Control Panel or PC Settings?

[Studio384]

I would like them to ditch the Control Panel and move everything over to PC Settings, start annew and make the UI uniform.

[Dashel]

I'm confused then.  Are you referring to the style or touch first elements?

[CtrlShift]

It's clear that the direction is to evolve the PC Settings app.  I can't see a unified Control Panel ever seeing the light of day now even though it's been a chief complaint of Windows since 95.  But I can't answer the poll since the two options are not equal.  You can't change lockscreen settings in the Control Panel and equally, you can't uninstall a desktop application from PC Settings - yet.

[techbeck]

I would like them to ditch the Control Panel and move everything over to PC Settings, start annew and make the UI uniform.

 

May eventually be that way but MS was trying to change things for people to much to fast. 

[Dot Matrix]

May eventually be that way but MS was trying to change things for people to much to fast. 

Maybe, but a sharp turn was needed after being flat footed by the rise in mobility. Most of it is starting to pay off though, as you look at Microsoft unifying Windows, and more importantly racing to catch up.

 

Love it or hate it, The Metro UI has enable Windows to scale to different devices without differing UIs or UXs. The same apps I have on my phone now scale to work on my PC. Opinions on UI design aside, to be able to say that is simply amazing.

[wotsit]

The confusion of having both of these is one of my biggest gripes with Windows 8 and a powerful demonstration of how it is two completely different operating systems rolled into one.

[techbeck]

Maybe, but a sharp turn was needed after being flat footed by the rise in mobility. Most of it is starting to pay off though, as you look at Microsoft unifying Windows, and more importantly racing to catch up.

 

Love it or hate it, The Metro UI has enable Windows to scale to different devices without differing UIs or UXs. The same apps I have on my phone now scale to work on my PC. Opinions on UI design aside, to be able to say that is simply amazing.

 

Not everyone uses the web apps on a desktop environment....so pretty useless for lots especially if they don't have a mobile Win device.

 

And a sharp turn...was to sharp.  Why MS is putting things back for desktop users.  MS should have started with mobile more so when the first iPhone came out and it was shown that mobile is needed and wanted.  Instead, Google took the que from Apple and now Google is doing really well.  Could have been MS, but they slacked off...laughed at Apple for producing the iPhone (thanks Ballmer) and didn't do jack until recently.  So they tried to make big changes that a huge group of people did not like and force people in to a different way.

[Dot Matrix]

Not everyone uses the web apps on a desktop environment

Metro apps are not web apps.

[techbeck]

Metro apps are not web apps.

 

Metro apps, web apps, whatever.  Still useless for a person unless they have all MS products.  I use a variety of MS, Apple, and Google products.

[Dot Matrix]

Still useless for a person unless they have all MS products.

So Microsoft releasing apps for Android and iOS doesn't count?

[techbeck]

So Microsoft releasing apps for Android and iOS doesn't count?

 

Does everyone use all MS apps only on iOS and Android devices?  There are many metro apps that are not produced by MS and have the same look on other platforms.  And there are many metro apps that are not available on other platforms. Also, there are many apps that are just better than what MS produces.  So unless you are a die hard MS fan/fanatic/whatever else...then people dont know or care about how the apps scale to different devices.  For instance...I have an Outlook.com account but I use the new GMAIL app since all my emails are now in one place/app.  So I dont even see the Outlook app anymore.

 

You only see what you use and what you find beneficial.  Need to look up every now and then and realize that what you use, is not what everyone else uses or even care for.

[Joshie]

Let's see, I could be a brain-dead idiot and pretend the PC Settings will never evolve and always stay exactly the way it is right now and use that to declare that Control Panel is the only way to go, or I could actually think for the half second it takes to realize PC Settings could just be v1 of a next-gen version of the control panel, especially in windowed mode, and that there's no reason whatsoever to believe it can never become as deep and granular as the control panel of old.

 

Hmm, brain-dead idiot or someone capable of thought....

 

Well, the first one let's me be a bigger smart-ass in a comment thread...

 

Oh wait, I haven't had trouble being a smart-ass at all! Thinker it is!

[Dot Matrix]

I think build 9860 pretty much settles what we'll be using in Windows 10. Hope no one here has an overall attachment to the Control Panel.

[CG-88]

Control Panel - more than likely out of habit though.

[zhangm Supervisor]

I'm not very invested in the organizational hierarchy that someone assigns to various settings, so I usually use Win + W. I'd prefer that Microsoft continue to put substantial efforts into improving the search depth and experience in upcoming versions of Windows.

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

I think build 9860 pretty much settles what we'll be using in Windows 10. Hope no one here has an overall attachment to the Control Panel.

Yep. zPC Settings shows what we'll see in the final release; it'll surprise me if MS aren't going to retire the classic Control Panel.

[Ian S.]

The worst case scenario is if Windows 10 launched with PC Settings, Settings (the zPC Settings currently the title just says Settings), and Control Panel all present.

