What do you guys think of Windows 8?

[speakeasy]

Not to switch the subject but does anyone still prefer netbooks over tablets? I really hate the idea of typing on a screen for anything more than very quick messages. And if you're going to get a plug in keyboard for your tablet why not just get a netbook?

Can anyone tell me the advantage of a tablet? I feel like I'm missing something here.

 

[kbell]

A tablet like a surface with or wacom screen have touch senstivity whcih is critical for artwork. It allows your pressure to affect the strength of a line which you simply can't due with a mouse. In the past you had to carry around a small Wacom board (wacom bamboo in my case) to draw on which does not have a screen (the screen models are very expensive). With release of touch sensitive tablet screens you now can draw, and sculpt and see instantaneous results from the screen which is much closer to drawing on a paper. However you can do far more than drawing on paper allows with unlimited colors and layers. The weight of my old set up? 10 lbs in a carry case. The new set ups are under 3 lbs!

 

[Parlay44]

Not to switch the subject but does anyone still prefer netbooks over tablets? I really hate the idea of typing on a screen for anything more than very quick messages. And if you're going to get a plug in keyboard for your tablet why not just get a netbook?

Can anyone tell me the advantage of a tablet? I feel like I'm missing something here.

There's nothing you can get from a tablet that you can't get from a smartphone. I find tablets to be cumbersome to handle. It's just more crap to carry around. It's a trendy novelty.

 

[cmrocks]

Speaking of MS and Windows in general, does anyone have a Microsoft Surface Pro tablet?

I have a desktop at work because I need the CPU power and memory for what I do. My laptop needs to be replaced soon and I was thinking about trying out the new Surface Pro 3. It comes with Windows 8 and has pretty impressive specs for a tablet. It can be had with an Intel i7 processor and 16 GB of ram.

At home, I mostly just use my laptop for web browsing, writing emails etc but occasionally I need to do real work from home. Because of this, I've avoided tablets so far. The Surface Pro looks like it's fairly capable though. It's capable of running any Windows program.

 

[kbell]

Only 8 gigs of Ram.

Surface Pro 3
Technical Specifications
Size
11.5” x 7.93” x 0.36”
(292.1mm x 201.4mm x 9.1mm)
Weight
1.76lbs
(800 grams)
Display
Screen: 12” ClearType Full HD Plus
Resolution: 2160 x 1440
Aspect Ratio: 3:2
Touch: Multi-touch
Battery Life
Up to 9 hours of web browsing4
Storage2/RAM
64GB or 128GB storage with 4GB RAM
256GB or 512GB storage with 8GB RAM
Processor
4th generation Intel® Core™ processor family (i3, i5, i7)
TPM Chip for enterprise security
Network
Wireless: Wi-Fi 802.11ac/802.11 a/b/g/n
Bluetooth® 4.0 Low Energy technology
Location
Digital Compass
Ports
Full-size USB 3.0
microSD™ card reader
Headset jack
Mini DisplayPort
Cover port
Software
Windows 8.1 Pro
Cameras, Video and Audio
5.0 megapixel rear-facing camera
5.0 megapixel front-facing camera
Stereo microphones
Stereo speakers with Dolby® sound
Sensors
Ambient light sensor
Accelerometer
Gyroscope
Magnetometer
Kickstand positions
Multiple
What's in the box
Surface Pro 3
Surface Pen
36W Power supply
Quick Start Guide
Safety and warranty documents

 

[frenchcorporation]

it convinced me to buy a macbook, so yeah its pretty good.

 

[Parlay44]

Size
11.5” x 7.93” x 0.36”

Resolution: 2160 x 1440

Sure the resolution is nice on the tablet but you can't do any real work on an 11.5" screen. It's a fucking toy.

My laptop has a 15.6". I think that's the perfect size.

 

[kbell]

12" is fine for digital artwork, where you can scroll and zoom to for detailing. If there is a light weight 15" laptop with touch screen and a decent pen pressure sensitivity(wacom or n-trig based) I'm all ears.

 

[d-d-m]

I'm not a huge fan of it. Like a few others have posted, it's geared towards the mobile crowd, and I feel like that is a huge mistake on Microsoft's part. In turning their attention towards that group, while ignoring the needs of desktop users they've really screwed themselves over. If I need a mobile OS, I'll go iOS or Android.

 

[clever alias]

i dont hate it, but there was a learning curve. i dont hate the new menu anymore (it takes about 2 minutes to get the hang of it), but a big plus is the security was really stepped up on this one

 

[Tengen]

Switched to Fedora since the NSA shit hit the fan :tinfoilhat:

https://prism-break.org