The great Windows 8 debate

Night Hawk

Member
VIP Member
Member
Messages
738
You could say is a large debate.

January 02, 2013
The great Windows 8 debate

Love it or hate it, Win8 is here to stay, with or without the Start menu. Will users adopt it -- or grit their teeth and wait for Windows 9?

By Robert X. Cringely | InfoWorld

The other day I got a phone call from a friend I'll call Dave (since that's his name). He was sitting in front of his computer pulling out what little hair he has left. The reason: Dave had ignored my sage advice and purchased a new desktop over the holidays running Windows 8. Now he was desperately searching for the Start button.

"It's right next to the Any key," I told him. Dave, who has been using personal computers for more than 10 years but is determined to remain a novice, did not appreciate my sense of humor. (In this he is not entirely alone.)

[ Also on InfoWorld: Try something new this year -- like one of the 9 Windows Start menus for Windows 8. | For a humorous take on the tech industry's shenanigans, subscribe to Robert X. Cringely's Notes from the Underground newsletter. | Get the latest insight on the tech news that matters from InfoWorld's Tech Watch blog. ]


I am normally Dave's go-to guy when he gets stuck with a computer problem, but I was totally useless in this situation. Other than playing with a Surface tablet over the holidays, which I thought was pretty slick, I don't have a lot of experience with Windows 8. That's deliberate.

I have a few standing policies when it comes to Microsoft products. One -- a pretty common ploy -- is to avoid using any Version 1.0 product coming out of Redmond. Another is to avoid every other operating system upgrade (again, not uncommon). I didn't do that with Vista, and I regretted it. Windows 7 has been a much better-behaved houseguest, and I see no good reason to evict it for the not-yet-housebroken Windows 8, especially if that involves a system upgrade.

see two page report
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    1st W10 Professional x64/W7 Ultimate x64 - 2nd Remote system: W10 Insider Builds/W7 Professional
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Builds
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 975 Deneb 3.6ghz -2nd case AMD Atholon II 3.2ghz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-790XTA-UD4
    Memory
    Kingston Hyper-X DDR3 1600mhz 16gb - 2nd case Kingston Hyper-X "Fury" DDR3 1600mhz 8gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI Radeon HD 5750 1gb - 2nd AMD Radeon 6450
    Sound Card
    Creative Xtreme Gamer - 2nd case Realtek Onboard audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer 19" dual monitor setup - 2nd case HP 20" lcd
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900 same on both builds
    Hard Drives
    1st build
    WD Caviar Black Edition Sata II 1tb two OS drives
    WD RE "Heavy Duty Sata II 2tb two Storage/Backup
    2nd build
    WD Blue Sata II 500gb
    WD Black Edition Sata III 1tb
    WD Green Power Sata II 1tb in external usb enclosure
    PSU
    Corsair TX750H 750w -Corsair 500w
    Case
    Antec 900-2 -NXZT Vulcan Mini tower/carrying handle
    Cooling
    120mm front pair, 120 rear 200cm top - 120mm Front intake 200mm side cover
    Keyboard
    Azio Blue led back lit both builds.
    Mouse
    MSI DS200 11 button programmable Gaming optical mouse - Odessa 3 button dual scroll trackball
    Internet Speed
    30mbps
    Other Info
    two MSI 22x ide dvd burners, 25 usb flash drives used for Linux Live, live data recovery 128gb, and Windows 7, 10 usb installation keys
I don't know why anyone would be waiting for Windows 9 in hopes of a start menu...

