Someone has to say it, so it might as well be me: Windows 8 will be a giant mess

[StinkyPinky]

When my wife stole my laptop (which had Windows 8 on it), she got so pissed off with it. Couldn't log in. Couldn't find her applications. Couldn't figure out how to shut down the machine. Got pissed off every time she accidently flicked back to metro

 

[Neanderthal69]

There are no large companies which will upgrade PCs to this POS. I am totally amazed at the dumb mindset of MS. What were they thinking. Companies upgrade to streamline their business and hopefully make it easier and more economical for employees to do their job. People are used to the interface that MS has had since Win 95. Remember the Rolling Stones were paid big $$$ for Start Me Up to launch the start button. Why is learning a new interface productive when the underlying programs do no more than Win 7?

All Win 8 seems to be is Win 7 with a different interface. Ok for tablets but not PCs. There is nothing awesome about Win 8 for PCs. This will go down in MS history with WinME and Vista-both bad upgrades.

 

[Rangoric]

There are no large companies which will upgrade PCs to this POS. I am totally amazed at the dumb mindset of MS. What were they thinking. Companies upgrade to streamline their business and hopefully make it easier and more economical for employees to do their job. People are used to the interface that MS has had since Win 95. Remember the Rolling Stones were paid big $$$ for Start Me Up to launch the start button. Why is learning a new interface productive when the underlying programs do no more than Win 7?

All Win 8 seems to be is Win 7 with a different interface. Ok for tablets but not PCs. There is nothing awesome about Win 8 for PCs. This will go down in MS history with WinME and Vista-both bad upgrades.

Yeah man, that tiny little box to try and find stuff in, that's what I want. Having readable tiles is totally something only useful on a tablet.

Don't even get me started on the task bar improvements. I mean one bar on each monitor? With only the apps on that monitor on that bar? What kind of crazy crap is that. One bar, everything on it.

2 Clicks to make hidden files appear/disappear? Why can't it be a 5 keystroke keyboard shortcut? Oh it's 4 keys in explorer? Just Alt, V, H, F? Nah man, harder to use is better!

As for multi tasking, I've got VS11, SSMS, a game, a couple tabs in chrome, a RDP session, Outlook and OneNote open. I can hit the start screen and see what I am working on in VS11, and the current chrome tab. Power Users (or anyone) with 2 monitors will need all of, a minute to find this out.

As for turning it off? I hit the button on the machine. That's why it's there right? The power button? I spent the time to make sure it was plugged into the motherboard, so I might as well use it.

"Oh MacOS is so much easier to use"
"Wah, MS is trying to make it easier to use? But it's not the hard way I'm used to!"

 

[Maximilian]

Yeah man, that tiny little box to try and find stuff in, that's what I want. Having readable tiles is totally something only useful on a tablet.

Don't even get me started on the task bar improvements. I mean one bar on each monitor? With only the apps on that monitor on that bar? What kind of crazy crap is that. One bar, everything on it.

2 Clicks to make hidden files appear/disappear? Why can't it be a 5 keystroke keyboard shortcut? Oh it's 4 keys in explorer? Just Alt, V, H, F? Nah man, harder to use is better!

As for multi tasking, I've got VS11, SSMS, a game, a couple tabs in chrome, a RDP session, Outlook and OneNote open. I can hit the start screen and see what I am working on in VS11, and the current chrome tab. Power Users (or anyone) with 2 monitors will need all of, a minute to find this out.

As for turning it off? I hit the button on the machine. That's why it's there right? The power button? I spent the time to make sure it was plugged into the motherboard, so I might as well use it.

"Oh MacOS is so much easier to use"
"Wah, MS is trying to make it easier to use? But it's not the hard way I'm used to!"

Obvious, troll is obvious.

 

[Mirox]

I think they'll improve it, I hope for their sake, by the time it hits RTM. Right now there are many things that are not obvious and intuitive. It's not great if you like to use a mouse and not into keyboard shortcuts. But if it's not intuitive from the get go and you need a printout of keyboard shortcuts and to watch how-to videos they've already are doing it wrong.

Basically anyone buying this OS will be paying to be a beta tester since metro right now is a beta or at most v 1.0

 

[gmaster456]

metro right now is a beta or at most v 1.0

Well, it is a consumer preview :awe:

 

[WelshBloke]

Well, it is a consumer preview :awe:

It would be interesting to get some candid opinions from Microsoft on the feedback they are getting.

 

[Dominato3r]

It would be interesting to get some candid opinions from Microsoft on the feedback they are getting.

