The Windows 10 Review: The Old & New Face of Windows
by Brett Howse on August 25, 2015 8:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Operating Systems
- Microsoft
- Windows 10
Windows Insider Program
Certainly one of the biggest testing programs around was the Windows Insider Program, which was launched when Windows 10 was first unveiled in September 2014. It has allowed a huge number of people to test and guide the development of Windows 10, and it has been so successful that Microsoft has no intention of stopping the program now.
People will be able to opt into the Insider program from within Windows Update, where you can set your machine to get updates from the Fast or Slow rings. This will give you pre-release access to new features coming to Windows 10, such as browser extensions in Edge. At last count, there were over six million registered people in the Windows Insider program, which is going to cover a pretty diverse range of devices and configurations. They will also be looking for feedback on the changes in order to shape the end product.
The Insider program gave us a glimpse into the building of Windows 10 to the level that we have never seen before, and those in the fast ring would often get updates with known issues. If you are the kind of person who wants bleeding edge, it is still going to be available, but for those that just need their computer to work, it’s likely best to wait for the end product.
Just to give a brief summary of being in the Windows Insider program from day one, it was pretty fascinating to see the different builds of Windows 10 come along, all with new tweaks and changes. Some would be good, and some would be bad, and the product really did evolve in front of my eyes. It was a pretty great experience, although certainly not for the faint of heart. There were plenty of times where my system would be almost unusable when a new build came along, and although I expect that will taper off with the post-release Insider program, it was pretty interesting to see Windows 10 built like this. In fact, only a couple of months before launch I was certain there was no way they could launch in July with the outstanding bugs in Windows 10. Although not every bug was squashed for release, most of them were. Once the launch feature set was complete and they switched to tuning the experience, Windows 10 really started to settle down and get stable.
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StevoLincolnite - Tuesday, August 25, 2015 - link
FINALLY! And First. :Pwebmastir - Tuesday, August 25, 2015 - link
Typical YouTube user.dsumanik - Tuesday, August 25, 2015 - link
Would just like to say this is the first Non garbage pseudo viral marketing advertisement "review" I've read on Anandtech in months. Well done sir.Please pass on some editorial tips to Joshua Ho and Brandon Chester, imho, the two most corrupt authors working for this publication.
kenansadhu - Wednesday, August 26, 2015 - link
Came to a house and insult the owner. Classy.ddriver - Wednesday, August 26, 2015 - link
If truth is insulting to the owner, he outta stop and think about what he is doing.Windows 10 is the worlds largest and most obnoxious spyware, and it just sucks to see how many people are getting paid to shower it with accolades.
quidpro - Tuesday, September 1, 2015 - link
MS is allowed to compete with Google, Apple, and Facebook, or anything else you may have account for and are willing to sign in with which adds convenience of syncing of personal info across devices. To lambaste MS for playing catch-up is ridiculous. A keyboard on an android phone or iphone "tracks your keypresses". It has to. You can't have GPS and turn by turn worth having without allowing a service know where you are or where you intend to go. You can't have your contacts pulled down across devices unless you allow for access to your data. You can't get from one website to another without divulging your IP. This is the way things are. These are the services people want to make their lives easier and better. Windows 10 isn't the most obnoxious, it's just late to the game. As is your criticism.ibudic1 - Saturday, November 7, 2015 - link
dittobs grinder - Tuesday, December 26, 2017 - link
how many pieces of silver does ms pay u for ur quid pro bs????john rayburn Williamsburg nm
Lerianis - Thursday, October 1, 2015 - link
ddriver, cut the bull. Windows 10 tells you EVERY SINGLE THING that it will send back to Microsoft and allows you to opt-out or turn off the functionality that requires that stuff being sent back to Microsoft.Not a big issue in the real world and it is past time to realize that Windows 10 is not spyware anymore than OSX or Linux are.
zman58 - Thursday, October 15, 2015 - link
You are dreaming, you have no idea what is or could be gathered and sent at any point in time. Read the EULA, you agree and bless whatever they decide to collect and send for whatever reason they see fit. And you give up far more than that when you click "I agree".