Ain't happening.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    AMD FX 8320
    Motherboard
    Crosshair V Formula-Z
    Memory
    16 gig DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS R9 270
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Seagate Barracuda (starting to hate Seagate)
    x2 3 TB Toshibas
    Windows 8.1 is installed on a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB
    PSU
    OCZ 500 watt
    Case
    A current work in progres as I'll be building the physical case myself. It shall be fantastic.
    Cooling
    Arctic Cooler with 3 heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K750 wireless solar powered keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Touch Mouse
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, but I might go back on KIS 2014
A 3 year old child can run Windows 8 yet an adult can't, how did we ever get out of the Stone Age. Have these people heard of Google or Bing.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro/Windows 8 Pro/Windows 7 64 Bit64Bit/Windows XP
A 3 year old child can run Windows 8 yet an adult can't, how did we ever get out of the Stone Age. Have these people heard of Google or Bing.
May be some of us are stubborn and too lazy to learn :huh:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire E1-571
    CPU
    i5-3230m
    Motherboard
    Acer Type-2
    Memory
    8GB DDR3 1333MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD 4000
    Sound Card
    High Definiton Audio Device
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Generic
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 850 Pro 256GB
    PSU
    Generic
    Keyboard
    QWERTY
    Mouse
    ELANTECH Touchpad
    Internet Speed
    12.68Mbps
    Browser
    IE11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
A 3 year old child can run Windows 8 yet an adult can't, how did we ever get out of the Stone Age. Have these people heard of Google or Bing.
May be some of us are stubborn and too lazy to learn :huh:

I think stubborn mostly with a little bit of laziness as well. I suppose that's why we have geeks and computer users, geeks like to explore new things and dig deep, and computer users just want everything front and centre.

While I'm nowhere near as adventurous as I once was I still find it exciting to try new Operating Systems and I must admit I didn't find Windows 8 much of a challenge, maybe because I started from the first Preview and just played around with it.

What I'm really hoping for is that MS can put all this together, so that everything runs more or less the same on all kinds of devices and that everything syncs effortlessly. But that won't happen if people aren't going to take to this new system.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro/Windows 8 Pro/Windows 7 64 Bit64Bit/Windows XP
I hope the heads at M$ are learning the lesson here because they seem to be learning it the hard way because of the slow uptake of Windows 8 from its few months after release at least but all empires have to crumble one day, not saying that this is it for MS but the enemy has gained enough power to attack.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7 Ultimate, Windows Developer Preview, Linux Mint 9
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Built
I don't know why anyone would be waiting for Windows 9 in hopes of a start menu...

Seriously, here I have to agree, why would anyone wait. Most people have already found an addon to fix the metro mess.


Ain't happening.
This, I'm not so sure. Had 8 been a smashing success, no dialing back would have been considered, for sure. However, that is not the case, and everybody and their mother knows it. It is entirely possible that ms hedges their bet and changes a couple lines of code to allow choice.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win8.1 Pro, Desktop Mode
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Me
    CPU
    AMD FX-8150
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-890GPA-UD3H
    Memory
    8.00 GB Dual-Channel DDR3 (9-9-9-28)
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon HD 6570
    Sound Card
    Creative X-Fi Titanium
    Monitor(s) Displays
    PX2710MW
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080@60Hz
    Hard Drives
    1x1TB Western Digital WDC WD1001FALS-00J7B1 ATA Device Caviar Black -

    4 x 2TB Seagate ST32000542A -
    1 x 4TB Seagate External
    Case
    Antec
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D14
    Keyboard
    Logitech Illuminated Keyboard K740
    Internet Speed
    60meg cable
    Browser
    Cyberfox
    Antivirus
    AVG Security Suite
There are about 3 dozen start menus doing incredible business.

Samsung, HP and others are providing users with their own versions on their oem machines. Perhaps that is because they want people to buy their machines.

It's perfectly obvious that nobody wants or uses it.;)

MS should be grateful to all those providing start menus - win 8 would be doing even worse without them.


I don't know why anyone would be waiting for Windows 9 in hopes of a start menu...

Ain't happening.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    7/8/ubuntu/Linux Deepin
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
There are about 3 dozen start menus doing incredible business.

Samsung, HP and others are providing users with their own versions on their oem machines. Perhaps that is because they want people to buy their machines.

It's perfectly obvious that nobody wants or uses it.;)

MS should be grateful to all those providing start menus - win 8 would be doing even worse without them.


I don't know why anyone would be waiting for Windows 9 in hopes of a start menu...

Ain't happening.

