This was annoyingly unobvious, but when you plug your headset into your audio jack and the MaxxAudioPro popup appears:
Click the word “Headset” (because it’s a button!):
If you don’t see a MaxxAudioPro dialog when you plug your headphones into the computer, turn that feature on:
I got a Dell Inspiron 7000 preloaded with Windows 10 for Christmas. The defaults were terrible. Here’s how I tweaked it. A picture is worth a weekend of my life, wasted:
Encryption was significant factor as to why things were slow. The recovery key is stored on Microsoft’s servers which I consider a risk not a feature. I turned it off.
I started by updating everything. Even though my Dell was brand new I spent several hours waiting for Build 1709 updates (Windows 10 Fall Creators Update).
Next, after reboots and “don’t turn off your computer” progress bars from the previous step, I uninstalled all software I hated. Bloatware, crapware, things I didn’t want, my new computer came with a lot of it.
This is a new computer with nothing on it so a good opportunity to start off on the right foot with an apt alternative. I installed Chocolatey.
I created a new local admin user, logged in as the new admin, and deleted the old one. Clean slate in a usable state.
Finally, I installed Shut Up Windows 10 and applied the recommended settings. Cortana was fun for five minutes, my seven year old thought it was cool, otherwise useless and drags the system down.
A common misconception is that you need a web server like IIS, Apache, or Nginx to get started with PHP7 development. In fact, PHP7 has its own built in web server that you can invoke at the command prompt. Many modern PHP frameworks support this, such as Phalcon PHP.
Prerequisite:
PHP7 and Composer on Windows 10
Download the latest DLL file from GitHub and unzip to C:\PHP7\ext
Make sure the file you download matches your installed PHP version. For me, it was the non-thread safe version, so I picked a file that ended with _nts.zip
Add extension=php_phalcon.dll to your php.ini file
Drop to the command prompt and do:
php -v
If you get an error like “PHP Startup: Unable to load dynamic library…” that just means you installed the wrong version:
Don’t panic, download another version, overwrite the DLL, and try again:
(Source)
In a new folder create a bare bones composer.json file with only this in it:
{
"require-dev": {
"phalcon/devtools": "~3.2"
}
}
At the command prompt, cd to your folder, and do:
composer install
Create a simple project named my_project:
vendor\bin\phalcon.php.bat project my_project simple .
Launch the built in web server:
cd my_project ..\vendor\bin\phalcon.php.bat serve
(Source)
I’m an OS X user from 2003 until 2011 and a Ubuntu user from 2012 until Windows 10.
The freedom to make irrational decisions.
Here are two (of many) options:
Install Git for Windows. Git for Windows provides a BASH emulator.
Install "Bash On Ubuntu on Windows"
Checkout Chocolatey or Scoop.
Install EasySwitch. Upvote this feature request in Feedback Hub.
Install Shut Up 10. Check out BleachBit.
C:ProgramDataMicrosoftWindowsStart MenuPrograms*
c:WINDOWSsystem32driversetchosts
git config --global core.editor "'C:/Program Files (x86)/Notepad++/notepad++.exe' -multiInst -notabbar -nosession -noPlugin"
(source)
Are you a switcher too? Share your tips in the key party comments below.
PHP7 is a general purpose scripting language well suited for web development. Composer is the defacto package manager for PHP7. This tutorial will show you how to install PHP7 and Composer on Windows 10 for use in a command prompt.
A common misconception is that you need a web server like IIS, Apache, or Nginx to get started with PHP7 development. In fact, PHP7 has its own built in web server that you can invoke at the command prompt. Modern PHP frameworks such as Opulence, Symfony, Cake, Laravel, WordPress, and many more support this.
Download the latest PHP7 (non-thread safe version) zip file from http://windows.php.net/
Extract the contents of the zip file into C:\PHP7
Copy C:\PHP7\php.ini-development to C:\PHP7\php.ini
Open the newly copied C:\PHP7\php.ini in a text editor.
Scroll down to “Directory in which the loadable extensions (modules) reside.” and uncomment: extension_dir = “ext”
Scroll down to the extensions section and uncomment the extensions you want to use.
