These 5 issues are holding Home windows 11 again from greatness

Abstract

Home windows 11 is a robust and feature-rich desktop working system.
For all of Home windows’ deserves, a number of components are stopping it from attaining greatness.
Listed below are my picks for the issues that Microsoft nonetheless must kind out in its flagship working system.

So far as working methods go, Windows is an attention-grabbing case: it has a storied historical past that spans many years, and its constant growth has taken varied paths all through the years. Its trendy incarnation, Windows 11, is the results of a number of generations of diverging philosophies, ever-changing software program expectations, and a mashing up of latest and outdated applied sciences.

Home windows has actually advanced with the occasions, however the OS is not with out its quirks. In reality, there are a number of points specifically that I really feel stand in the best way of true Home windows greatness, even in any case these years of iteration and relative maturation. Listed below are 5 elements of Home windows 11 that I really feel must be addressed by Microsoft to ensure that the OS to proceed to face the check of time.

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1 A constant (and automated) darkish mode

This could’ve been tackled years in the past

Imagine it or not, Home windows was as soon as forward of the curb when it got here to providing a darkish mode interface choice. Microsoft launched darkish mode to the working system in 2016’s Windows 10 Anniversary Update launch, at a time when iOS, macOS, and Android nonetheless lacked the function natively.

Whereas some progress has been made since 2016 to broaden the scope of Home windows’ darkish mode throughout extra interface surfaces, Microsoft has didn’t ship a really constant darkish aesthetic throughout its total OS.

Microsoft has didn’t ship a really constant darkish aesthetic throughout its total OS.

Numerous elements of the interface — particularly older Win32 components — nonetheless lack help for darkish mode, and that is deeply regrettable by 2025 requirements. Regardless of previous reports of an internal effort to darken holdout apps and components of the OS, we have but to see significant enhancements happen.

Fortunately, a number of third-party apps resembling Rectify11 and StartAllBack can be found that may assist enhance the consistency of Home windows’ darkish mode. One app specifically, Auto Dark Mode, even brings over the flexibility to schedule mild and darkish mode switching routinely, which is one other high quality of life addition that Microsoft ought to’ve already applied to start with.

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2 Taskbar measurement and placement flexibility

A purposeful regression from Home windows 10 to 11

With the discharge of Home windows 11 in 2021, Microsoft re-build the Home windows taskbar from scratch to supply a modernized expertise. Whereas the brand new animations and esthetics are appreciated, the corporate uncared for to port over a number of the customization choices that have been beforehand obtainable in Home windows 10’s taskbar.

Since then, Microsoft has reinstated a few of these legacy taskbar choices inside newer Home windows 11 builds, however two essential settings are nonetheless lacking: the flexibility to resize the taskbar, and the flexibility to relocate it from its default bottom-mounted place.

Whereas I’ve personally at all times stored my Home windows taskbar on the backside of my show and at its default measurement, I’ve colleagues preferring side-mounting and miniaturizing their UI to save lots of on vertical house. There does appear to be hope, fortunately: Microsoft seems to be engaged on a brand new ‘present smaller taskbar buttons’ choice, which may be an indication of extra to return.

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3 A unified settings expertise

Slowly however absolutely, we’ll get there

With the discharge of Windows 8 in 2012, Microsoft started a painstakingly sluggish course of that is nonetheless happening to at the present time: the migration of all of Home windows’ settings from its antiquated Control Panel over to its trendy Settings app.

The corporate continues to make progress on the settings migration entrance, however the fee of porting is as sluggish and drawn out as ever. My hope is that sooner reasonably than later, the corporate will make a last main push to finish the daunting job, as soon as once more unifying each settings choice inside a single, constant app expertise.

In the intervening time, Home windows 11’s settings are break up throughout two totally different apps with very totally different design philosophies. For the sake of each consistency and person comfort, a unified settings app will go a good distance in bettering the person expertise of Home windows as a complete.

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4 Diminished reliance on web-based interface tech

Net tech makes for a sluggish and clunky shell expertise

In recent times, Microsoft has made a behavior of incorporating web-based tech into the interface and apps of Home windows 11. That is problematic for a few causes: internet tech is much less performant and extra power-hungry than native person interface components, and these web-based parts do not match the remainder of the working system’s design language or esthetics.

Net-based surfaces inside the Home windows shell and in Home windows apps are rampant — they are often discovered within the search interface, the widgets board, the Copilot app, Sticky Notes, the Photograph app’s picture editor, and extra. Maybe most egregious of all is Microsoft’s latest determination to sundown the native-built Mail, Calendar, Individuals, and Win32 Outlook apps in favor of an objectively inferior Outlook web app.

Mercifully, there does seem like mild on the finish of the tunnel. Current Home windows Insider builds embrace some thrilling information hidden deep inside their code base. It seems that Microsoft is engaged on transitioning its widgets panel over to native code, and the corporate not too long ago launched an updated Copilot app that removes a lot of the web-based tech from the equation.

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In any case, Home windows additionally runs on tablets

With all of the person pushback and the general damaging market response to Home windows 8, it is no marvel that Microsoft walked again its daring touch-first UI paradigm with the discharge of Windows 10. Whereas it is true that Home windows 8 was poorly thought out for mouse and keyboard customers, I really feel that the corporate overcorrected in its removing of contact optimizations.

Today, Home windows 11 lacks the fluid gesture system that made interacting with the OS through a touchscreen such a pleasure again in 2012. Apps can now not be closed with a satisfying downward movement, and the wonderful left-hand app-switching gesture has been completely gutted, too.

I really feel that the corporate overcorrected in its removing of contact optimizations.

With a brand new 11-inch Floor Professional pill expected to hit the market someday this spring, there’s by no means been a greater time for Microsoft to place some elbow grease into making its OS a extra nice and gesture-filled expertise for Home windows pill customers the world over.