Why Americans (and the Rest of the World) Should Use Windows 10

[Exterminator]

Why Americans (and the Rest of the World) Should Use Windows 10

Windows 10 adoption is growing, though it happens at a slower pace right now, but it’s all just a matter of time until it finally overtakes Windows 7 and becomes the most-used desktop operating system in the world.

Even though consumers and enterprises are one by one moving to Windows 10, it’s also no secret that there are people who don’t want to upgrade, preferring instead to stick with Windows 7 or a non-Windows operating system such as Linux.

In the majority of cases, the decision to refuse the upgrade to Windows 10 comes down to the transition costs, as for enterprises the migration from an older operating system to a newer one is an expensive step that could also involve hardware upgrades and software updates for compatibility reasons.

And yet, both users and enterprises should have in mind three different things when trying to determine whether Windows 10 is worth a chance or not. And no, they’re not related to the feature lineup because, in this regard, it’s already very clear that Windows 10 is the most advanced Windows version to date.

It’s secure
First and foremost, Windows 10 is currently the most secure Windows version released so far, and it’s not only because of the improved Windows Defender.

Windows 10 comes with advanced technology that can even block exploits aimed at unpatched vulnerabilities. This means that zero-days are no longer as effective as before, and both Microsoft and users buy more time to deploy a fix that would address the targeted security flaw.

Living proof is a series of vulnerabilities that remained unpatched until November 2016 but which were used by cybercriminals to launch attacks at Windows users in the months before, but with help from the mitigation systems in Windows 10 Anniversary Update, all systems were secure.

CVE-2016-7255 was used in Strontium attacks, while CVE-2016-7256 was the target of exploits launched in South Korea in mid-2016. Most attacks were blocked even though a patch was not available.

It’s built by a company protecting user privacy
Many users accused Microsoft of spying on their systems with the telemetry services in Windows 10, while others claimed the company was working with law enforcement to provide access to their data.

In reality, Microsoft is doing exactly the opposite, as it’s currently involved in a legal dispute with the US government over a user data request which the company considers to be illegal.

In one case, the United States wants access to user data stored on a server overseas, while Microsoft thinks that warrants should only cover local data centers. This basically prevents US authorities from accessing user data that’s stored on servers in any country.

At the same time, Microsoft has also pledged for bigger transparency regarding user data requests, with the company even posting the content of an FBI national security letter received in 2014.

You can personally help improve it
Without a doubt, one of the best “features” about Windows 10 is the feedback-oriented side. Started in October 2014, the Windows Insider program is supposed to make it possible for users to collaborate with Microsoft on building Windows 10.

And although some highly-requested features appear to be ignored, like the tab support in File Explorer, others have already been implemented in the operating system, and Microsoft wants to continue in the same direction with the upcoming Windows 10 updates as well.

Preview builds are released on a weekly basis, and sometimes even more often, and users are recommended to try them out and then send feedback to the company.

At the same time, the Feedback Hub is also the right place where you can submit your opinions and then have other users upvote them, with Microsoft employees itself checking out all posts and deciding which features need to be implemented in the OS.

 

[TheJokerz]

Interesting! Thanks for the share!

 

[monkeylove]

What will happen if the government wins?