Tweak other settings as needed.
Note: Don’t forget to keep your php.ini file in a safe place when you upgrade in the future!
Add C:\PHP7 to the Windows 10 system path environment variable.
In a command prompt test that the installation is successful by typing php -v
On my computer I’ve created a C:\Users\dac\bin directory where I keep miscellaneous executables. This directory is in my user path.
Use a search engine to find a tutorial and do something similar. Optionally install composer in the C:\PHP7 directory you just created as it’s already in your path.
To get composer.phar, drop to a command prompt, cd into your target directory, and run:
php -r "copy('https://getcomposer.org/installer', 'composer-setup.php');"
php composer-setup.php
php -r "unlink('composer-setup.php');"
(Important! Click here for a more secure and up-to-date install snippet.)
Next, create a new composer.bat file alongside the composer.phar file so that Windows 10 can execute it more easily. (Source)
echo @php "%~dp0composer.phar" %*>composer.bat
Test that it’s working by typing composer -V
“Shut up, Windows 10” is a free must-have tool to protect your privacy. Every listed setting can be clicked to reveal a full description of what toggling it on/off implies. The actions menu has an easy to use recommended defaults.
I have a Cannon PowerShot camera. When I take videos it records .MOV files.
On Windows 10 I use Picasa to organize my pictures. To import and view MOV files in Picasa I need to install QuickTime.
Regrettably, the QuickTime installer doesn’t work on Windows 10.
One “recommended workaround” is to install the K-Lite Codec pack. When I tried to install it I was prompted by this crap:
This is the primary reason why the Windows software ecosystem sucks. Searching for straightforward solutions lands you on the worst snake oil and sleaze bag sites. They embed their garbage in “next next” dialogue hell.
Always pay attention when installing software because often, a Windows software installer includes optional installs, such as this MyStart toolbar which is essentially a Trojan horse.
PS: The K-Lite Codec pack did not solve my problem. I uninstalled and opted for QuickTime alternative instead.
When I switched from Linux/OSX to Windows 10, I encountered problems with “disappearing files.”
I have a web application with a directory named “aux.” When copying over the project from Linux to Windows this folder and its contents silently disappear.
Pulling the textmate.ruby bundle from GitHub:
$ git clone git@github.com:textmate/ruby.tmbundle.git
Cloning into 'ruby.tmbundle'...
remote: Counting objects: 4012, done.
remote: Total 4012 (delta 0), reused 0 (delta 0), pack-reused 4012
Receiving objects: 100% (4012/4012), 1001.74 KiB | 0 bytes/s, done.
Resolving deltas: 100% (2061/2061), done.
Checking connectivity... done.
error: unable to create file Commands/@variable ||= memoized.tmCommand (Invalid argument)
error: unable to create file Commands/Enclose in * (RDoc comments).tmCommand (Invalid argument)
error: unable to create file Macros/class .. < DelegateClass .. initialize .. end (class).plist (Invalid argument)
error: unable to create file Macros/each_char { |chr| .. } (eac).plist (Invalid argument)
error: unable to create file Macros/each_cons(..) { |group| .. } (eac).plist (Invalid argument)
error: unable to create file Macros/each_slice(..) { |group| .. } (eas).plist (Invalid argument)
// ... snip ...
Argh…
The following are (case insensitive) reserved names which cannot be assigned to a directory or file in Windows 10 :
The following are special characters which cannot be assigned to a directory or file in Windows 10 :
[1] https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/aa365247%28v=vs.85%29.aspx
Getting cwRsync to work with Vagrant on Windows 10 is a pain.
cwRsync is a standalone version of rsync for Windows that doesn’t require Cygwin to be installed. I don’t have Cygwin installed because Git For Windows includes Git Bash and this is “good enough.” With a regular standalone cwRsync installation Cygwin will never be in the PATH and Vagrant will never add the required /cygdrive prefix.