They've brought back the Building Windows blog from Windows 7: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/

They answer a few questions and other things.

 

[flexy]

Vista's UI was crap as well.


Wtfisthis D:

I know, it's not even a technical opinion...but this OS does not even look "cool"..it looks like some OS alpha-preview for a pre-school computer.

If i had a tablet, i would at least want the OS look "cool" and not like this.

Seriously people...just LOOK at this...

 

[Chiefcrowe]

Thanks there is some interesting stuff here. I think microsoft has some work to do before the final is released!!

They've brought back the Building Windows blog from Windows 7: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/

They answer a few questions and other things.

 

[Zaap]

When my wife stole my laptop (which had Windows 8 on it), she got so pissed off with it. Couldn't log in. Couldn't find her applications. Couldn't figure out how to shut down the machine. Got pissed off every time she accidently flicked back to metro

This can't be emphasized enough. I think the people who like this direction so far think that average non-tech oriented people will be the ones to take to Metro. My experience so far has been the exact opposite.

My wife is very much a typical computer user. I'm the one that doesn't generally mind fiddling with new stuff (and even I loathe Metro) but she just wants to open the computer, go to what she wants and be done with it. I showed her the original Dev preview and she scoffed, indicated it would be a cold day in hell that that mess would end up infecting her computer. It wasn't even laughter with her, but near anger if I would ever dare to 'screw up' her computer like that. That's why I equated much of it to one big annoying pop-up ad- that's what it comes off like to someone like my wife. And it's no different with the consumer preview, one can only pray it'll somehow be different with the final release if MS actually takes the (valid!) criticism to heart.

It's anti- the way she uses a computer in just about every meaningful way. She doesn't give a flying damn about Windows or any OS really- she uses APPLICATIONS to do specific TASKS. Understand this Microsoft: Windows is just a means to and END for most non-techies. 'Start' used to mean: start to get the hell out of my way so I can get to my programs and my tasks that are the reason I have a computer, not your OS bullcrap. 'Start' is not "This is your computer! Gee, isn't it colorful, and don't you like how we've presumed to make it the way WE think it should be?"

When Windows or any other OS gets in the way, presenting itself as just as important (or worse, MORE important) than the tasks she uses computer for then it's an annoyance, a hinderance, an intrusion every bit as annoying as pop-up ads and spyware that take the same annoying liberties and try to make themselves a priority on the computer. They're called 'PERSONAL' computers for more than one reason. Average people take attempts by companies to dick with their user experience personally.

I wish by final release they'd just make Metro completely optional on desktops. It should be turned off when first installed, and only enabled if one wants it, or when using a W8 tablet. (Personally I feel it's overkill kludge on a tablet as well, but that's another matter). Work more on the new explorer interface, the ribbon, etc. that actually are really nicely designed. If MS really wants to improve tablet interfaces and bridge it with the desktop, then they actually have plenty to learn from without this mess, including their own efforts with Windows 7 on tablets, which they seemed to have learned exactly dick-squat from.

 

[Maximilian]

I cant get over how rubbish the logo is either, i keep thinking it must be a joke... I made this visual comparison vs all the other windows logos to show how bad it is.

 

[Mirox]

the green tiled monster is the dev preview, now you can at least change the colors. Here's what mine looks like right now. And yes every time you install something a tile gets added to the start screen. It even put tiles to Help, Uninstall, and url shortcuts from programs I installed. Had to go and remove them one by one

 

[Zaap]

the green tiled monster is the dev preview, now you can at least change the colors. Here's what mine looks like right now. And yes every time you install something a tile gets added to the start screen. It even put tiles to Help, Uninstall, and url shortcuts from programs I installed. Had to go and remove them one by one

I'm sure you spent time at that, but for me, that's just a cluttered desktop, where the desktop wallpaper is flat, the icons have fugly squares around them with too much lettering, and some are bigger-than-average rectangles rather than squares. Also the size of the desktop has been limited by a large 'Start' frame, whereas before I could have icons/gadgets out to the farthest edge if I so chose.

The same effect could have been achieved by just making this an (optional) function of the normal desktop, then keeping the start menu for those that prefer order and sanity. (Cluttered desktop space has never appealed much to me, and just because it now acts more like a scrolling/always-running app makes no difference).

Seriously, if I showed someone my desktop(s) with the same spread of icons arranged haphazardly across a grey desktop bg with a few larger gadgets spread willy-nilly among them, does that somehow make my desktop the new ideal?

Considering there is still an uncluttered-by-default actual Windows 8 desktop (minus start menu) I still fail to see where Metro is anything more than a false facade of clutter running over the top.

