What do you guys think of Windows 8?
- Thread starter Parlay44
- Start date
- Status
It sucks. It just makes everything more difficult and memory consuming than it has to be.
I remember the first month I had it I kept opening random apps because I was lightly dragging my finger across the mousepad.
Anyone tried using the built-in Skype app? It's laggy to the point of being unusable, not to mention obtrusive as hell.
Another thing that annoys me is when you go the app screen, it shows all these randomly selected pictures from your folders and Skype contacts. I'm doing something on my computer with a chick in the room and BAM -- there's all those naked girl pics I hid in some obscure folder where I thought no one would ever see them. Oh, and there's a massive picture of one of my female Skype contacts, too. Great.
There are a few features that might be handy if I cared to learn the OS, but that's the whole point -- you shouldn't have to LEARN your OS. It should just work.
I remember the first month I had it I kept opening random apps because I was lightly dragging my finger across the mousepad.
Anyone tried using the built-in Skype app? It's laggy to the point of being unusable, not to mention obtrusive as hell.
Another thing that annoys me is when you go the app screen, it shows all these randomly selected pictures from your folders and Skype contacts. I'm doing something on my computer with a chick in the room and BAM -- there's all those naked girl pics I hid in some obscure folder where I thought no one would ever see them. Oh, and there's a massive picture of one of my female Skype contacts, too. Great.
There are a few features that might be handy if I cared to learn the OS, but that's the whole point -- you shouldn't have to LEARN your OS. It should just work.
TheSlayer
Pelican
Enigma said:
There are programs you can use to make it run like Windows 7. When my computer starts it runs like Windows 7 and doesn't go to the Windows 8 page. I also deleted/uninstalled a bunch of the apps. You don't lose anything. You can download the actual software like you would on Windows 7 anyway.
For starters this is what I use, try it:
http://www.classicshell.net/
That gives you the start button back that we are used to having on all previous versions of the windows, you can customize how your laptop starts, and a lot more.
Everytime i talk to someone who has Windows 8 preinstalled on a machine, i point them to classic shell.
No need to change the UI.
No need to change the UI.
Aside from the ridiculous UI design changes from Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 are rock solid. I mean they moved shit around just because they could and it makes finding things really difficult if you're used to the menus. The find function resolves that issue, but that's never the first thing I go for.
I upgraded my moms laptop, she loves it. I bought my dad a Win8.1 desktop and he's good with it.
I bought the software to upgrade my machine, but I don't want to spend hours putting everything back the way I have it now. I'll do it eventually or run a dualboot until I can get everything square.
I upgraded my moms laptop, she loves it. I bought my dad a Win8.1 desktop and he's good with it.
I bought the software to upgrade my machine, but I don't want to spend hours putting everything back the way I have it now. I'll do it eventually or run a dualboot until I can get everything square.
It's awful for desktops but on devices with touchscreens it is pretty good. I was a W8-Hater until buying an 8" tablet (that Lenovo quit selling in the US due to low sales, wtf?) where it runs brilliantly. Even when I hit the Desktop button for the classic mode it's very usable.
The only downside is that "classic" programs that aren't touch aware are harder to use, you have to manually open the onscreen keyboard and such... But the dual mode IE is pretty cool, when docked to my big screen I use regular desktop, and for tablet use the touch-enabled one (and they share favorites and history!).
Bluestacks Android emulator works pretty well too and appears to have no problems accessing my hardware (camera and GPS) so that has eliminated my need for an Android tablet.
Oh yes and we should all be very pissed off that someone decided to actually rip the code out for Aero Glass so that it cannot be used with this OS.
The only downside is that "classic" programs that aren't touch aware are harder to use, you have to manually open the onscreen keyboard and such... But the dual mode IE is pretty cool, when docked to my big screen I use regular desktop, and for tablet use the touch-enabled one (and they share favorites and history!).
Bluestacks Android emulator works pretty well too and appears to have no problems accessing my hardware (camera and GPS) so that has eliminated my need for an Android tablet.
Oh yes and we should all be very pissed off that someone decided to actually rip the code out for Aero Glass so that it cannot be used with this OS.
The bad:
Piss-poor and clunky UI navigation. Not sure what the fuck the dev team over at MS was thinking with this. Even if Windows 8 was the first OS you ever learned so you aren't "used" to a classic Windows UI, it is still not very intuitive. Obviously designed primarily for touch devices even though most users will want to use a keyboard and mouse on a laptop/desktop device. Obviously trying (too hard) too compete with apple for cross-platform user experience and compatibility as well as trying to "modernize" the interface. Ends up unwieldy and I haven't met a single person who genuinely likes it as opposed to their previous OS's
The good:
Great resources management, diagnostic features, and well-built kernel. Security is also notable.
The meat and potatoes of the OS are there, but the way users interact with it is just awful.
Piss-poor and clunky UI navigation. Not sure what the fuck the dev team over at MS was thinking with this. Even if Windows 8 was the first OS you ever learned so you aren't "used" to a classic Windows UI, it is still not very intuitive. Obviously designed primarily for touch devices even though most users will want to use a keyboard and mouse on a laptop/desktop device. Obviously trying (too hard) too compete with apple for cross-platform user experience and compatibility as well as trying to "modernize" the interface. Ends up unwieldy and I haven't met a single person who genuinely likes it as opposed to their previous OS's
The good:
Great resources management, diagnostic features, and well-built kernel. Security is also notable.
