I really hope they make fixing the long standing Windows usability issues a priority rather than adding even more "features" that nobody wants or uses.
My number one pet peeve after switching back to Windows from Mac is the search.
On Mac, I used a hotkey for Spotlight to launch apps. It always found the right stuff, even with typos.
On Windows, the Search results can be ridiculously bad even when you spell things correctly. Given how MS owns a search engine and that Apple doesn't, you'd expect it to be much, much better.
My number two pet peeve is that there are two types settings - the new Windows 8/10 settings and the old Windows Control Panel. I don't know why it's taking so long to consolidate them, it unnecessarily complicates the user experience. Just pick one and go with it.
And I'd love to say it is a recent development (or "bug") but Windows search has been junk for many years and releases. I mean they themselves must know something is wrong since they tried to reboot it in the failed Vista offshoot (WinFS in Longhorn[0]) using a relational database instead of their current index. But since that failed, they just stuck with it and kept piling on failed concepts to a broken core.
Windows 8/8.1's web search took something inherently unreliable and tacked on a web search. Windows 10 tacked on a personal assistant. But often all people want is a reliable way to search file metadata (name, date, author, etc), file content, and misc OS constructs (Settings/Control Panel Applets, Shortcuts, etc). It gets none of that right.
If I was in charge of the Windows division I'd fire the entire search team, and bring in a fresh set of eyes. There's something dysfunctional in a division that can consistently put out such poor software.
Once, I was searching and searching for a particular file, couldn't find it anywhere. Was starting to wonder if I had deleted it or lost it...so I went looking and found HN users referring to this Everything thing.
I installed it, checked the box for "run Everything now" on the finish wizard, the window loaded, I typed the name, and poof, there the file was, 27 (or whatever, way more than 5) directories deep. My jaw hit the floor, and the rest is history.
The only thing I really use it for is launching apps (via the Windows key), in the way I used to use a hot key + spotlight on Mac.
Microsoft has never successfully unified their settings and likely never will. Even though the Settings app has come a long way, it's still unideal for a lot of purposes, and they annoyingly have been making it harder to get to the Control Panel quickly. (Protip: If you want the legacy Programs and Features, searching "appwiz.cpl" is now the fastest way to get there, since they explicitly block "Programs and Features" from appearing in the search box it seems.)
While annoyingly they've broken the legacy user management to force people to use Settings so they can repeatedly shove Microsoft accounts down people's throats (even in a domain environment), things like managing local/roaming profiles still requires you go all the way back to an XP-style advanced properties dialog you can only get to from the 7-style System Control Panel.
For me the staggering number of Windows non-server SKU options [3] has been a pet peeve. I have zero insight into how profitable it is for them to structure things this way but in terms of optics it's just comical. Now they might be carving out the Home editions even further [4]??
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_10_editions
[4] https://www.onmsft.com/news/new-windows-10-editions-windows-...
Under Search, you may want to enable "match path", then set up your favorite hotkey and read the search options and you should be all set.
For apps, I just use Classic Start Menu (wonderful), but Launchy or something like that may be more up your alley for super common apps, not sure what the current best of breed is in that space.
Settings - it's a transition thing. With so many legacy CPLs out there - system and 3rd party ones - that's the only reasonable approach they could take - to duplicate everything over to modern settings and leave the old ones around long enough. As time has progressed more and more stuff has appeared in modern settings.
With the availability of great hardware options, it's hands down the best platform right now for users and developers.
On others, i.e. multiple apps that share the same words or prefix, like `photo`, or multiword apps where the keyword is not the first word in the name, it fails miserably.
For example, if I type in the word `power` on my desktop, and I have Cyberlink PowerDirector and Cyberlink Power2Go and Cyberlink PowerMedia installed, only Powerpoint shows up in my app list to run. For me to even get all of my Cyberlink apps to show up, I have to type in the word `cyberlink` completely. Typing in `cyber` only shows two of the five Cyberlink apps I have installed. Mentally in my head, when I think of my Cyberlink apps, I think of the app names, not prefixed by vendor name.
For your example "cm command prompt" - I use Cmder instead of the standard command prompt, which literally starts with `cm` unlike command prompt (yes, I get that the actual file name does start with `cm`), and Cmder is never the first option until I get to the `e`.
Misspell a word, and all bets are off.
Spotlight on Mac was way better at guessing what I wanted than Windows. IIRC, the accuracy was in the high 90% range on the first couple of keystrokes.
It's the anti-features I have a problem with, like the fact that Candy Crush has to be preinstalled on each domain user in a corporate environment. The general unreliability of the build cycle needs some serious rethinking as well, right now it takes five months to get from a new build to a stable release... and builds are only six months apart.
Second, LTSB is not really intended for general desktop use, even in a corporate environment. LTSB is intended for devices like MRI machines and the like which need Windows, and the latest security updates, but literally no improvements whatsoever otherwise.
Ideally, corporate users should remain roughly one major Windows 10 release behind the current one, but of course, three times in the last six months, Microsoft has broken the updater and updated PCs to the latest build despite group policy prohibiting it.
... now if only GPU prices would come down. Goddamn blackchain craze.
Windows 10 Pro N is a good starting point for a non-annoying Windows "Experience", but I'm fairly certain you can't game with it.
The image of the VM is portable.
A force shutdown would force shutdown my VM, yes. I haven't ever had that on my PC, can't remember if it's because I fenagled updates or what.