Today, the rumor that Microsoft is going to kill the Control Panel from Windows became official. Essentially, Microsoft wants us to learn the new settings and forget about all the other PC management tools.
Mr. Gabriel Aul, who is Vice President, WDG Engineering Systems team at Microsoft and the spokesperson for the Windows Insiders program, confirmed today that the classic Control Panelisset to die in the near future:
Having two different applications means more code complexity and disk/memory usage. Getting to know one is simpler.
@billybobjoe2211 @brandonleblanc Having two separate implementations means more code complexity and disk/mem usage. Getting to one is leaner
— Gabriel Aul (@GabeAul) October 4, 2015
This is indeed bad news for all users who preferred to use the classic control panel and avoided using the “Settings” app.
Personally, I find the classic Control Panel faster, more advanced, more mouse and keyboard friendly, and better organized than the Settings app
The Settings app is slower and requires more clicks or typing to change something because it's organized into categories and pages. It also requires more scrolling because it's designed to be touch-friendly, and many of the settings are simplified, such that some advanced settings have been eliminated.
The Metro controls used in the Settings app are not at all mouse or keyboard friendly and their use and even the colors are depressing. The Settings app is acceptable for touch devices, but for users with the classic keyboard + mouse, it is a disaster.
The next major upgrade to Windows 10 is expected in November 2015. It's not clear exactly when the Control Panel will be removed from Windows 10, but we do know that the new Start menu doesn't have a corresponding link for the Control Panel to open it.
