AfterDawn: Tech news

Microsoft is working on a major design update for Windows

Written by Matti Robinson @ 28 Nov 2016 12:05 User comments (14)

Microsoft is working on a major design update for Windows

Windows 10 has been largely a success for the Redmond giant but there's still work to do. The company is obviously trying to figure out how to lure all the remaining Windows 8 users to the new version and especially trying to stop people choosing macOS over Windows.
The newest rumor has it that Microsoft has a secretive Project NEON in development that will bring some wanted flair to Windows 10. Behind the codename is said to be a design update that will make Windows 10 more streamlined.

Released perhaps with the Redstone 3 update in early Fall 2017, the NEON update will bring new design elements in play. Cassim Ketfi at Numerama.com has called it even "Metro 2," which is to say that it'll bring smoother transitions and more motion in the rather flat UI.

One can only hope that there's been a lot of development if Metro indeed would be the starting point, as it brought a lot of grief for Windows 8 users. Thankfully sources tell that the update has been in the works for over a year and thus doesn't seem like Microsoft would just backpedal to Metro.



There's still plenty of time until the rumored update will see the light of the day officially but you can be sure to see more leaks about this one in the upcoming six months.

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14 user comments

128.11.2016 15:47

I reluctantly upgraded to win 10 and have regretted it ever since. I have had nothing but one problem after another. while some people like it I wish I was still running 7. Never had a problem with 7. Looks like Microsoft is trying to polish another Turd

228.11.2016 16:32

We have 4 Pc's with Windows 10 and we (2 teens, mom and dad) enjoy the experience. Zero issues since upgrading all pc's. Looking forward to the next Win 10 upgrade experience

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 28 Nov 2016 @ 4:33

328.11.2016 16:39

I'm not exactly fond of 10 but I like it well enough, now that I've turned off almost all of the new features and pithed Cortana. There are still endless, niggling frustrations but it's not quite the game-ender it was at launch.

I should, however, reveal my bias, in that my pirated Win7 Ultimate x64 successfully upgraded to fully legal Win10 Pro x64 during the free upgrade period. In fact, I installed the very same pirated Win7 to a new boot SSD for my father, and that one updated to fully legal Win10, as well ^^' .

428.11.2016 20:30

*

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 28 Nov 2016 @ 8:31

528.11.2016 20:34

Windows 10 is not that bad (especially if you didn't pay for it.) Once a person figures out that "File Explorer" is the new "My computer" it is easy to navigate. For older programs ( non-purchased) I use scratch-built Win 7 PCs.

628.11.2016 20:53

Agreed. It's certainly a significant improvemnt over the hot mess of 8, or the not-quite-as-bad-but-meh 8.1.

728.11.2016 22:21

8.1 is still the best OS for tablets, hands down.

829.11.2016 01:35

W10 is better than W8.1 but not as good as W7 which is better than Vista but not as good as XP IMHO.

Take your pick.

929.11.2016 16:19

It isn't the interface that is the issue...I mean, it could be better in some ways but it shouldn't take a year to port the interface from Windows XP unless the engineers all get bonuses after 12 months.

To make windows 10 good:
1.) Make it easy to remove all the BS that you currently need to use 3rd party apps or registry mods to remove...better yet, don't install them by default. Also, don't setup the OS to run all glitchy and slow and freezing for one frame every 6 seconds if I turn off your brain-damaged version of Alexa on a computer that doesn't even have a microphone. In fact, just let me turn off everything search-related...Find Everything is better and it's free.
2.) Don't try to force apps down my throat, especially ones that do nothing but replicate some part of a website poorly.
3.) Fix the performance issues. I know MS likes to talk about how fast it is and some users even agree...but that's BS. My old single-core laptop with a clean Win7 install (clean as in no junk, not as in new) can boot from cold, log in, and shut down in less time than it takes Windows 10 to log in if it was already sitting at the prompt on a quad-core desktop. Yeah...I know some people don't have that issue, but people on networks do have that issue and it is new to Windows 10 and they represent about half your total users. This isn't the only massive issue they ignore because it is theoretically possible to have a machine that doesn't have the issue either.
4.) Just let me play xbone games on my PC...don't force me to buy an xbone. Do that and I'll at least setup a dual-boot for windows 10, in spite of the fact that the dual-boot is all f**ked and I basically have to start windows 10, select windows 7, and reboot. Actually, come to think of it...fix that dual-boot and I'll at least install Windows 10 and maybe use it someday. The whole reason I got rid of it was the amount of time it added to a Windows 7 boot.

1030.11.2016 11:24

Anyone OUTRIGHT and diligently defending Windows 10 is likely a non-technical!

