Microsoft backtracks on deprecating the 39-year-old Windows Control Panel | Microsoft has either backtracked or clarified its language to remove the note about Control Panel being deprecated

ForgottenFlux@lemmy.world to Technology@lemmy.world – 334 points –
Microsoft backtracks on deprecating the 39-year-old Windows Control Panel
arstechnica.com

Last week, Microsoft mentioned in a support document that it was formally deprecating Windows' 39-year-old Control Panel applets. But following widespread reporting of the change, Microsoft has either backtracked or clarified its language to remove the note about Control Panel being deprecated in favor of the Settings app. Here's what the original post said, as also preserved by the Internet Wayback Machine (emphasis ours):

"The Control Panel is a feature that's been part of Windows for a long time. It provides a centralized location to view and manipulate system settings and controls," the support page explains. "Through a series of applets, you can adjust various options ranging from system time and date to hardware settings, network configurations, and more. The Control Panel is in the process of being deprecated in favor of the Settings app, which offers a more modern and streamlined experience."

The current version of the page has changed that last sentence considerably. It now says that "many of the settings in Control Panel are in the process of being migrated to the Settings app, which offers a more modern and streamlined experience."

It's not clear whether this reflects a policy change or just a clarification of language. We've asked Microsoft whether it has changed plans to deprecate the Control Pane or if the original version of the support page was just incorrect in the first place, and we'll update if we receive a response.

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Why not just enable both? Have the control panel be available but more of a power user kind of thing, where the new Settings page is what gets pushed to the average user. Of course it's more work to maintain both but last time I checked MS were doing alright for themselves and could probably afford it.

Because Windows has some of the worst UI design in this quadrant.

Windows 11 core design is actually really nice. It’s just the ads and AI BS that make it suck.

I’ve got a house to sell you with a decent foundation, just don’t mind the permanent graffiti all over it.