Living with S Mode: First Steps (Premium)

One of the maxims about cloud computing is that you need to learn to let go: People who are stuck in the past, whether its for general file storage, music or video services, or whatever, need to learn to accept the fact that this new thing isn’t going to be exactly the same as what they used to use. It will be better in important ways; after all, that’s why we make these changes. But there will be some features, some functionality, that disappear in the process. And letting go of them can be hard.

(This is, of course, the whole point behind the “embrace change” mantra. But like all advice, it’s easier to give than it is to receive.)

When you think about it, Windows 10 in S mode really is like cloud computing. (Though, no, this does not explain why it was first called Windows 10 Cloud.) That is, it offers advantages over the thing that it seeks to replace, but it also comes with some missing features that many will have trouble getting past. To embrace the future that is Windows 10 in S mode, then, we need to learn to let go. If we can’t, if the missing features are too important, we can simply go back to what we were using before.

On that note, I’ve begun my newest push to use Windows 10 in S mode regularly. Because I am a writer, I decided that examining how I might put words to pixels in this system would be an interesting place to start.

And I did a ton of writing this past weekend, though you probably didn’t see most of it: I was working on the Windows 10 Field Guide basically all day Saturday and Sunday since my wife and daughter were away. That writing must happen in Windows 10 Pro for a variety of reasons. But everything I’m writing about for the book is tested against Windows 10 S, and I use Windows 10 S for almost all of the screenshots for this new edition of the book.

I also spent time working directly in Windows 10 in S mode. Just not in the book.

And while it’s still a little too easy to complain about the lack of high-quality apps in Windows 10 in S mode, the inclusion of Microsoft Office in the Store closes the gap nicely. I’m guessing that Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) could play a big role in closing it even further. Perhaps entirely, in my case: Many of the apps I miss using with Windows 10 in S mode are web apps. And in other cases, there are better web app alternatives to the apps I prefer and use than there are Store app alternatives.

A high-quality Markdown editor is a great example.

“Needing” a Markdown editor is, of course, unusual. (I do, in fact, need one to write the book as our publishing system relies on it. So, it’s easier for me to stick to one editor for everything rather than use MarkdownPad for the book and Word for everything else.) I’m not going to hold that against S mode, even though it’s also a great example of how this thing has been failing us all on the micro level since it was announced last year: It’s just a different fail for everyone.

And the reason I’m not going to hold this one against S mode is that there is a high-quality writing application available for this system. And while it’s not free, it is one that most people would want to use anyway. Maybe you’ve heard of it.

It’s called Microsoft Word.

Word is the complete package, and the version that’s available in the Store looks and works just like the traditional desktop version of Word 2016. Because, of course, that’s what it is: That application, packaged and delivered through the Store. But in using Word again, I’m reminded of my standard riff on the application. Which is that I’m a professional writer and even I only need about 10 percent of its functionality. It’s an “everything but the kitchen sink” app. (Actually, I think the kitchen sink is in there too. It probably has its own tab.) And you may recall that it and the rest of Office became so overloaded with functionality that Microsoft needed to invent an entirely new UI, the ribbon, to replace the apps’ over-burdened menus and toolbars.

But let’s take Word for the win that it is. A high-quality, desktop-class application that is now being delivered through the Store. What is there to complain about?

Nothing major, to be fair. But I have noticed two small things already, one of which has nothing to do with S mode.

It always bothered me that Word never saved all of the customizations that I made in the application. For example, the first time I used Word on any PC, I’d open Options and make tons of changes, especially in the Auto-Correct area. Why those settings never synced to OneDrive so that I never needed to make them again is unclear. They certainly didn’t sync to this instance of Word. So, I had to exercise some long-quieted memories and make those changes manually. Again.

One of the things I initially did miss when I left Word a few years ago was that application’s excellent spelling and grammar-checking capabilities. The editor I currently use to write, MarkdownPad, has basic spell-checking only, but no grammar-checking.  And you get another level of spell checking when you paste an article into a browser form to get it on the web; that’s included with browsers. But … it’s just not the same.

Which leads me to my second issue here: Grammarly, the online grammar-checker. Brad and I both came across this wonderful and highly-recommended utility at roughly the same time last year. And I’m sure you’ve heard about it because neither one of us will ever shut up about it. Anyway, Grammarly is available as a browser plug-in, which is how I use it today: I write in my Markdown editor, which catches some spelling issues only. And then I paste the article into a web form and Grammarly catches the more important grammar problems. It does a  great job.

But Grammarly, I recalled, also has a Word (and Outlook) add-in.  I thought that would be neat to try, but … yep, you guessed it … It does not work with Windows 10 in S mode. Windows 10 in S mode does not let you install desktop applications. Which, of course, is what this plug-in is.

To be fair, and I am trying here, the Store version of Word does support the Add-ins infrastructure that is provided by the native, desktop version of Word. That is, there are Store and My Add-ins buttons in Word’s Insert menu, and they appear to trigger the same interfaces that you see in the desktop version of Word 2016. The issue is that Grammarly is not available through this interface. You have to download it from the web. And … you know how that goes with Windows 10 in S mode.

Some may now be sharpening their reply skills, ready to point out that this failing is Grammarly’s fault, not Microsoft’s. But that’s the thing. It doesn’t matter “who” is responsible for something not working in Windows 10 in S mode. Ultimately, that blame is always on Microsoft. They are the ones who artificially prevent Windows from working normally. And it is users who will run into this kind of limitation—will almost always do so, eventually—and be confused by it.

I’ve written and spoken a lot about the need for exceptions. For Windows 10 in S mode to allow the user to choose for themselves on an application-by-application basis. That an S mode system in which the user allowed their one gotta-have-it desktop solution to run would still be better than forcing a system-wide change to disable S mode. So I won’t hammer on that again here. But I also will not let it just pass, because too many are taking Microsoft’s Apple-like hard-line stance here as if it were gospel. For some reason.

But back to being fair. Is this a total loss? No: Word still has its own grammar-checking capabilities, and from what I can see already, they’ve improved since I last used the application. Plus, Grammarly does have a Microsoft Edge extension, so I can still take advantage of this service when I paste articles into a web form. Look, we have a solution. Even though it involves me having to use the browser I don’t want to use. I’ll take it.

I wrote this entire article in the Store version of Word, by the way. So, if you see any grammar issues, well. You know who to blame.

Right. Me.