Windows10update is killing this big feature — and you may not like it

Windows10update is killing this big feature — and you may not like it

The latest update to Windows 10 seems to be pursuing one of its long-standing concerns: menu redundancy. And while I'm all for it, this kind of change has already angered some in the Windows community.

According to Windows Latest, Windows 10 developer Build 20161 removed the System section of the Control Panel and debuted a redesigned Start menu. Attempts to open this screen will instead be directed to the "About System" page in the "Settings" app.

The trouble is that the Settings app is not yet complete and may take you back to the Control Panel. For example, links in the side menu of the Settings app, such as "Additional Power Settings," will cause users to go back and forth between the two apps.

Twitter user @webinbristol is already upset about the change, discussing how Windows 10 is an "unpolished mess."

However, Twitter user @ItsMoirrey does not like the Settings app, as he believes it is buried with features he needs.

It feels very similar to public transportation construction, where train riders are rerouted to take a different escalator. It's all part of Microsoft's plan to (seemingly) "bring settings closer to the control panel," as Windows Insider senior program manager Brandon LeBlanc said. Program Manager Brandon LeBlanc said in a blog post.

In that post, LeBlanc asks that "if you rely on settings that only exist in the Control Panel today, please submit feedback and tell us what those settings are." This clearly indicates that Microsoft plans to shut down the control panel in the long run and replace it with settings.

Another aspect of the Settings app makeover is the way Microsoft "makes device information copyable" on the "About" page with a large "Copy" button.

The control panel is expected to survive until 2021, but since Microsoft seems to be approaching this transition on a brick-by-brick basis, it is unlikely that anything will be paved over anytime soon.

Categories