Credit: Unsplash
What’s getting the axe to make room?
As my computer has been rather insistently reminding me for the past few weeks, Windows 11 is on the way. Presumably, they’ll do a similar upgrading program that was in place during the transition to Windows 10 (though I’m a bit wary after that upgrade program bricked one of my previous computers). Before the upgrade rolls out, though, it’d probably be in your best interest to know what’s coming in the new OS and, perhaps more importantly, what won’t be carrying over from Windows 10.
Several features from Windows 10 are getting axed in the transition, though thankfully, it’s mostly tertiary stuff that I can at least personally attest to never using. This includes stuff like the Timeline, which lets you sync sessions between multiple Windows computers, the Live Tiles, which have little scrolly info bits on your Start menu tiles, and the Quick Status, which shows reminders on your computer’s lock screen. Unsurprisingly, Internet Explorer is also being axed entirely in favor of Microsoft’s Edge browser. IE was retired a while ago, but presumably, you won’t be able to use it on Windows 11 at all, at least not without some tinkering.
Windows 11 now has its first beta release https://t.co/WfnEZA5ERM pic.twitter.com/hk1zThnXNA
— The Verge (@verge) July 30, 2021
Speaking of programs, there are several programs that will still be available for use on Windows 11, but won’t be baked right into it. This includes chatting program Skype, Windows S Mode, and Cortana. You’ll still be able to install these programs from the Microsoft Store, presumably for free, though aside from S Mode, Microsoft has been pushing the use of Teams as a replacement for Skype and Cortana- well, no one used Cortana the first time around, so it doesn’t really matter.
Windows 11 still doesn’t have a firm release date, but it’s scheduled to start rolling out some time this holiday season.
