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This was something I found so redundant when Windows 8 came out in the Developer Preview, PC Settings, or at the time, Control Panel. It's the little applet that is linked from the Settings UI from the charms bar. From it, you find some basic options. Sometimes it takes you to the Desktop Control Panel to adjust more settings, like Windows Update. Sometimes, the Control Panel takes you there, like if you want to add another user. It's kind of a conundrum. Why both?
I was thinking, as I like to do, and I think I've figured this pickle out.
Windows 8 is a touch, mobile designed OS. So therefore, many Desktop items would be a pain to touch on a touchscreen as they are right now. But that's not the main point. Windows 8 is targeting mainly the average, everyday consumer of the Windows PC. Now just think, on a normal day, how many accountants, lawyers, nurses, secretaries, teachers, college students, or just a common person access and troll through the Control Panel? Weekly? Monthly? Not a lot. It seems ridiculous to US, the PC enthusiast, the IT person. But really, not many people go through this Control Panel often. And if they do, it's at the guidance of someone or just to change some simple settings, like add a user, install updates, add a device, connect to a homegroup.
So since Windows 8 is targeting that demographic of people and targeting touch as well, the PC Setting applet makes sense. It has the settings that are commonly changed by a common user: personalization, users, notifications, search, share, privacy, ease of access, homegroup, devices, Windows update, and some general settings. Would it make sense to have a simpler OS have that? For a common user using a touch screen, it's MUCH easier to have those settings right there, laid out and simple, versus navigating this huge panel of controls just to adjust something so trivial.
It's like if you're in a car, you're driving and you have some settings you can change on the instrument panel, like climate controls, radio, and some other things. Those are the things you would change often and would have them easily accessible. Sometimes, you would need to adjust something more advanced, like the throttle intake valve on the engine, so you pop open your car's hood and adjust that and be done.
To me though, I would rather have the Control Panel have ALL of the new things that PC Settings has and just consolidate them in. As a desktop user, I don't really always want to go to an applet to change something that historically, the Control Panel would be the obvious place to change that, like the Start Screen's appearance. That should be in Personalization in the Control Panel. Add a user should be in the User Accounts settings.
That's a choice I would prefer.
I was thinking, as I like to do, and I think I've figured this pickle out.
Windows 8 is a touch, mobile designed OS. So therefore, many Desktop items would be a pain to touch on a touchscreen as they are right now. But that's not the main point. Windows 8 is targeting mainly the average, everyday consumer of the Windows PC. Now just think, on a normal day, how many accountants, lawyers, nurses, secretaries, teachers, college students, or just a common person access and troll through the Control Panel? Weekly? Monthly? Not a lot. It seems ridiculous to US, the PC enthusiast, the IT person. But really, not many people go through this Control Panel often. And if they do, it's at the guidance of someone or just to change some simple settings, like add a user, install updates, add a device, connect to a homegroup.
So since Windows 8 is targeting that demographic of people and targeting touch as well, the PC Setting applet makes sense. It has the settings that are commonly changed by a common user: personalization, users, notifications, search, share, privacy, ease of access, homegroup, devices, Windows update, and some general settings. Would it make sense to have a simpler OS have that? For a common user using a touch screen, it's MUCH easier to have those settings right there, laid out and simple, versus navigating this huge panel of controls just to adjust something so trivial.
It's like if you're in a car, you're driving and you have some settings you can change on the instrument panel, like climate controls, radio, and some other things. Those are the things you would change often and would have them easily accessible. Sometimes, you would need to adjust something more advanced, like the throttle intake valve on the engine, so you pop open your car's hood and adjust that and be done.
To me though, I would rather have the Control Panel have ALL of the new things that PC Settings has and just consolidate them in. As a desktop user, I don't really always want to go to an applet to change something that historically, the Control Panel would be the obvious place to change that, like the Start Screen's appearance. That should be in Personalization in the Control Panel. Add a user should be in the User Accounts settings.
That's a choice I would prefer.
My Computer
System One
-
- OS
- Windows 8.1 Pro
- Computer type
- PC/Desktop
- System Manufacturer/Model
- ASUS
- CPU
- AMD FX 8320
- Motherboard
- Crosshair V Formula-Z
- Memory
- 16 gig DDR3
- Graphics Card(s)
- ASUS R9 270
- Screen Resolution
- 1440x900
- Hard Drives
- 1 TB Seagate Barracuda (starting to hate Seagate)
x2 3 TB Toshibas
Windows 8.1 is installed on a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB
- PSU
- OCZ 500 watt
- Case
- A current work in progres as I'll be building the physical case myself. It shall be fantastic.
- Cooling
- Arctic Cooler with 3 heatpipes
- Keyboard
- Logitech K750 wireless solar powered keyboard
- Mouse
- Microsoft Touch Mouse
- Browser
- Internet Explorer 11
- Antivirus
- Windows Defender, but I might go back on KIS 2014