Windows 10 [2014 - 2017]

How about Vivaldi? It'd doesn't have mobile version though... So nothing can bet synced between desktop and mobile

 

Qupzilla might do for a quickie browser, selected as it's still currently developed (it's a clone of Chrome/Apple browsers underneath, not unlike phones use embedded Chrome/Apple browsers in many "apps" and such)

Of Firefox I'll say it's always dependable, no matter how slow the web is running today. Basic browser hygiene and a "file edit view" menu bar at the least. I would say a thing about Firefox 48, 49 or 50 solving most slowness (expected) but it's not always the most pressing topic.

Add-ons, I recommend using a couple major ones that does something vital (mostly around blocking something). I agree relying on them for some features can, may or will burn you ; one example would be an extension for downloading youtube, something which can even lead you to add-on crapware, possibly. Here the Chrome add-ons are in a "Chrome app store" and have a more commercial feel to them whereas Firefox still looks like more of a community (or freeware download site) but we should probably ignore 90%-99% of crap still.
For youtube downloading then, feel free to do it as much as you want but I would recommend looking for an entirely external solution (that runs on your computer).
Want printing into a pdf look into some system wide printing thing, etc.

 

Firefox is still the least annoying browser.

Try this in IE or Edge: open two new empty tabs. Depending on how fast you are, if you drag&drop two different links from the desktop into the tabs, you can end up with the same link loaded in both tabs.

 

This. Not that I try out all the browsers with any frequency. But whenever I have looked for an alternative, they always are 'uncomfortable'. FF works like a browser, nothing fancy. Moments after looking at Edge, I installed Firefox.

 

I have the same with Chrome. Chrome just tends to always work and work the way I expect it to.

Back on topic: lots of free Windows 10 books here:
https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/ms...-windows-8-1-office-2013-sharepoint-2016-sha/

 

Tell that to Twitch... Those few times I have to visit them I must pull out my iPad and watch the clip there because I'm not enabling flash ever again!

IE9 was before they spread out all the UI widgets all over the window? I can't remember anymore what it looked like, it feels like it was an age ago now, thanks to MS's bad habit of only ever updating IE with new OS versions...

Lol, not a problem for me then, because I'm not that fast...!

Edit: old ": mad :" smiley is now a sad smiley, and the mad smiley is invoked with the not very clear : ": - x :" ...

 

The thing about it I liked the most was the separate search box with configurable search parameter's and sites. It was easy to then use it to easily search for a term across multiple very specific sites which may be different depending on the term being searched. That was useful for shopping, research, browsing, etc.

IE10 and 11 has that functionality in the address bar, but it's a royal PITA to use in comparison. For example, clicking a result replaced the search term with the site address. Also the search term wasn't already populated in the address bar when you opened a new tab or window (needed to replicate the capability of IE9 search box). As well, while IE10 kept the ability to configure multiple search sites, IE11 appears to have gotten rid of that functionality. And no other browser that I'm aware of even has that feature.

That was by far and away the most useful browser feature I've ever seen. And they got rid of it to be more like Chrome. Which makes me hate Chrome even more.

I don't want a stupid and retarded minimalist browser UI. I want a functional browser UI that enables me to get more done more easily. IE9s UI was perfect in that sense.

I understand that for the braindead (yes I'm devolving into hyperbole here) tablet crowd and casual web surfer that functionality isn't as important as limiting the capability and options for a browser. Oh noes, I'm getting so confused because there's more than 5 things I can click on, what do I do? Ugh. /end hyperbolic rant.

Regards,
SB

 

Well, if it's any comfort to you, I also hated that they got rid of the search box. I haven't met one intelligent person who didn't dislike that they did that...

 

Heh

 

You will use Cortana, Microsoft says

http://www.ghacks.net/2016/07/26/you-will-use-cortana-says-microsoft/

Edit: This is an FYI if anyone has issues going forward.

 

We shall see about that!

Is it just me, or is MS really going overboard with the dumbshit decisions in the post-Ballmer era? People hated on "monkeyboy" all the time, but maybe he wasn't so bad...?

 

He certainly cared about developers.

 

I'm still pro-Nadella, there's been a LOT of good decisions along the lines of movement to open source and some "common sense" server features integration. I'm personally a user of Cortana and, to some degree, OK with the tradeoff between the usage of Cortana features versus what of my data gets crammed into the cloud. However, I still understand why others would not be so enthusiastic about Cortana becoming non-optional.

I wager a dollar someone on the internet will figure out how to turn her off.

 

If the group policy governing Cortana stops working for Windows 10 Pro (and over), they are really heading down into the valley of evil.

Just today I disabled the "gamebar" using the group policy editor and yesterday, I disabled web searching from the start menu in, you guessed it, the group policy editor.

 

Ugh a few more niggles on how W10 is actively reducing my productivity compared to W8.1.

It appears I can no longer drag a window out of maximized back to windowed mode anymore. Now you can only do it by double clicking the title bar or the restore down button. That's hugely aggravating. So much easier and faster to just drag it out of maximized view and in the same motion move it to where I want it. Now I have to first un-maximize the window. Then go and click and drag the window where I want it.

Secondly, while I appreciate the additional multi-monitor functionality of the toolbar, I REALLY dislike that program groupings are no longer easily identified. Again for productivity reasons I have mine set to "never combine" taskbar buttons so that it's easy to quickly select windows without having to go through a drop down menu. This colored bar above the name of the button is a really horrible change in terms of usability. It looks kind of cool I suppose, but I'd take usability over looks any day of the week.

Things like this don't bother me on my Surface 3, because I only use it occasionally. But on a daily driver that is also used for work? OMG, this is hugely aggravating.

At this point I don't know whether to look forward to the Anniversary edition or not.

Regards,
SB

 

I maximised Firefox and Windows Explorer just now and dragged the title bar and they both became windowed again. Which application doesn't this work for?

 

Hmmm, maybe it's another weird thing that will fix itself the next time I reboot the computer. Can't do that yet though.

And right now all of them. Edge, Chrome, IE, Outlook, Explorer, Task Manager, etc. Hopefully it works after a reboot. Be about another 2 hours before I can give it a try. Crossing my fingers.

Regards,
SB

 

It works fine in every desktop application I try. I haven't tried any "apps", though.

 

Given the latest stupid news, I think I'll stick to the method of trying to download Firefox with ftp.exe.
Also, trying to run gpedit.msc before ever opening the start menu for the first time : using win+r ? or using the task manager to launch it ? (if task manager still can launch stuff)

 

Home windows doesn't even HAVE gpedit.msc... :/ Fucking microsoft swine.