Windows 10 May 2019 Update Feature Focus: Light Themes And Sandboxes
by Brett Howse on May 24, 2019 8:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Operating Systems
- Software
- Windows
- Microsoft
- Windows 10
Wrapping Up
When Windows 10 first launched, the subsequent updates were pretty substantial in terms of new features, since the operating system was new and need a lot of polish, but over the last year or so, the amount of substance in each update has been much more manageable. That continues with the May 2019 Update. There’s some great new features, and some polish, but overall, it’s a minor step, as it should be at this point in the lifecycle of Windows 10.
Arguably the biggest feature that most people will see is the new Light Theme. Theming is something that is personal, so either you’ll like it or you won’t, but I think it looks clean and refreshing. I especially like the new default wallpaper, which takes the original Windows 10 wallpaper and gives it a new lease on life. The small changes to iconography help as well, and the Fluent Design continues to permeate through Windows 10, adding subtle touches here and there, such as the log-in screen.
Windows Sandbox is also a great addition to Windows 10, although it does require at least Windows 10 Pro to get this option. Having a lightweight containerized version of Windows for testing and development will be very useful for a wide range of industries, and if you are looking ahead, you could easily see Windows Sandbox becoming a way to keep legacy access for certain programs. The small 100 MB footprint on the system makes it no burden at all, even if it is rarely used, unlike if you have a 100 GB VHD file sitting on your drive.
Windows 10 continues adding new features for developers, and 1903 is no exception. There are even more updates to the console, and even Notepad got an update to accommodate Linux file support. There is clear buy-in by the Windows developers to leverage Linux tools where appropriate, and their work has paid dividends for developers who use Windows. The upcoming Windows Subsystem for Linux v2 will offer even more compatibility and performance, and Windows Terminal looks amazing.
If you’d like a full change-log of everything that’s in 1903, Microsoft keeps a running total on docs.microsoft.com
What will be the most key though is Microsoft having a smooth rollout of this version of Windows. The last couple of updates haven’t gone so well, so they need to get a win here. Time will tell, but the 1903 update went very quickly for me on several machines so far, but obviously my sample size is insignificant compared to the number of machines running Windows 10, which is now over 800 million computers. It feels like Microsoft is going to be very measured with the rollout this time, which should help them catch any major bugs before they impact a large number of people.
It’s also good to see Microsoft giving some control back to users on how updates get pushed out. Windows 10 Home now supports up to seven days of delay for an update. It would be nice to see this bumped up to perhaps a month, but something is better than the nothing that was offered before.
Windows 10 May 2019 Update offers a refreshed look, some nice new features, and less of the bloat of some previous updates. Assuming the rollout goes smoothly, it feels like a nice update to Windows 10.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
71 Comments
View All Comments
haplo602 - Friday, May 24, 2019 - link
how about being able to remove driver updates from auto update ? if you ever had drivers from Windows Update, then reconsidered AFTER a CU, the system will treat those as a part of the base system from that time on ... no way to get rid of them ....KateH - Friday, May 24, 2019 - link
this. i'm not a huge fan of having to use group policy & registry workarounds to prevent Windows Update from bunging my graphics drivers every time i connect to the internetmikeztm - Friday, May 24, 2019 - link
They are fixing this the correct way: push every OEM to use DCH driver that is not modified and can be delivered from windows update. So OEM can put their driver customization separate and not affected by update.eastcoast_pete - Sunday, May 26, 2019 - link
+1 on this. Actually, + 1000. Very annoying when an "update" suddenly renders key peripherals inactive and unrecognized. Happened twice with one setup. Waste of time. Plus, if I could disable automatic driver updates, I just might be okay enabling automatic update on some machines. Without this, no way.Drazick - Friday, May 24, 2019 - link
I wish they dedicated the next 3-4 releases for only under the hood work:1. Reducing the number of background processes and memory consumption.
2. More modular Windows so user will be able to disable / remove components they don't need and optimize performance.
3. Optimize the IO stack so we'll have Linux like performance.
4. Optimize the File System so we'll have Linux like performance.
5. Ability to remove all pre installed components users doesn't want.
We want to be able to make Windows lean and efficient.
sorten - Friday, May 24, 2019 - link
Just curious, what performance metrics or tools are you using to measure the relative performance of the IO stack and file system between Windows and Linux?notashill - Friday, May 24, 2019 - link
I've never run detailed benchmarks or anything but my usual experience is that anything that has to access a bunch of small files (software compilation, extracting zips, etc.) takes something like 5-10x longer on Windows than Linux on the same hardware if it has an SSD. It's pretty ridiculous. Not much difference when hard drives are involved though.imaheadcase - Friday, May 24, 2019 - link
Thats more the UI stalling though that file system itself. Windows has always had a bad habit of not actually reporting correct numbers when transferring or doing tasks that appear on the actual screen. I often will move files around and UI will often hang for a bit and instantly show up correctly. Not saying its not slower, just saying the UI makes it a lot tricker to actually know.Drazick - Saturday, May 25, 2019 - link
We are talking about compilation. You can time when you started and when it is done. There is a big difference and Linux is faster. You can have a look on some tests made on Phoronix.leexgx - Saturday, May 25, 2019 - link
The delays will be when the antivirus is scanning the file its trying to copy (I norm just turn off antivirus scanner if I am doing large amount of files)