Microsoft Windows 10 or Windows 11

Microsoft Windows 10 or Windows 11 : Choosing the best of the Worsts :)

Like Windows 10 before it, the launch of Windows 11 wasn’t smooth, and early adopters faced quite a few challenges when upgrading to Windows 11. While things have improved since then, it can be argued that Windows 10 is still better than Windows 11 in many important aspects. If you’re one of those who haven’t yet made the jump to Microsoft’s latest OS or are considering reverting to Windows 10, perhaps these seven reasons will convince you that Windows 10 is better than Windows 11 just like the case of about windows 7 and Windows 8, or Windows XP over Windows Vista in windows history :)

Windows 11 is Mostly “Windows 10+”

Some users are not aware that Windows 11 was never really envisioned as a new Windows version by Microsoft. What was initially meant to be a feature update named Sun Valley Update with a UI overhaul to Windows 10 was later rebranded to Windows 11. The latest Windows OS is, therefore, not technically a “new Windows” version and could be considered as a prettier Windows 10 with a few changes here and there, not all of which are for the better.

The similarities between the planned Windows 10 Sun Valley update and Windows 11 go beyond the surface. Many core features of both Windows 10 and Windows 11 are comparable, unlike the vast improvements Windows 10 brought over Windows 8. Recognizing Microsoft’s marketing trick of pitching Windows 11 as the “next-gen” Windows represents one of the major reasons users may want to continue using Windows 10: they’re not missing much.

Strict Hardware Requirements for Windows 11

While Windows 11 brought a fresh look to the Windows environment, it also added a slew of hardware requirements for those wanting to jump on the bandwagon. For instance, Microsoft mandated that only the computers having at least an Intel 8th Gen or AMD Zen 2 CPU with a TPM 2.0 chip could upgrade to Windows 11. Furthermore, your processor has to support Secure Boot to install Windows 11 on your computer. Although requirements like TPM 2.0 can be bypassed, users may not be aware or savvy enough to accomplish that.

Image source: Microsoft

On top of that, many users still run older hardware that doesn’t satisfy these hardware requirements. Given that Windows 10 doesn’t mandate TPM 2.0, some users may find that they have very little reason to purchase a new system that satisfies Windows 11’s requirements. If you’re running a considerably older system, you can keep running Windows 10 while still enjoying most of Windows 11’s features at the same time.

Easier to Change Settings on Windows 10

Windows 11 unfortunately makes it harder to change basic settings. For example, in earlier Windows 11 builds, you couldn’t right-click the taskbar to access Task Manager, something that was a heavily-used feature in Windows 10. Although later builds brought this feature back to Windows 11, it makes you wonder why Microsoft chose to implement changes like this.

Another new annoyance in Windows 11 is choosing the default app for a particular file type. To do that, you need to set the default app for every individual image or video type. You can’t simply choose a single app for all kinds of images or videos.

Windows 11 also brought a new built-in “S Mode” that ships by default on some Windows 11 systems. While this new mode intends to enhance Windows security by limiting the installation of third-party apps, prohibiting registry changes, and limiting Internet browsing to Microsoft Edge, it can severely limit performance and overall experience.

Changing the behavior of familiar elements of the Windows environment is considerably harder on Windows 11 than it is on Windows 10. This makes it reasonable for Windows 10 users to not upgrade until a Windows 11 update makes things easier.

4. Windows 11 Needs More Clicks

For Windows 10 users moving to Windows 11, the Start menu will be one of the major changes they’ll notice. First, Microsoft moved the location of the Start menu to the center of the taskbar. Additionally, the Start menu doesn’t show your most used and recently installed apps by default. The Start menu settings can be customized manually, but again, that’s additional difficulty baked into a supposedly new and improved Windows version.

The helpful Windows 10 context menu has also been changed to a limiting one on Windows 11, and users need to click on “Show more options” to see all of the options. Other settings, like selecting the Wi-Fi network or switching from speakers to headphones, take more clicks than Windows 10. Overall, for a new user, the experience of using Windows 11 comes off as needlessly difficult and obscure.

