Chrome, Firefox, other browsers won’t run on Windows 10 S (unless something changes)

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While Microsoft has been encouraging developers to convert legacy apps to Universal Windows Platform apps that can be distributed in the Windows Store, there’s one small catch when it comes to web browsers.

And by small, I mean unless something changes you won’t find Firefox, Chrome, Opera, or most other third-party web browsers in the Windows Store anytime soon… which means you won’t be able to run them on Windows 10 S

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This will be disappointing for Windows 10 S users who don't like the Microsoft Edge web browser which is installed on Windows 10 S.
 
Wait wait wait, what is windows 10 s again?
 
Wait wait wait, what is windows 10 s again?

Windows 10 S is a locked down version of Windows 10 where you can just download and install apps from the Windows Store, and use Microsoft Edge as the web browser. I think you can also use approved Microsoft apps like MS Office, Visual Studios, and other Microsoft programs.
 
Windows 10 S is a locked down version of Windows 10 where you can just download and install apps from the Windows Store, and use Microsoft Edge as the web browser. I think you can also use approved Microsoft apps like MS Office, Visual Studios, and other Microsoft programs.
Whats the market for Windows 10 S? As in, why would anyone offer the locked-down version instead of the full OS? What cases exist where this is the only thing allowed?
 
Whats the market for Windows 10 S? As in, why would anyone offer the locked-down version instead of the full OS? What cases exist where this is the only thing allowed?

Windows 10 S market would be mostly Elementary and High Schools, and non-creative content workplaces like offices, libraries, data entry and banks which may not want their PC users to install third-party non-approved programs off the internet, or from a USB drive which may contain viruses, spyware, and malware, or waste the users' time when they should be working.

But, creative content workplaces like web designers, 3D animators, and video editor departments will most likely find Windows 10 S overly restrictive because the software which they need to use may not be in the Windows App Store, so they can't run it. Web designers usually need to use multiple web browsers like Firefox, and Chrome to test out their web design, or to see if a video or 3D web app they publish on their website works well in Chrome and Firefox.

Some less tech savvy parents may also feel more comfortable letting their younger kids use a Windows 10 S computer because their young kids can't install games like first person shooters, and fighting games from websites.

Windows 10 S also has features like Bitlocker, Windows Store for Business, Mobile Device Management (MDM), etc which are also found in Windows 10 Pro, but not found in cheaper versions of Windows 10 like Windows 10 Home.

Windows 10 S is also more lightweight because it is designed to work well on cheaper $200-300 laptops which typically have an Intel Celeron N3450 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of flash memory storage. I think 10 S is more lightweight because Windows 10 S is mainly designed to run Windows Store Apps, MS Office, and other Windows 10 S approved apps which don't use a lot of system resources in most cases.

Windows 10 S is a business operating system, and have many features which Home users would rarely use. Windows 10 S license is free compared to Windows 10 Pro and Home which are not free. If the Windows 10 S computer will be used for mainly MS Office, other Approved Windows 10 S Programs like Microsoft Edge and Visual Studios, and Windows Store Apps companies and schools can save money by using Windows 10 S computers instead of 10 Pro computers which will cost more because Windows 10 Pro license is free, and need faster hard ware like a faster CPU and more RAM to run smoothly.

I think not many regular electronic stores will sell many Windows 10 S computers since most regular users will most likely buy a Windows 10 Home laptop or desktop computer which they can affordably buy for $300-400 and up, or a $100 Windows 10 Home tablet which they can turn into a laptop by plugging in a USB keyboard and mouse. Home users also want to continue to use their software which they bought from a non-Windows Store software store or downloaded for free from a download website like download.com and SourceForge, and play their many PC games which they bought from Steam, Gog, Humble Bundle, and other online game software stores.
 
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I can see this being an IT headache, but hopefully no one mistakenly gets this on their home PC.

I agree, hopefully, no one mistakenly gets Windows 10 S, and the Windows 10 S PC box and description on electronic store ad flyers and websites tell people that they can only run Windows Store Apps, and cannot run third-party programs and games which are downloaded from download.com, Steam, SourceForge, USB drives, and other non-MS stores, and drives.
 
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I haven't heard of anyone using Windows 10 S to be honest. Didn't even know there was such a thing. Wouldn't it be easier for the administrators to block users from doing certain things on the whole network? We have that in my college and we can only download a select few programs like Chrome. Other programs require an administrator password
 
I haven't heard of anyone using Windows 10 S to be honest. Didn't even know there was such a thing. Wouldn't it be easier for the administrators to block users from doing certain things on the whole network? We have that in my college and we can only download a select few programs like Chrome. Other programs require an administrator password

Windows 10 S is a new operating system which got released on May 2, 2017, so fewer people know about Windows 10 S.

It maybe easier to block users on the network from doing certain tasks if your network is already setup to block programs from installing.

But, it is cheaper to use Windows 10 S which already come locked-down by default, and does not require as many technical support workers to block users from installing programs on computers connected to the network because Windows 10 S is already locked-down, and does not have the ability to install third-party software like Chrome and Firefox which are not in the Windows Store.

Windows 10 S is also a cheaper operating system which maybe given away for free to computer makers like Dell, HP, and Acer, so 10 S can be installed on cheap $190 laptops without the need to raise the price to pay for the 10 S license because of the low or free cost of a Windows 10 S operating system.

If the user need to install 3rd-party non-Windows Store software like Firefox and Chrome, the owner of the Windows 10 S computer needs to pay $50 to upgrade Windows 10 Pro which can install 3rd party software.

I think in the future, Microsoft may let Windows 10 S users pay less than $50 to upgrade to Windows 10 Home which cost less than 10 Pro, and have fewer features than 10 Pro.
 
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Good thing I never got W10 to begin with. I'm a loyalist and I dislike change. Windows 7 has all the tools necessary to do any task you want, and it's easy enough to access when you want something. Not that hard to learn, not that hard to navigate, and it has lower requirements. You also don't need to waste your time upgrading to W10 and having to reinstall everything, from browsers to basic programs. All in all, I'm pretty contended with having a Windows 7 and won't probably upgrade unless something major happens to W7.
 
Good thing I never got W10 to begin with. I'm a loyalist and I dislike change. Windows 7 has all the tools necessary to do any task you want, and it's easy enough to access when you want something. Not that hard to learn, not that hard to navigate, and it has lower requirements. You also don't need to waste your time upgrading to W10 and having to reinstall everything, from browsers to basic programs. All in all, I'm pretty contended with having a Windows 7 and won't probably upgrade unless something major happens to W7.

You will have to upgrade to W10 sooner or later. No current day laptops will run W7 very well and its hard to come by the w7 iso.
 
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