Holy Cow - Windows 8. OMG

[bshole]

Desura,

You TRAITOR! How could you like that spawn of SATAN himself operating system. You sir are going to be the ruin of all of us!

Just kidding....

Seriously, what do you like about the OS and what do you use your computer for? Do use the apps alot or do you spend all of your time in the desktop?

 

[lilrayray69]

Lost me at the second sentence. People in 1492 did not, in fact, believe the world was flat.

There are people today who still believe the Earth is flat - look at the flat earth society (http://theflatearthsociety.org/cms/). Though of course he probably meant "in general" which is false, but still.


and anyways, is there yet any reason to switch to Windows 8? I've had little experience with it and didn't care for the UI really..

 

[bradley]

I went from 95 to XP to 7, and skipped everything in-between. With 8, it almost seemed as though Microsoft had a death wish. Microsoft needs a new CEO asap, and his name is Hector Ruiz.

 

[beginner99]

A lot of people hated 7 when it came out too.

??? links? Vista was hated but in fact I used it for over a ear on mediocre hardware and the difference to Win 7 is minimal. I sued to defend Vista because it was not that bad and you could find all the stuff you needed easily.

However in Win 8 some things are in the new UI others in the old. It's purely random. Has anyone used the new office? It's terrible too. Same dumbed-down modern-style ui.

And that is coming from someone how actually likes the ribbon because it makes sense. Modern UI does not make sense except on touch-screens.

Usually it's worthwhile buying new after 3 to 4 years purely because of wear and tear. I don't see any compelling reason as to why I should upgrade before that time comes?

Because at least where I live you generally make 2-year contracts with the carrier and when making a new contract you get a new phone usually at least $200 cheaper but can be much more depending on the contract, eg. newest top of the line phone for free and if you actually use all the stuff the contract offers why shouldn't you buy a new one? (I'm saying that as someone how still owns a "dumb-phone")

 

[bshole]

I went from 95 to XP to 7, and skipped everything in-between. With 8, it almost seemed as though Microsoft had a death wish.

In the enterprise sector, they have a monopoly. Our IT will consider no OS but a MicroSoft OS. MS basically can do whatever they want, the business sector is going to buy their OS in the end, what choice do they have? I wonder if this change in direction by MS will end up making the business sector LESS productive in the future. I sincerely hope MS makes an ENTERPRISE edition which completely disables METRO. Content creators are not interested in an interface tweaked for content consumers.

 

[smakme7757]

Because at least where I live you generally make 2-year contracts with the carrier and when making a new contract you get a new phone usually at least $200 cheaper but can be much more depending on the contract, eg. newest top of the line phone for free and if you actually use all the stuff the contract offers why shouldn't you buy a new one? (I'm saying that as someone how still owns a "dumb-phone")

I see, I can understand that.
My wife and I buy our phones outright so we own the phone when we receive it. I guess I’ve done it for so long that I forget that buying on a plan is what most people do .

It used to be cheaper buying on a plan here as well, but now that we can buy phones from online retailers rather than through the phone companies it's usually cheaper in the long run. Primarily because we can choose which carrier to go with and usually end up getting a good deal.

 

[lilrayray69]

I usually get my phone through the AT&T Plan renewal, but I almost always get a refurbished one. When the Galaxy S3 came out I got a refurbishd S2 Skyrocket for $10...works perfectly fine, and it's specs are just barely below that of the S3.

I've never had a Windows phone though, don't really want one.

I imagine Win8 would work much better on touch screen, but who has or really even wants a touchscreen monitor for their PC? I mean I guess it might be neat but nowhere near worth the cost.

I had hoped this Windows Blue was gonna be Win8 with a Win7 like UI, or at least the option for that - but I think it's not

and I think the reason Windows 8 isn't doing well is because few people see a reason TO upgrade to it, but see reasons NOT TO. Like with Windows 7 it was reported it ran faster and more efficiently than Vista by a good margin, and the UI kind of looked better and was more suited to high-end PCs. Windows 8 I think still does run more efficiently but people don't see any reason to upgrade for that small gain in the face of learning a different UI, key commands, etc.