I'm a 43 year network engineer and can say with definitive certainty, Win 10 had a shitstorm of problems that perhaps only tech savvy peeps will notice. NOW...it doesn't have a "shitstorm" of issues but still has them none-the-less.

I don't hate it but 7 is WAYYYY better, more responsive, more compatible, more user friendly, prettier, more straight-forward.



I love hearing those saying "i installed on 5 computers at home without problem". Yeah......perhaps they installed no problem but operationally is another story.


Win 10 is bland, rather ugly in some respects, was forced on us, has a plethora of outbound communications, suffers little "ghosts in the machine" (where you swear you had something one way but now it's negligably different), had to endure the Nvidia storm of problems and incompatibility, SLOW AS HELL on domains and still does things out of my control as IT SEES FIT.

My work computer has it, my laptop at home has it but my precious desktop gaming computer won't touch it until I have to!! Tried using it 5 TIMES, full formats and reinstalls each time. There are issues and I'll be with 7 until 2020...PERIOD!


As for IvyMike.............REALLY??? REALLY??? Still layin' down lame ass props for XP? 7 is far better in EVERY WAY POSSIBLE than XP. I challenge anyone to find a RELEVANT pro for XP over 7

Shame on those for currently staying with XP! It's good for an old ass Compaq with 512MB RAM! Which in turn should be tossed!!!!!!!

God love crap-grabbers though.

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 30 Nov 2016 @ 11:32

1130.11.2016 14:56

If someone wants to keep their ancient OS/PC alive, more power to 'em; I have a Commodore 64 I still futz with, on occasion (mostly for the games). What of it? Is this really a proper reason to be so scornful..?

Additionally, quite a few people use software/drivers that simply won't work under later versions of the OS. This is more common for businesses but happens to home users as well.

Howzabout losing the fanboi stress? I'm not overly fond of 10, myself, but I now have a legal, free OS =) . Everybody's use case is different.

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 30 Nov 2016 @ 2:56

1230.11.2016 18:15

I man a tech support phone. My customers are either idiot cube dwellers who can't tell when one program stops and another starts, or home users who say "Downloading" when they mean "Installing". Yeah, it's a joy a minute.
And I will, to the end of my days, bitch moan and complain about the piece of shit called Windows 10.
All I hear from the cube dwellers is: "How would I know where that setting is?" and all I hear from the home users is "What's a file explorer?"
On my own work computer I frequently get random reboots for copious numbers of updates (yes, I said DON'T EFFING BOOT UNLESS IDLE) My UI is different, day to day. I get random programs launching and file associations are a joke. If I see one more "You can find an app for that in the Windows store" notice I'm going to go postal!

If your idea of using a computer is turn it on and type in the Googles, then maybe this pile of refuse is fine for you. But if you look at ANY settings at all or if you install multiple copies for testing or otherwise do anything more than "typing into the Googles" then you are in for a stressful time indeed.
If I have not made myself clear, I will sum it up. Windows 10 is a godforsaken piece of shit.

132.12.2016 19:07

Originally posted by hearme0:
Anyone OUTRIGHT and diligently defending Windows 10 is likely a non-technical!

I'm a 43 year network engineer and can say with definitive certainty, Win 10 had a shitstorm of problems that perhaps only tech savvy peeps will notice. NOW...it doesn't have a "shitstorm" of issues but still has them none-the-less.

I don't hate it but 7 is WAYYYY better, more responsive, more compatible, more user friendly, prettier, more straight-forward.



I love hearing those saying "i installed on 5 computers at home without problem". Yeah......perhaps they installed no problem but operationally is another story.


Win 10 is bland, rather ugly in some respects, was forced on us, has a plethora of outbound communications, suffers little "ghosts in the machine" (where you swear you had something one way but now it's negligably different), had to endure the Nvidia storm of problems and incompatibility, SLOW AS HELL on domains and still does things out of my control as IT SEES FIT.

My work computer has it, my laptop at home has it but my precious desktop gaming computer won't touch it until I have to!! Tried using it 5 TIMES, full formats and reinstalls each time. There are issues and I'll be with 7 until 2020...PERIOD!


As for IvyMike.............REALLY??? REALLY??? Still layin' down lame ass props for XP? 7 is far better in EVERY WAY POSSIBLE than XP. I challenge anyone to find a RELEVANT pro for XP over 7

Shame on those for currently staying with XP! It's good for an old ass Compaq with 512MB RAM! Which in turn should be tossed!!!!!!!

God love crap-grabbers though.
blahblahblah

144.12.2016 12:32

hearme0, are you 43 yrs old or have 43 years network engineering experience.

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