Add C:Program Files (x86)cwRsync (or wherever you installed) to your path. To avoid problems make sure this string is placed before C:Program FilesGitcmd and/or C:Program FilesGitmingw64bin;C:Program FilesGitusrbin
Add the following system variable: CYGWIN = nodosfilewarning
Edit (hack!)C:HashiCorpVagrantembeddedgemsgemsvagrant-1.7.4pluginssynced_foldersrsynchelper.rb
Change line ~43 from:
hostpath = Vagrant::Util::Platform.cygwin_path(hostpath)
To:
hostpath = "/cygdrive" + Vagrant::Util::Platform.cygwin_path(hostpath)
Restart your shells to apply changes. Fiddle with your Vagrantfile. Tada!
Git for Windows is based on MinGw. cwRsync is based on Cygwin. You cannot run Vagrant & cwRsync from Git Bash because cwRsync includes it’s own incompatible SSH binary. If you try you will get the following error:
rsync error: error in rsync protocol data stream (code 12) at io.c(226) [Receive r=3.1.0]
Instead, when launching Vagrant use Microsoft PowerShell.
[1] http://auxmem.com/2010/03/17/how-to-squelch-the-cygwin-dos-path-warning/
[2] https://github.com/mitchellh/vagrant/issues/3230
[3] https://github.com/mitchellh/vagrant/issues/4586
Two weeks ago I drank the cool-aid and switched my laptop to Windows 10.
I haven’t used Windows on my personal computer for twelve years. This is a big deal for me. I ran Ubuntu and OSX before that.
As a LAMP developer the switch has been painful. Here are my top 3 pain points:
PuTTY , an app released in 1998, is still the best option for SSH on Windows. Actually, KiTTY is but you need to run PuTTy tools like Pageant or Key Generator do anything useful. I spend too much time painstakingly converting perfectly good SSH keys into strange PPK files. I squint click through a tree of options to do the most basic of tasks like login without password.
A better SSH for Windows might be GIT-SCM. When you install this you get Git Bash which has SSH. To be honest the Git Bash terminal is open 100% of the time I am sitting at my desktop. An unfortunate island of isolation that my other Windows tools are constantly fighting against…
SSH toolkits are BSD licensed. The fact that Microsoft hasn’t included SSH in Powershell by now is simply unacceptable. If Microsoft seriously wants web developers checking out Windows 10 then this is the biggest road block or, more to the point, this is the road that will lead me back to Linux when I can’t take it anymore.
As a developer my monitor resolution is 1920 x 1080 (or higher!). In Windows 10 no matter where I start I’m pretty much guaranteed that three clicks in I time travel back to Windows NT. Tiny, ugly, anti-responsive dialogues that require toothpick like clicking to change every day web developer configurations. Come on Microsoft, even Linux isn’t this ugly in 2015!
Hyper-V support in Vagrant! This is actually the main reason I switched. Hyper-V is Microsoft’s competition to Virtualbox. Conclusion? Don’t believe the hype.
I spent days trying to get Vagrant to provision a LAMP stack using Hyper-V. I even spent $159.82 CAD to upgrade from Windows 10 Home to Pro so that I could activate this feature.
Hours wasted. I failed. Or more specifically I succeeded and it sucked for web development as I know it. I went back to Virtualbox. On the plus side at least SMB shares work (with caveats!).
Here is a list of URLs for anyone who dares try this themselves. Maybe you’ll have better luck than me?
I’m still a LAMP developer at heart, with all the Stockholm Syndrome that comes from making a living with PHP, but Microsoft is changing.
Most notably C# is now open source. In 2014 I worked a job where I coded C# and, well, I liked it. For desktop, for tablet, for command line, I actually think the .NET ecosystem is pretty great. For web? For backend? Absolutely not. That said, all things considered, I decided I could no longer simply put my fingers in my ears singing “Na na na na I can’t hear you!”
Yes, I understand the distinction between Libre and Open and at this point in my life I am willing to make the trade off. I think Microsoft is setting up for the next decade and by me switching my laptop I am making a bet.
For this to pay off Microsoft needs to accept that .NET is not the dominant web development platform and attract those developers anyways. If they make life easier for the eclectic ecosystem that is the *NIX backend, then mobile and desktop will follow.
But most of all, SSH out-of-the-box for fux sake!