 

[gmaster456]

the green tiled monster is the dev preview, now you can at least change the colors. Here's what mine looks like right now. And yes every time you install something a tile gets added to the start screen. It even put tiles to Help, Uninstall, and url shortcuts from programs I installed. Had to go and remove them one by one

Looks great, although I'm personally not a fan of the grey. I'm more of a blue guy myself. I hope we can use our own images in the final release. What I like is the metro start gives you much more organization than the traditional start menu. I also don't care about making a fashion statement with the way the tiles are setup. And since I'll be working in the Desktop mode most of the time anyway, it's almost a non issue.

 

[Mirox]

Well right now you can add a background to Start but there's only some swirls and circles, the only image you can set is on the lockscreen. I picked the dark grey because the light grey had the Metro menus all bring orange.

The metro menus when choosing dark blue are blue.

Rafael Rivera dissected the Start screen customization here http://www.withinwindows.com/2011/0...ws-8-start-ui-layers-images-and-colors-oh-my/ and it looks complex.

Windows Phone 7 has the same limitations when it comes to customizing the colors of the tiles and background - you pick a theme and can't add picture background behind the tiles. You also can't choose the tile color you want separately from the background color.

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

Here's what I think is a dead on critique of Windows 8:
http://www.livingdigitally.net/2012/03/windows-8-a-giant-misstep-forward.html

And I agree, that start screen just looks like a cluttered mess to me. Groups should at least expand/collapse instead of having everything just strewn out there. But then I guess it wouldn't have an excuse to take up your whole damn screen.

BTW, I heard MS is changing the name to Windows Metro Edition, or WinME for short.

And the shipping version will be W8.4.9.

I'm here all week ladies and germs.

 

[gmaster456]

Here's what I think is a dead on critique of Windows 8:
http://www.livingdigitally.net/2012/03/windows-8-a-giant-misstep-forward.html

And I agree, that start screen just looks like a cluttered mess to me. Groups should at least expand/collapse instead of having everything just strewn out there. But then I guess it wouldn't have an excuse to take up your whole damn screen.

BTW, I heard MS is changing the name to Windows Metro Edition, or WinME for short.

And the shipping version will be W8.4.9.

I'm here all week ladies and germs.

I HIGHLY doubt they will rename it Windows ME. Hell has a better chance of freezing over.

 

[WelshBloke]

...

And the shipping version will be W8.4.9.

...

I loled.

 

[Zaap]

Windows 8 after about ten days in with the average user:

 

[finbarqs]

Windows 8 after about ten days in with the average user:

LOL. Hahahaha


You know, I really hope Microsoft will succeed with this. It is a direction that dumbs down computing quite a bit.

I hope this reaction will be the same reaction when the first iPad was announced. Then when it was released, everybody was silenced. But I have doubts that Microsoft will be as "powerful" as Apple was the Fruit Slate first hit...

 

[Exodist]

Well here is the stand point from the company I am employed with from todays discussion on the WinWTF edition. The only thing holding us back from going all out with Fedora gnu/linux is Solidworks program. We have came up with workarounds for everything else, including Quick books. But we are thinking of just keeping some Win7 copies around for it and pushing Fedora with GNOME 3 on all the other desktops. But time will tell over the next few months... :\

 

[gammaray]

Windows 8 after about ten days in with the average user:

lol

webcam babes, anti virus, popups, casinos

 

[Rangoric]

Obvious, troll is obvious.

Yeah that's been my impressions with the whole thread.

But apparently since I like Windows 8 on my desktop, I'm immature, a child, a Microsoft Fanboy, and a moron.

Heaven forbid I point out what I like and what's actually better, and what people have missed. Apparently it's better to be uninformed and wrong about things.

 

[WelshBloke]

Yeah that's been my impressions with the whole thread.

But apparently since I like Windows 8 on my desktop, I'm immature, a child, a Microsoft Fanboy, and a moron.

Heaven forbid I point out what I like and what's actually better, and what people have missed. Apparently it's better to be uninformed and wrong about things.

It's fine and good that you like it, but it's plain that a great deal of people don't and the fact that people have to be convinced or shown how it works makes me think that it may crash and burn.
I don't want to spend lots of time researching how to make my OS do basic things. I want it to be stable, secure and simple.
I don't want or need a tiny box with my emails scrolling through it, live tiles may be great on a tablet but they are utterly pointless on a desktop.
I don't want random programmes to only work full screen.

Frankly I don't want change just because Windows seems to be having a mid life crisis.