14 DAY TRIAL // Windows 10 is about to launch in less than a month, and it's going to be a very interesting release. We had a chance to play with the latest build, and at least a couple of things have jumped out that you could say are flattering towards Linux.
The first thing that people will notice is a new feature called a virtual desktop. It's already established that virtual desktops have been around for a long time, especially for Linux users. Microsoft didn't try to present this feature as something new or as something revolutionary, which is a good thing. Unlike other companies that we know (coughApplecough) who present old features like it's the second coming of Jesus, Microsoft has refrained from this, at least for the multiple desktops part.
It's a modest implementation of the feature, but it's understandable. This is their first try. It's not bad, but it's not the best either. It will do its job, but hopefully the feature will be popular enough so that they keep it and improve it. In fact, it looks a little like the GNOME counterpart, but, on the other hand, there aren't too many ways of implementing this features. The best one seems to be in Ubuntu's Unity, and you can check the video below.
KDE notifications in Windows 10
Windows 10 is different enough from Linux and other Windows 8 versions, so it's not like we're saying it looks similar. It doesn't, but some features are spot on. For example, the network connection notifications in the right-hand side could very well be from a modern KDE desktop. And I won't even mention the volume control that is now parallel to the bottom panel, just like in most Linux systems.
Microsoft seems to have a good product this time, and it's likely that it will better received than the previous one. In any case, it's nice that the Microsoft's OS has finally decided to join the rest of the world with their new/old features.