 

[pmv]

There are people today who still believe the Earth is flat - look at the flat earth society (http://theflatearthsociety.org/cms/). Though of course he probably meant "in general" which is false, but still.

Ah, but I'm not sure if the word 'still' is appropriate in that sentence. I don't think there's some sort of unbroken chain of belief represented by that society. Seems like those folks _started_ believing the world was flat quite late in the day, out of sheer bloody-mindedness. Our ancestors were probably a bit smarter (or less inclined to trolling!).

 

[ThePolarSky]

...

 

[bshole]

Operating Systems and Office Suites are solved problems. They can be iteratively improved, but we're at a point of significantly diminishing returns. Microsoft knows it and is trying to turn its cash cow into a subscription based product.

I imagine they will create artificial artifacts that will make future products incompatible with current products to force the issue. I hope they don't bleed us too badly and quit changing the UIs for changes sake.

I don't know ANYBODY who wants a subscription solution. You have a nice stable setup, get an automatic "upgrade" and boom they changed the UI on you...... nice! Could you imagine this happening in a corporation? Wow, that could be catastrophic.

 

[ThePolarSky]

...

 

[bshole]

TPS,
Yea, at this point they are just milking us. Kind of sucks to be us.

In other news, MS grabbed 7.5% of the tablet market. That means that Windows 8 is a smashing success. There is no way to dispute it. To grab that much market share in such a short amount of time is astounding.

Unfortunately for the PC users like myself, the coming apocalypse is now clear. By Windows 9, the "modern" ui will probably be all that we have available to us. And yes, we have to go with MS because our IT department will accept nothing else.

http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer...-rt-tablets-were-shipped-in-the-first-quarter

 

[Schmide]

TPS,
Yea, at this point they are just milking us. Kind of sucks to be us.

In other news, MS grabbed 7.5% of the tablet market. That means that Windows 8 is a smashing success. There is no way to dispute it. To grab that much market share in such a short amount of time is astounding.

Unfortunately for the PC users like myself, the coming apocalypse is now clear. By Windows 9, the "modern" ui will probably be all that we have available to us. And yes, we have to go with MS because our IT department will accept nothing else.

http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer...-rt-tablets-were-shipped-in-the-first-quarter

No way to dispute it other than those statistics are sell-ins.

sell in
vb (adverb)
1. (Business / Commerce) (tr) to sell (new products) to a retail outlet to be sold to the public

Original article

http://www.strategyanalytics.com/default.aspx?mod=pressreleaseviewer&a0=5351

2 Shipments refer to sell-in. Numbers are rounded. The definition of tablet does not include e-book readers or convertible PCs.

 

[lif_andi]

For me I don't understand the Win 8 hate. For all intents and purposes, aside from the lack of Start button, its functionally the same as Win 7. Once you realize the Win+X Corner, its pretty much exactly the same as 7. Sure the Metro interface isn't good to use for many people, myself included, but with the added security and the faster response times, its pretty much worth the adaptation and there is no functional difference whatsoever.

 

[ThePolarSky]

...

 

[Zargon]

First brief history.

I've been using windows/dos since the very first versions. Vax/VMS on the job before that. I ran OS2 Warp for a time. And of course MacOS, Linux and Solaris. I'm a solaris/storage guy during the day. So I've been around a few operating systems going back 20+ years.

I just bought my mom a new laptop and it came with Windows 8.

After 2 weeks of running the gambit I'm just floored at how awful Windows 8 is. Man. Give me Windows ME or Vista over this rubbish. Holy cow. I finally ripped it off and put on a hacked copy of Windows 7 after Dell refused to swap my restore CD with a Windows 7 one. (Even offered to pay for it)

Just baffled at what Microsoft was thinking. You would think they learned their lesson with Vista.

Anyone else just shocked at this version?

loves 7, bashes vista in same post.

 

[Zxian]

I really suggest people take their modern i7 system and install Vista on it. Aside from some rare hardware driver issues, you'll probably be surprised at how usable it is. Performance may be a touch lower than Win7, but it's not horrendously dog slow either like people make it out to be. Users point the finger at Microsoft when their OEM sold them a system in 2007/2008 with 1GB of RAM. My mother has been using her Vista system that I built her 5 years ago without any issues so far. No crashes, no glitches. Proper hardware and bi-annual system maintenance go a long way.

