The Windows Control Panel has been an essential part of the Windows operating system for many years. When Windows 10 was released, Microsoft announced intentions to eventually replace the Control Panel with the Settings app.
Nearly a decade has passed since that announcement, during which numerous applets from the Control Panel have been migrated to the Settings app; yet, the Control Panel has not been entirely removed from Windows.
In August, speculation arose that Microsoft was ready to eliminate the Control Panel once and for all. However, the company soon retracted the notice of its deprecation, indicating that the Control Panel will continue to be accessible for the foreseeable future.
Microsoft Postpones the Control Panel
Developer Eric Voirin, known for his work on the Win98 QuickInstall framework—a personal project designed to streamline the installation of the older operating system—made a fascinating discovery.
Voirin identified built-in delays within a Control Panel applet from Windows 95 and 98 that prolonged the integration time for new hardware with the operating system by a total of eight seconds. It remains unclear if similar delays are present in later versions of Windows.
The total delay comprises two segments: a three-second pause for displaying the generic default class or device name, followed by a five-second wait after Windows refreshes the logo and name for the specific device.
In his findings, Voirin has successfully minimized this entire sequence to merely 300 milliseconds.
The rationale behind the original implementation of this delay is still ambiguous; although it may have been for technical reasons, it is uncertain if comparable delays are hardcoded in other sections of the Control Panel.
On a positive note, this delay does not seem to be an attempt to make the Settings app more attractive, as it was absent during the Windows 9x period.
Image Source: Volodymyr Kyrylyuk / Shutterstock