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

The worst case scenario is if Windows 10 launched with PC Settings, Settings (the zPC Settings currently the title just says Settings), and Control Panel all present.

Doubtful. The vibe I'm getting from the TP builds thus far and the blog posts is that Microsoft seriously want to clean up and streamline Windows this time around. 

[adrynalyne]

I don't really care which is used, as long as it is one or the other.  I HATE seeing the silly redundancy.  I don't need my user settings split across two different places.

[Dot Matrix]

The worst case scenario is if Windows 10 launched with PC Settings, Settings (the zPC Settings currently the title just says Settings), and Control Panel all present.

While the CP is still present, it's not pinned or otherwise prominently displayed by default. I think by RTM, it'll be removed or disabled completely.

[+Warwagon MVC]

I think build 9860 pretty much settles what we'll be using in Windows 10. Hope no one here has an overall attachment to the Control Panel.

 

Accept they are also asking for feedback unlike when in Windows 8 they ignored everyone and took something away and it flopped.

 

Judging by how 82% in this thread still prefer the control panel, people will be leaving feed back. So 9860 doesn't settle anything.

 

You tend to speak in absolutes (like you just got out of an official Microsoft meeting) which is what I think  always gets you in trouble. You say things like Never, It will, It's gone, Not returning, Pretty much settles, It will happen, it won't happen.

 

What I would say is "It looks like they might be favoring PC settings over the control panel, but lets wait and see what is in the final version and what the feed back from the testers say"

[techbeck]

Accept they are also asking for feedback unlike when in Windows 8 they ignored everyone and took something away and it flopped.

 

Judging by how 82% in this thread still prefer the control panel, people will be leaving feed back. So 9860 doesn't settle anything.

 

You tend to speak in absolutes (like you just got out of an official Microsoft meeting) which is what I think  always gets you in trouble. You say things like Never, It will, It's gone, Not returning, Pretty much settles, It will happen, it won't happen.

 

What I would say is "It looks like they might be favoring PC settings over the control panel, but lets wait and see what is in the final version and what the feed back from the testers say"

 

All that was added to PC Settings for the new TP build was the battery saver and DataSense.  Nothing that would really indicate that MS is moving away from the control panel.

 

Have to wait and see.  All these predictions are silly considering a lot can change in a short time.  Or MS can decide at a later date they screwed up and put it back.  They have been doing that a lot lately.  If they do replace the CP, fine as long as I have the same options as the CP...I am fine with it.  But again, predictions or being certain something will happen at this point...well, we all know how wrong a lot users can be and were with what happened to Win8.

[Dot Matrix]

Accept they are also asking for feedback unlike when in Windows 8 they ignored everyone and took something away and it flopped.

 

Judging by how 82% in this thread still prefer the control panel, people will be leaving feed back. So 9860 doesn't settle anything.

 

You tend to speak in absolutes (like you just got out of an official Microsoft meeting) which is what I think  always gets you in trouble. You say things like Never, It will, It's gone, Not returning, Pretty much settles, It will happen, it won't happen.

 

What I would say is "It looks like they might be favoring PC settings over the control panel, but lets wait and see what is in the final version and what the feed back from the testers say"

And? All the advanced features of Windows 8.1/Windows 10 have been added to the PC Settings window. The Control Panel doesn't have those, and by default, the thing is hidden in both technical preview builds. In fact, one of the top 10 pieces of feedback was to move everything to PC Settings.

 

Since Microsoft is moving to unify Windows and Windows Phone, there is only one that could survive, and that's PC Settings. There's no reason to keep the Control Panel in Windows any longer.

All that was added to PC Settings for the new TP build was the battery saver and DataSense.  Nothing that would really indicate that MS is moving away from the control panel.

Open up the "zPC Settings" app in Start, and you'll see they're in the process of making the move.

[+Warwagon MVC]

And? All the advanced features of Windows 8.1/Windows 10 have been added to the PC Settings window. The Control Panel doesn't have those, and by default the thing is hidden in both technical preview builds. In fact, one of the top 10 pieces of feedback was to move everything to PC Settings.

 

Since Microsoft is moving to unify Windows and Windows Phone, there is only one that could survive, and that's PC Settings. There's no reason to keep the Control Panel in Windows any longer.

Open up the "zPC Settings" app in Start, and you'll see they're in the process of making the move.

 

We shall see.

[PGHammer]

We shall see.

warwagon, of that overlarge number, how many want Control  Panel to stick around because they are used to it (Tradition or laziness - both have indeed been given as reasons.)?  If that isn't proof of being change-averse, or even outright hostility to change, I don't know what is.

 

Change is scary - and often is not taken very well, especially if it affects the favored group or class - I definitely get that.  All I am trying to do with my comments (and opinions) is get past that fear so the changes can be looked at logically.  I may not change ANY minds - however, if I can change one, than I've accomplished what I set out to do - get folks past the fear of change and look AT that change logically.