I remember installing XP on my friend's PIII 500Mhz system. God was that thing slow (compared to 98SE). Good thing we all threw that OS out the window because of hardware limitations.... ohwait, we didn't.

People who are qq-ing about Win8 are in the same boat as those who would probably never make the switch from Windows7 to *nix or OSX (until they really need to). My only serious complaint with Win8 so far is the lingering feeling of "Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde" when switching between the start screen (and any metro apps you may use) and the desktop. Performance wise - it's better. Security wise - it's better. There's a bit of a learning curve, just like there was with the original Start Menu in 95, and the new Start Menu in XP, and the searchable start menu in Vista. I've googled a few "how-to's" with Win8, but I did that with XP and Vista and 7 as well.

 

[lif_andi]

Vista was good as well. I ran it for about 4-5 years before I just bought Win 8 now, no problems with it whatsoever. Win 7 is more responsive sure, but on good hardware it was very good, very stable. I did 1 or 2 tweaks on it and never had any problems. Done the same with Win 8 (no start button yet though, I'm really trying to get the feel for it) and all in all I'm very happy with it. I don't use apps at all, but I can see that one day I might, so the Metro UI is pretty useless for me, but its just a click and I'm on the desktop, so I don't really care at all.

 

[IGBT]

is there a "classic" mode in win8?? that may restore a familiar look and feel of win7 or XP??

 

[beginner99]

the Metro interface isn't good to use for many people, myself included,

yes and the additional mouse movement required by metro will decided whether you get carpal tunnel syndrome at 40 or never...at least if you actually use a computer for work.

Personally I can't stand the Modern UI even for basic stuff but it is simple and plain unusable. i could not do my daily job, it would take at least 3 times longer. It called "Windows" for a reason because lo and behold some people actually doe more than facebook and email and have 10th of windows open.

Desktop mode will never go away...or most businesses will switch to linux because they need their employees to get the work done.

 

[electronicmaji2]

The only major issue with windows 8 I have is that when a directory gets really full if you try to view it will sometimes just blankout and not show anything.

 

[bshole]

Well here is the latest...

But what's more shocking - and more worrisome to Microsoft - is a survey of IT professionals polled by Dell's KACE systems management unit last week. It seems that even now, companies who are finally upgrading from Windows XP are turning away from Windows 8 in droves, selecting instead the older Windows 7 operating system. Of the 273 IT professionals who said that they're upgrading from Windows XP, just 2% said they're choosing Windows 8. The vast majority - 69% - said that they're choosing Windows 7 instead.

http://readwrite.com/2013/05/01/microsoft-windows-8-enterprises-windows-7

What happens when MicroSoft takes the decision away from us? Do we go over the cliff with them?

 

[sourceninja]

Well here is the latest...



http://readwrite.com/2013/05/01/microsoft-windows-8-enterprises-windows-7

What happens when MicroSoft takes the decision away from us? Do we go over the cliff with them?

I'd like to see a poll of how many IT professionals actually used windows 8 with a open and unbiased mindset before making decisions on it.

Half the the people in this industry I've talked to haven't used it, but already hate it.

 

[smakme7757]

I decided to install Start 8 to see what all the hype was about. I must admit, that being able to search without leaving the desktop is pretty neat. I prefer it.

Not to mention how much easier it is to find help files and the like. The start button really is so much more useful.

 

[ControlD]

Well here is the latest...



http://readwrite.com/2013/05/01/microsoft-windows-8-enterprises-windows-7

What happens when MicroSoft takes the decision away from us? Do we go over the cliff with them?

I don't see that as either surprising or an indictment of Windows 8. The decision to migrate to a new operating system isn't made quickly or without extensive testing. I imagine most businesses that were planning on upgrading from Windows XP have been testing Windows 7 for some time now. They aren't simply going to ditch that testing and preparation because Windows 8 is now available. Also from what I have seen, most proprietary business software is finally starting to advertise Windows 7 compatibility but I have yet to see anything (at least in my industry) that claims Windows 8 is supported. Windows 7 is a fairly proven system at this point while Windows 8 is still a wild card.