Gaming Performance Is Similar

Microsoft focused on providing an improved gaming experience in the latest version and introduced some new gaming features that were supposed to be exclusive to Windows 11. These include DirectStorage for faster load times and AutoHDR. Fortunately for Windows 10 users, both of these features are slated to be introduced in the older version as well in future stable updates.

Image source: Unsplash

If gaming performance is considered, frame rates in almost all games have virtually no meaningful difference between Windows 10 and Windows 11. As DirectStorage implementation improves and game developers start adopting it in future titles, Windows 11’s inherently advanced storage stack may give it an edge. But for the time being, gamers on Windows 10 have little to gain by upgrading.

More Ads on Windows 11

Ads are inescapable in the modern world. Whether on your phone or desktop or laptop, it has become increasingly difficult to block every single ad. With Windows 11, Microsoft has ramped up the number of ads shown to users in the form of suggestions and tips. In the name of a personalized experience, Windows 11 shows you ads on the lock screen and in the Start menu, settings, and notifications.

Image source: Pexels

It’s not like Windows 10 doesn’t have ads, but they’re not as intrusive as those in Windows 11. If you’re someone who’s easily frustrated with well-meaning suggestions that you didn’t sign up for, Windows 10 is the better option for now.

Windows 10 Support Until 2025

Sticking to an older operating system runs the risk of losing out on security updates, as newer versions are prioritized over previous versions near the end of their lifecycle. But Microsoft will support Windows 10 until October 2025, so you’ll continue to receive feature and security updates for more than two years. If you were worried about losing out on protection for your Windows 10 PC, there’s still time to wait and allow Windows 11 to mature further.

Image source: Unsplash

Windows 11 still suffers from compatibility issues and bugs as problems creep up with every new update. With Microsoft continuously releasing bug fixes and security patches, it will pay to delay your upgrade to Windows 11 if you can help it.

Here are some extras on Windows 10 over Windows 11.

What are some of the advantages of Windows 11 over Windows 10?

Despite lacking in several areas and sharing many similarities with Windows 10, it is still worthwhile to upgrade to Windows 11 due to some important advancements it brings over Windows 10. For instance, you can now run Android apps natively in Windows and use multiple desktops. You also get more widget options and better support for tablets and other touchscreen devices.

How can I use Windows 11 for free?

Windows 11 ships as a free upgrade for Windows 10 users. As long as your Windows 10 computer meets the hardware requirements for Windows 11, you can update to Windows 11 by simply downloading it through Windows Update. If you don’t have a license for your Windows 10, then you will have to purchase a Windows 11 license to use the latest OS version.

Does Windows 11 need more RAM than Windows 10?

Windows 11 is snappier than Windows 10 and brings a host of performance improvements and features to the Windows environment. But these additional features also make it more demanding. Windows 11 consumes more RAM than Windows 10. However, on relatively modern systems, you will not experience slowdowns, as the memory management on Microsoft’s latest OS is top notch. The newer OS also brings several optimizations that make it run well – even on older PCs with less RAM. But if your computer has less than 8GB RAM, you may experience issues while using some Windows 11 features.

 

 

Giving Secure Online Examinations, Quizzes in the World of Artificial Intelligence and Chat BOTs

 To prevent cheating in online exams, it would be useful to first review how students cheat.

The following are some common ways of cheating in online exams:

