For older users of the Windows, they know that 'Control Panel' is the hub of all Windows settings and adjustments, a fact that that been around for decades.
But in Windows 10, one of the most curious aspects, is seeing the Control Panel and the Settings app to co-exist. Why would Microsoft keep that redundancy? Why does Microsoft have to have two places to do one thing? This time, Microsoft answers that very question.
This is seen when users select a Control Panel link, and Windows 10 will redirect them to the corresponding Settings page.
So here, Microsoft is starting to favor one instead of the other, by slowly replacing its long famous Control Panel in favor for its Settings app.
It should be noted that Microsoft has long wanted to remove Control Panel, but the company has never been able to cut the cord entirely.
That until this time.
The Settings app has been for its entire life in Windows, the shadow of the Control Panel.
In the Windows operating systems, Control Panel provides a more granular and deep settings management. Settings on the other hand, surfaces an app that lacks some actionable information and the deeper controls of Control Panel.
But despite that, Microsoft has been willing to kill Control Panel over the years, trying to push users towards the Settings app that is more touch-friendly and has a nicer modern theming.
However, Microsoft also knows that there is something familiar about the Control Panel that users love. To those people, Control Panel is literally the faithful and unchanged friend through the many developments of Windows over the years. Microsoft knows that Control Panel has a staunch fanbase of older users who preferred 'function over fashion'.
This is why Microsoft couldn't kill Control Panel until the Windows 10's Settings app is really ready to take the legacy.
And that, starting with Windows 10 Insider Preview Builds, and then the October 2020 Update, Microsoft is playing brave to finally do the shift.
Initially, the redirections only happen when users select the About Page and Systems links.
But clearly, this is just a start.
Microsoft doesn't want to alienate or annoy users by suddenly eliminating the Control Panel all of a sudden. It does this slowly.
For its part, Microsoft has, of course, done a lot of work to ensure that the same information on the Control Panel page is available on the Settings page, before removing that Control Panel page.
Microsoft decision is huge, but in the end, the company hopes that its Windows operating system can provide that same experience users have been familiar with when using other operating systems or other platforms.
After all, the term 'Control Panel' is only used famously by Microsoft on Windows, and 'Settings' is a more general word, more recognized by the modern public.
Or another way of saying it, Control Panel is ancient, and can be incredibly confusing for younger users who haven't grown up with Windows.
So with the change, the good thing is that users should have an experience that is similar to what they've experienced elsewhere, no matter operating systems or platforms they have used.
Settings, at least for most users, should be easy to use and informative, and not confusing.
This is why it's understandable that Microsoft took that many years to start eliminating Control Panel.
That, aside from wondering why there was ever a need to replace the Control Panel in the first place. Like for example, Microsoft could instead rename Control Panel to Settings if it wanted to, rather than killing it.
To some extent, love it or hate it, it is also understandable that this inevitable change would happen sooner or later.
With that being said, the equivalent Settings app pages may not provide the same density, flexibility and features as the Control Panel version did, and some users will definitely miss those and be annoyed by the changes that Microsoft has introduced for the sake of making things look prettier or more touch-friendly.
But here, Microsoft thinks that with Settings, Windows can at least provide a more friendly experience for its users, no matter how old they are.