Ask Paul: April 10 (Premium)

Happy Friday! Thanks for all the kind words, and please stay safe. Here are some questions to ponder for the weekend.
Microsoft on mobile
longhorn asks:

Isn't it time for Microsoft to realize they have lost the casual market to mobile and focus on traditional Windows and let the sysadmins handle the security aspect? Those who use Windows privately/at home probably need the open nature of the platform to accomplish their work. Productive and creative people want their plug-ins, gamers want their mods and so on. I would say the only reason people use Windows at home is because traditional Windows offers possibilities that you won't find in a locked down OS.

I’m not 100 percent sure what you mean by the casual market, but Microsoft’s stance---to go where their customers are---makes sense to me. More important, Microsoft is a really big company, and I don’t see how whatever resources it spends on mobile could impact Windows one way or the other. They can certainly do both.

But Microsoft understands that Windows isn’t the future. It’s a capable platform, but it’s also an aging, legacy platform. And more modern alternatives like iPadOS and ChromeOS are perhaps better positioned for a future in which a phone is the primary device for most users and they only need a larger display and real keyboard occasionally. In many ways, Windows and the PC are still around today more because of inertia and familiarity than suitability.
The future of Windows 10X
will asks:

I agree with your recent post on the Windows 10X delay and Microsoft not shipping any dual screen devices this year. It feels like the COVID reason is more of a scapegoat as the software just going to be ready this year. Curious if you think a year from now Windows 10 and Windows 10X will really be one in the same, or very similar?

I’ve always felt that Windows 10X was just a dry run for what Microsoft hoped to bring to “real” Windows 10. And Brad mentioned today that we could soon be testing Windows 10X in the Insider Preview. I hope that’s true: If Microsoft is serious about this becoming mainstream Windows, as I think they are, it needs to be tested and used on traditional PC form factors. Maybe this is a positive change.
Favorite video conferencing solution?
rossfinnie asks:

To me it seems that video conferencing and web meeting tools are not ready for those who don't have an IT department to email or call for help. It also seems that the systems are very fragile and it takes half of the meeting time just to get microphones and sound working. What is your favorite video conferencing software?

Honestly, I don’t have one, and they’re all terrible in some ways. I think most of the issues that people are having right now---aside from the never-ending Zoom-style security and privacy issues---are just unfamiliarity. I experience this when I use a web-based video conferencing solution in a new browser because the AV defaults are always wrong.
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