• Unreasobale or unlimited Exam duration: Not setting a proper exam duration (start, end, and exam duration settings) can be a problem, even if start and end times are defined in some institutions, as defining an excessively long exam time or an exam that lasts from morning until evening is an invitation and even encouragement to cheat. In addition, the rights of other students who take the same or similar courses are also violated. The solution is to define a realistic and fair exam duration, just like in face-to-face exams, without forgetting the concepts of justice and fairness.
• Communication groups: Instant sharing of the answers of the solved questions by setting up communication groups can only solve cheating on random questions or questions that are diversified with different values.
• Sending exam questions to online sites and receiving the answers of the questions by sending them back. This type of cheating can only be solved by sequential questions and preventing the viewing and returning of the question. Also, a fair and reasonable exam duration setting is necessary.
• Opening a new tab/window or browser next to the internet browser page during the exam and searching for the solutions of the questions on electronic environments on the internet or sending emails to previously agreed persons to solve the question. This possibility can be prevented by setting the exam system's internet browser to kiosk mode through the Secure Browser setting.
• Same questions and answers for everyone. In this case, sharing the questions and answer choices directly through communication groups is possible. The solution is to have random questions and answer choices for each student.
• Unlimited Examination Entrance: One or more students who do not expect anything from the course, drop the course, or know for sure that they will fail, entering the exam first and sharing the questions one by one in groups, creating a copy question and answer pool, and then all other students entering the system and marking only the questions and their relevant correct answers. This possibility of cheating can be reduced by limiting the entry time to the exam.
• Use of open artificial intelligence programs/applications that are available to everyone online or in the form of an application.

After summarizing the most common cheating methods in online exams, the following techniques can be used to minimize these possibilities:

• The priority is to create a well-planned question pool entirely composed of new questions that are different every year and every term. 
• In this context, one of the things to do is to create a question pool for each section separately, which is quite diverse, even classified according to difficulty levels, and which produces different results by giving different numerical values ​​to the same difficulty and question set to create an exam pool. Thus, even if similar questions come to students who know each other, communicate, or even sit next to each other, the results will be different because the numerical values ​​of the numbers will be different. Even if they come as similar questions from random questions, at least copying in the first stage will be prevented because the numerical values ​​will be different. 
• It is essential to set questions as random and as a single question on each page.
• One of the things to be done is to make sure that the start, end, and duration settings of the exam are made, and the student finishes the exam at the end of the specified time for solving the questions. Once the time settings mentioned are made, the remaining time on the system will be displayed continuously, and the exam will be automatically saved and closed at the end of the time. 
• One of the ways to prevent cheating, especially in online exams, is to ensure that the questions appear sequentially, not free, one after the other, and only forward, and to prevent going back to previous questions. That is, it is to prevent students from copying the questions, sharing them with someone else, or finding the correct answers somewhere, and then returning to answer them. 
• Another way is to ensure that the questions and answer options are selected randomly during the exam. Thus, the possibility of similar or the same questions coming to close students who know each other, form a group or communicate is reduced, preventing copying. 
• Preventing students from opening another application in the background during the exam is another way to prevent cheating. This method, which can be used as a way to prevent students from searching for solutions to questions in another environment by connecting to the internet, is to take the exam in a Secure/Protected Browser mode. That is, the browser that is opened will be in kiosk mode and cover the entire screen, allowing the student to use only the question screen, preventing another browser or tab from being opened. 
  
• Ensuring that students enter the exam only in the allowed time at the beginning of the eaxmination, in the first 10 or 15-mins., depending on the situation, and preventing them from entering the exam in the following minutes is a way to prevent cheating. Thus, as soon as the exam starts, all students will enter the exam, and their time will begin. 
• Another method is to use some special software, sign online course registration requirements and rules for students at the beginning of the term, and install software that does not allow other connections and background applications in their PC/Table/Smartphone during exams. However, there may be cost and hesitation both at the institutional and student level.
• During the exam, monitoring and controlling the student and their surroundings through multiple cameras is another way of supervision. However, this method will require multiple supervisors to control multiple cameras during the exam, leading to institutional and student-level costs and concerns (such as monitoring personal environments).

• To prevent the use of open-access artificial intelligence programs online or through applications, questions should be prepared in image format rather than direct text format. Here, questions should be presented as an image with only the question text in text format or even the entire question in image format, with other necessary information provided in a suitable manner for solving the question. This may not be possible for every question, in which case the question should be created using complex watermark patterns or other designs and must be submitted in image format. As current artificial intelligence applications still use version 3.0 or 3.5, they cannot yet accept image or voice inputs. However, in the future, with version 4.0 or 5.0, using different designs in the background (like CAPTCHA) for image-format questions and submitting questions to the system in this way should be considered as a way to minimize cheating.

  Finally, it may not be possible to apply all of these methods simultaneously, but combining appropriate ones will be the most intelligent approach.