Almost 4 years after Windows 10’s release in 2015, Microsoft has just released its May 2019 update (1903), which finally gives back full control of update scheduling to users. After the extremely long awaited update… and then setting your “Active Hours”, Microsoft promises that Windows 10 users will now be immune from undesired spontaneous restarts to a computer while in the middle of performing a mission-critical task like Internet interviewing, live broadcasting, gaming or digital surgery. Ahead are the details and my comments about the use of ChromeOS standalone, ChromeOS together with MacinCloud, as well as the newly liberated Windows 10, either way.

Inevitable Chromebook rant

Before I get into the details about the long awaited Windows 10 update 1903 from May 2019, I must first give an essential ChromeOS speech:

A recent Chromebook (laptop), Chromebox (like a Mac Mini) or Chromebase (all-in-one, like an iMac) computer will best serve 88% of the Earth’s population much better (and often much more inexpensively) than a macOS or Windows computer, due to ChromeOS’s efficiency, simplicity, security and power for most people’s tasks. It is well documented that ChromeOS-based computers are the most secure (of those which connect to the Internet) and require the least amount of maintenance. You can use Cleanfeed free or Cleanfeed Pro with ChromeOS to record remote guests at 48 kHz! Despite persistent myths to the contrary, there is a plethora of programs for the latest ChromeOS that work offline (including web apps, Android apps and more recently, silent Linux apps, all of which both run on the latest Chromebooks/Chromeboxes/Chromebases), without any Internet connection during use.

The rest of this article is for the other 12% of earthlings who (like me) still very frequently use one of the few (and diminishing) applications that still don’t exist for ChromeOS, like:

• Very demanding audio editing for storytellers, i.e. Hindenburg Journalist (Pro), which currently exists for macOS and Windows.
• Very demanding video editing + grading, like DaVinci Resolve, which currently exists for macOS, Windows and Linux. Linux already works on ChromeOS, but so far it’s silent (without audio). That should change before the end of 2019. Then it will likely be a question of performance, depending upon the specific hardware used.
• Sophisticated print and ebook publishing for wide distribution (listen to Joanna Penn’s excellent Exclusivity vs publishing wide for ebooks, print, And audio), with a tool like Vellum (see details ahead)
• Digital surgery

You may have noticed that I wrote the words very frequent in italics, since those who need infrequent use of Vellum can —and should absolutely consider— using a Chromebook/Chromebox/Chromebase together with an online service called MacinCloud, which can be extremely inexpensive for occasional use. Even if you plan to publish 6 books per year, most of your time will be invested in the writing (not in the layout), which can be done directly on a Chromebook/Chromebox/Chromebase (using Google Docs or StackEdit, both of which can work both online and offline, seamlessly). Then you will only need to use Vellum in the final layout stages, which is a fraction of the time you spend writing. Authors like Paul Toague have done that successfully using Vellum —without a Mac— using MacinCloud’s Pay-as-You-Go option, which costs US$30 for 30 hours of use, which obviously works out to US$1 per hour. Of course, MacinCloud can and should also be used from a Windows 10 computer too, since Vellum isn’t available for Windows either. To clarify, MacinCloud’s Pay-as-You-Go option for US$30 gives you 30 hours, which do not have to be consecutive hours. However, your US$30 Pay-as-You-Go credits will expire if you do not login to your MacinCloud server for 60 consecutive days. Even if you use Macincloud, you must still purchase your own Vellum license, which you install in your Macincloud instance.

The rest of the article is for those of you who frequently use creative apps that do exist for Windows 10 (and aren’t yet feasible on a Chromebook/Chromebase/Chromebox), including DaVinci Resolve, Hindenburg Journalist (Pro), all of the Adobe apps (including Premiere Pro, Premiere Rush), Camtasia and much more.

MSFT’s Hands-on walkthrough: May 2019 Update for Windows 10

The above video from MSFT has a total duration of 15:22, but I have pre-cued it for you to 13:30, where it begins discussing the core message of this article. If you are interested in watching the entire video, feel free to do so.

Comments and thoughts

After the extremely long awaited update and then setting your “Active Hours”, Microsoft promises that Windows 10 users will no longer receive undesired spontaneous restarts to a computer while its in the middle of performing a mission-critical task like Internet interviewing, broadcasting, gaming or digital surgery.

According to many reputable security sources, Windows Defender Security Center (free for Windows 10) has been doing a very good job of protecting virus and spyware for a long time (although of course, not as well as ChromeOS). As a result, the unexpected, unplanned and spontaneous updates and restarts have been the main reason preventing many macOS users —who are justifiably unsatisfied with Apple’s current Mac offerings— from Windows 10 with mission-critical applications until now. So with this game-changer, for those macOS users who are justifiably unsatisfied with Apple’s current Mac offerings due to defective keyboards, unstable T2 chips and lack of matte IPS displays (and still cannot use ChromeOS for the reasons mentioned in the prior section), the primary remaining objection to using a computer with Windows 10 has seemingly been eliminated, especially since sporadic use of macOS-only apps like Vellum are alleviated for US$30 by MacinCloud.

I still have and use a MacBook Air, the last one that could be transplanted to matte by TechRestore in California while they still offered it. Stand by for more about this hot topic. I can’t work with the “free mirror” that Apple currently includes with all current key models, with the notable exception of the Mac Mini, the only remaining Mac that still offers the freedom not to be forced into a distracting glossy display. Be sure to get on my mailing list (or get back onto it, after the GDPR change).

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