will act as a personal assistant for a wide variety of tasks.
If you like her and can’t live without her, more power to you, but by agreeing to Microsoft’s terms of service you give them a LOT of access to your information…
For me, she’s not worth that. So don’t hit agree or, if you already have and want to turn her off, follow the instructions here (http://www.windowscentral.com/how-turn-cortana-and-stop-personal-data-gathering-windows-10) to make her stop stalking you.
Use a local account or set up a second account for Windows.
If you use a windows phone and sync between devices or love the cloud, this might not be for you, but if you don’t use those features, there’s no reason to log in with your outlook/live account and send Microsoft all your data.
Windows Update concerns
Another controversial decision Microsoft made was to make updates mandatory. You cannot turn them off. This is good for security patches, but there are a lot of updates you may not like and now there is no choice but to take them. There is a lot of debate on this and you can look into a little further through Google if you like.
Windows will use your bandwidth to send out updates to other users. This is a file sharing system that has been used all across the internet for many years with other applications. The main issue is that it is on by default and a lot of people won’t know about it or how to turn it off. If you pay for your bandwidth, that’s a big issue. To turn it off, click on 'settings' in your start menu then 'updates and security' then ‘choose how updates are delivered’ then click the slider to off.
Full how to with pics here: http://www.redmondpie.com/how-to-turn-off-windows-10-update-delivery-optimization-feature/
I know this seems really negative but it’s hard to talk about all the good things that outweigh the bad when the good is technical and the bad things are far easier to understand.
When it comes down to it, you will have to upgrade eventually. Windows will stop supporting older operating systems (Vista ends April 11, 2017, Win7 on January 14, 2020 and Win 8 on January 10, 2023) and privacy issues are not going away or getting any more transparent.
I know I sounds a little ambiguous, but it’s hard to give a yes or no when there are so many personal factors involved.
If anyone has any questions I'm happy to lend my assistance!
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Plus usually it's a human error when these things go wrong and people are tracked, that's how The Silk Road was brought down. If you're going to truly be anonymous and untraceable it's a LOT of work.