The meat and potatoes of the OS are there, but the way users interact with it is just awful.
What do I think of Windows 8....
Parlay44 said:Besides missing the Start Button that everyone is familiar with ...What do you think of the OS in general?
Whether one likes it or not or gets on with it, just beware that it has more than one way to catch you out.
One of the main ways being if you like to back up your system at all (only a fool doesn't), and UEFI.
http://www.backup-utility.com/features/UEFI-restore.html
My backup program of choice does this, even though I don't use win8 - it is called TeraByte Image for Windows. It includes Image for Linux too so you can back up any Linux installations you have. Sometimes Windows 8 can be a bit funny about that.
But windows 8 over all is an unmitigated disaster. No one would use it out of choice. Then again, my folks do and think it is great, so take what I say with a big pinch of personal salt.
Ingocnito
Pelican
One really has to wonder what kind of think-tank consumer user groups they failed to connect with when developing it. Talk about not knowing your market, how to market a product, nor WTF people value in an OS.
MS seems to do same shit with every MS Office Upgrade. OK, let's add 5 new features NO ONE ever uses and change around all the menus because it's more "intuitive." You want intuitive? Create an affordable, lightning fast, accurate voice commanded device that rarely if ever fucks up... should have been here a decade ago.. The $$ made by a select few foils human progress once again.
MS seems to do same shit with every MS Office Upgrade. OK, let's add 5 new features NO ONE ever uses and change around all the menus because it's more "intuitive." You want intuitive? Create an affordable, lightning fast, accurate voice commanded device that rarely if ever fucks up... should have been here a decade ago.. The $$ made by a select few foils human progress once again.
I actually really like Windows 8.
I don't understand people's problems with it. Yes there is a little of a learning curve, but if you just take 10 minutes to read a damn article on shortcuts and gestures it makes total sense and is very intuitive.
Also you can switch to desktop mode at any time. So people complaining about the metro interface really shouldn't be, because they don't have to use it.
I'm using a surface and honestly i really like it. When the Surface 3 comes out I'm fairly sure they're addressing all of the issues I have with the machine.
Yes the OS is built for touch. Instead of fighting it like you guys seem to be doing just go with it. It really is much better than traditional mouse and click computing.
Then again I'm not really doing any RAM intensive things like video editing so my view is probably limited by being an 'average user' (like 90% of users out there).
I don't understand people's problems with it. Yes there is a little of a learning curve, but if you just take 10 minutes to read a damn article on shortcuts and gestures it makes total sense and is very intuitive.
Also you can switch to desktop mode at any time. So people complaining about the metro interface really shouldn't be, because they don't have to use it.
I'm using a surface and honestly i really like it. When the Surface 3 comes out I'm fairly sure they're addressing all of the issues I have with the machine.
Yes the OS is built for touch. Instead of fighting it like you guys seem to be doing just go with it. It really is much better than traditional mouse and click computing.
Then again I'm not really doing any RAM intensive things like video editing so my view is probably limited by being an 'average user' (like 90% of users out there).
I must be getting old because I'm sick of constant change. I feel like all I will ever need for the rest of my life in a thin unobtrusive bar at the bottom with a start button and tree-out menu for my programs, a few things to pin to the task bar, a clock and that's it. If they never evolved the operating system beyond that I'd be fine. I just don't need all this extra shit they put in there with version 8. If they are going to make improvements then it should be to memory management and more efficiency. I know some desktops now have swipe screens but I really have no desire to touch my computer screen. My mouse with roller ball does the job perfectly fine.
I remember grabbing the Community Preview for Windows 8 when it was announced. It took my usability guy (who specializes in UI analysis and UX engineering) and I a week to figure out how to get to the desktop from the Metro responsive screen. I really don't like the fact they included the Ribbon toolbar style from the last few Microsoft Office editions in Windows Explorer; I feel like it really craps up the interface and doesn't add anything.
I hated it, but I've made it livable by installing a mod that adds a Windows Start menu. Now I don't mind it so terribly much.
To be fair, it has been very stable for me and doesn't seem to run to heavy, which is probably because it's been slimmed down for tablet use.
On my last computer, I downgraded from 7 to XP just because 7 was so clunky.
I don't need a lot of features on my operating system. I haven't seen any need for changes since XP, because it came with trouble free Internet access (Windows 98 often required add-ons and 2000 was a joke from what I hear) and everything else installed really smooth.
To be fair, it has been very stable for me and doesn't seem to run to heavy, which is probably because it's been slimmed down for tablet use.
On my last computer, I downgraded from 7 to XP just because 7 was so clunky.
I don't need a lot of features on my operating system. I haven't seen any need for changes since XP, because it came with trouble free Internet access (Windows 98 often required add-ons and 2000 was a joke from what I hear) and everything else installed really smooth.
Suits said:
You're looking at some real security concerns by doing that, Suits, especially if you like going on the Internet through XP. XP isn't supported anymore and therefore isn't getting any additional security fixes.
- Status