Do I Need Windows 10? Not Yet

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windows 10
What happened to 9? It’s a funny story of short-sighted programmers thinking 9 means Windows 95 and 98. Isn’t that funny? It is to me.

While the title plays the spoiler to the rest of this post, the answer to the most common question I’ve been receiving is just that simple.  Windows 10 is the new operating system from Microsoft, mostly based on Windows 8.1 with some changes.  Are the changes significant enough for you to upgrade?  For most of us, the answer is probably not.

Those who know me know that when it comes to computers, I’m very conservative:  “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” and all that.  I avoid the cutting edge of technology because I don’t want to have to bill customers for diagnosing and fixing software bugs (and coincidentally, most customers don’t want to pay me for that service, either).

Here are some quick facts that you may want to know:

  • Windows 10 will not make your slow computer faster.
  • If you have viruses and malware, Windows 10 will not fix those.
  • If your computer can’t run Windows 8, it can’t run Windows 10.
  • Windows 10 will be a free upgrade for about a year after release.  You don’t have to reserve anything (contrary to the Windows patch Microsoft recently installed).
  • You never want to be the first to use any computer program.  Let others find and fix things, and when Windows 10.1 is announced, then you can decide

So why is Microsoft releasing a new operating system if there isn’t much benefit?  You have to remember that the first rule in business is: in order to make money, you need to sell something.  And yes, there are some benefits in the very long term as software vendors move away from traditional, put this on your hard disk programs to app-based, cloud-connected applications.

But that day for most business and home users, is not today.  You have a year to think about it.

On July 29th, Wndows 10 will officially release.  Software that has already been installed on your Windows computer will encourage you to install it.  If you want to try it, go for it, I applaud your sense of adventure!  Pro tip: make a full backup first in case you change your mind.