Friday, August 23rd 2024
Windows Control Panel Faces Sunset After Nearly Four Decades, Settings App to Succeed It
Microsoft has officially confirmed plans to phase out the Windows Control Panel, a feature that has been a key to the operating system since its inception in 1985. The tech giant recently stated on its support website, "The Control Panel is in the process of being deprecated in favor of the Settings app, which offers a more modern and streamlined experience." The Control Panel has undergone numerous transformations over its 39-year lifespan and has been a familiar tool for Windows users across generations. Its impending retirement signifies a major shift in Microsoft's approach to user interface design and system management. The Settings app, introduced with Windows 8 in 2012, has gradually absorbed the functionalities of the Control Panel. Despite rumors of its demise circulating for a while, this is the first time Microsoft has officially acknowledged the Control Panel's deprecation.
The company still needs to specify an exact timeline for the complete removal of this legacy feature. Microsoft is encouraging users to utilize the Settings app whenever possible, stating, "While the Control Panel still exists for compatibility reasons and to provide access to some settings that have not yet migrated, you are encouraged to use the Settings app, whenever possible." The Control Panel's longevity can be attributed primarily to two factors: ongoing compatibility concerns and the presence of certain functions not yet available in the Settings app. Microsoft's need to maintain backward compatibility with older software and hardware configurations has been a critical driver behind the Control Panel's continued inclusion in Windows. This legacy support ensures that users can still access essential system settings and utilities that still need to be successfully migrated to the more modern Settings interface. However, the complete transition is now seemingly ready.
Source:
via Tom's Hardware
The company still needs to specify an exact timeline for the complete removal of this legacy feature. Microsoft is encouraging users to utilize the Settings app whenever possible, stating, "While the Control Panel still exists for compatibility reasons and to provide access to some settings that have not yet migrated, you are encouraged to use the Settings app, whenever possible." The Control Panel's longevity can be attributed primarily to two factors: ongoing compatibility concerns and the presence of certain functions not yet available in the Settings app. Microsoft's need to maintain backward compatibility with older software and hardware configurations has been a critical driver behind the Control Panel's continued inclusion in Windows. This legacy support ensures that users can still access essential system settings and utilities that still need to be successfully migrated to the more modern Settings interface. However, the complete transition is now seemingly ready.
64 Comments on Windows Control Panel Faces Sunset After Nearly Four Decades, Settings App to Succeed It
... now delete this post.
BTW, Control Panel and Settings are two distinctively different things, one can not replace the other.
Microsoft is in a weird place where one hand they need Windows to be able to run applications built 25 years ago and on the other hand they need to be constantly making changes to it so other projects like ReactOS can't catch up. Nowadays MS has other big revenue sources like Azure and Office 365 but just 10 years ago a successful ReacOS would have meant the death of MS. That said, MS being less reliant on Windows for their bottom line also means they can afford to make more shitty changes to it.
I've been using Windows since 3.11 and the only reason I'd pick 11 over Vista is the improvements made to Windows Update, except for the garbage preview updates I can't get rid of unless I set up my own WSUS server. And Vista is at the bottom of the list.
But really, detailed search in Settings, using the Start menu, is great. Not only should it be present in the Control Panel. It should be present in many other places in Windows.