Windows 11: Newer isn't Always Better

As an IT professional, I made the decision to be a beta tester for Windows 11 on my personal laptop. I made the decision for a couple of reasons. First, I was curious. I wanted to see the new user interface and experience some of the new features that are supposed to be enhancements. Second, I knew it was only a matter of time before TCIT customers would be using it and I wanted to be prepared to support them. I have been using it for about 6 weeks. I am not going to lie – on the surface, it is an attractive user experience. However, my official verdict for TCIT customers is this: wait to change as long as you possibly can. I have three reasons for this.

First of all, this opinion is consistent with my previous IT management philosophy. As an IT Manager, I deployed Windows XP until I couldn’t get it anymore. My organization completely skipped Windows Vista. Similarly, that philosophy stuck with Windows 7. With the exception of some touch screen devices, we completely skipped Windows 8 and 8.1. Why did I do this? Quite honestly, because I am of the firm belief that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Windows XP was very stable – and to this day, I still miss it. Windows 7 was also very stable. And similarly, since it was released in 2015, Windows 10 has been stable.

Second, don’t rush to be an early adopter; it isn’t always the secure decision. An operating system is a huge piece of software. Invariably there will be security holes and exploitations that even the best of testers and debuggers have missed. Additionally, there is no guarantee that all software will be fully compatible when Windows 11 is released on October 5, 2021. We wait to deploy Windows update patches for two weeks from their release for this same reason. We want other people to discover the bugs so that you are spared from unintended consequences. I would recommend giving Windows 11 a year to mature before jumping on that bandwagon.

Third, some of the “improvements” are frustrating as heck. For example, Windows 11 has a feature that will tile windows so you can maximize your productivity. In theory, it is a great concept, but it is so easy to trigger inadvertently – and when you have multiple monitors, it can wreak havoc on your open windows.

So, while some of the aesthetics are nice and the operating system loads quickly and seems to be better organized than some areas of Windows 10, my official recommendation is to stay with Windows 10 for as long as you can. After all, to quote George Carlin, 10 is “a psychologically satisfying number.”