Maybe this is one of those blog titles that comes back to haunt me. Still, I can’t help but think – we’ve really come a long way forward, and I think Windows 10 is a winner.

Downloaded the bits last night from MSDN for Windows 10 Tech Preview, and set it up on my personal laptop. It abended about halfway thru the installation, and the rollback was seamless and click-free, requiring no intervention from me. I decided the issue was that my old laptop was still running the original Windows 8 (not 8.1) bits, downloaded and installed 8.1, and then ran the Windows 10 installation this time WITHOUT saving any apps or personal files. (Naturally I’d backed everything up first). Worked like a charm, and the whole process took maybe an hour. Then I downloaded Google Chrome, Drive, Microsoft Office, and a few other apps – my kids love Endless Reader – and literally, that was it. No trackpad issues like I had with 8.1, and everything seems to Just Work.

I’ve heard some snide comments from some of my fellow Softies – I’m sure there’s some frustration points (and the last release bits are about two months old). These will be fixed. The integration with Metro/Modern Apps is much smoother, and they’ve put it more in the background. I’m really enthusiastic about Windows 10 like I never really was about Windows 8 – I think they nailed the jarring UX and little irritants that made it one of my least favorite OS versions. It’s unobtrusive and works well on my older Lenovo Yoga. So far, I can say without reservation – terrific job guys. This may be one of the smoothest upgrade experiences I’ve ever had, and the UI may match the things I loved about Windows 7. I’ll keep this up to date, but so far – if you have a personal laptop that doesn’t have any mission-critical anything running on it – try out the release bits. I think you’ll like it.