No Google Chrome for Windows 10 S!

I have some very sad news for you, chaps: Windows 10 S allows no Google Chrome aboard. Bye-bye bookmarks, see you later history backup, after a ’while Google search!

Okay, if you do want to come back, please, Google, develop a Universal Windows Platform version of Chrome and bring it to the Store. The same goes for any third-party apps, as well. You either strike a deal with the Windows Store, or you won’t be allowed to run on Windows 10 S.

That rings a bell, doesn’t it? I can see Mac users nodding their heads vigorously. They know that feeling. Within Windows 10 S which is, in a nutshell, the cut down version of Windows 10 pro for educational purposes, you’re locked to the Edge browser, Bing search engine and other strictly Microsoft products. If you feel rebellious and try to install Chrome all the same, the installer just won’t run. And what miffs me most of all, is that we never saw it coming!

Okay, nobody expected great opportunities from an educational edition, though the Surface laptop is a bit too costly for a student’s portable. But, blocking the installation of the third-party apps is not in the Microsoft line of business. Or, it hasn’t been until now, apparently. Microsoft claims the isolation policy reduces the risks of installing malware. An end-user’s safety is a reasonable argument, I agree; but, not in a kindergarten manner.

Now, let’s look at the future Microsoft wants us to live. Any company that would like its software to be compatible with Windows 10 S, should convert it into a package with a Desktop Bridge toolset (former Project Centennial). The already converted desktop apps include Evernote and Slack, while Office 2016 and Spotify, will be converted by the time new PCs will arrive in the stores this summer.

So, the new rules are simple: play up to Microsoft’s rules, or walk away. It’s not a big deal to convert browsers or other apps for the new OS needs. Google, Mozilla can do that as well as smaller companies, indie makers included. But, don’t get enthusiastic about that. The devil is in the details; specifically in clauses 10.2 and 10.2.1 of the Windows Store Policie’s latest revision 7.3. These go:

10.2 Security: Your app must not jeopardize or compromise user security, or the security or functionality of the device, system or related systems.
10.2.1: Apps that browse the web must use the appropriate HTML and JavaScript engines provided by the Windows Platform.

It’s not enough to use the Desktop Bridge to convert the app, but you will have to implement the engines by Microsoft as well! Someone in Redmond has been jealous of Apple for years, and now his or her dream comes true.

What does it mean for us, the users? No Google Chrome in our foreseeable future, that’s what. No Internet Explorer either. The unwanted offspring of the unknown IT genius, is banned at last. The search engine by default is Bing. Who has ever heard of Bing? Do your friends ask you ‘to Bing’ some info? The only way out will be to bookmark the google search page, I guess. It’s impossible to change the search engine settings under Windows 10 S. Just imagine, you have to look up some articles on Amazonian rain-forests. You open the Edge browser, then you click the bookmark and ONLY THEN, can you type in your question into the taskbar or a search bar. And, if you think it will augment your safety, you’re under an illusion. Hacking your browser is just one of the dozens of ways people can tap into your device.

And the cherry on the top of this cake: Windows 10 S features limited support of peripherals that otherwise work great with Windows 10 Pro and Home. But, you can upgrade your OS for a little extra money out of pocket. I can’t see who needs the S edition in the first place. Using it, is like dining in a toddler’s chair; you can’t do this, you’re not allowed to do that, eat what you’re given and say ‘thank you’.

Most people, especially small business owners, will just upgrade to Windows 10 Pro, thus leaping over the fence. My guess is, Microsoft tests not the new OS edition, but the new apps policy. And god help us if they consider it an appropriate and permanent change.