I am very happy without a start button, thank you very much!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro x64
    Computer type
    Tablet
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Surface Pro 3
    CPU
    i5
    Memory
    4GB DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Graphics HD
    Screen Resolution
    2160 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    128GB SSD, 128GB MicroSD
    Internet Speed
    8GB
    Antivirus
    Bitdefender
Personally I'm not surprised that Windows 8 had such a low uptake... Actually I'm not even surprised it was lower than vista, and there's one simple reason: it looks different. Vista got picked up cause it was like "Oh look, It's windows XP, only flashy!", and then GIANT disappointment with the back-end changes M$ put in. Windows 7 comes along with a crisp, cleaner look, and improved background changes, but still the old familiar Windows setup. Taskbar and start menu. Everyone has been used to this sort of interface for the passed 18 years... Can anyone blame them for hesitating before picking up something that looks completely different?

All that can be summarized by this: People Do NOT like change. Even though everyone knows it's inevitable they try to resist it. I for one decided to give it a shot and I've had no issues with 8... Granted I hardly ever use the Modern UI and it does kind of go to waste, but my point is I don't have an issue navigating the OS. If anything the fact that I don't use the Modern UI is more cause for concern than the people who don't even want to try it... It would be a totally different thing if I could make use of it in my every day computing.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Professional 64b
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-2700K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-Z68AP
    Memory
    8GB Patriot G2 DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI Cyclone R6850
    Sound Card
    Integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    32in Samsung HDTV (LCD)
    Screen Resolution
    1360x768
    Hard Drives
    2x OCZ Vertex 3 (RAID 0)
    3x Seagate Barracuda 2TB (RAID 5)
    PSU
    Corsair TX 750 W
    Case
    Corsair 600T (Graphite)
    Cooling
    Hyper 212 (Push-Pull), 2x200MM fans (w/ case) Rear 120mm
There are about 3 dozen start menus doing incredible business.

Samsung, HP and others are providing users with their own versions on their oem machines. Perhaps that is because they want people to buy their machines.

It's perfectly obvious that nobody wants or uses it.;)

MS should be grateful to all those providing start menus - win 8 would be doing even worse without them.


I don't know why anyone would be waiting for Windows 9 in hopes of a start menu...

Ain't happening.

I am very happy without a start button, thank you very much!

same here don't miss start button one bit will never go back to 7
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 update 1 Pro X64 with WMC
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    intel i7 2600k
    Motherboard
    Asrock H61M-VG3
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    nvidia geforce GTX 560 Ti
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Internet Speed
    100MB
The "debate" is pointless, like a boxing match between a couple of old worn-out fighters each trying to establish his dominance over the other. They flail away at one another but the outcome isn't going to change. Pretty soon the spectators get bored and go looking for something else to entertain them.

If you've used Windows 8 and you like it, you're probably not going back to Windows 7.
If you've used Windows 8 and you don't like it, you're probably not going to change your mind.

Hey, look, there's some excitement at the other end of the hall! :D
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7 x64
Here's a revelation. If Microsoft users don't like change (for the sake of change) then maybe Microsoft shouldn't change.

Are we going to add sparkles and sound effects to a hammer because it's not cool enough? An operating system is a tool, not a toy.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows
Don't blame the messenger if you don't like the message, I agree with what SIW2 says, MS should be stopped at this early stage before we all start paying for storage, programs and others in future. They are trying to impose their will on us the customers. It may look bla...bla...bla.. but it is true.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire E1-571
    CPU
    i5-3230m
    Motherboard
    Acer Type-2
    Memory
    8GB DDR3 1333MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD 4000
    Sound Card
    High Definiton Audio Device
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Generic
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 850 Pro 256GB
    PSU
    Generic
    Keyboard
    QWERTY
    Mouse
    ELANTECH Touchpad
    Internet Speed
    12.68Mbps
    Browser
    IE11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
Windows 8 is like anything else that is radically different from the previous.

It will take some time using it before you get used to it, and may find it quite nice.

If not, then there's plenty of options available out there to customize Windows 8 to help make it meet your needs and wants.

As usual, to each their own. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
I don't know why anyone would be waiting for Windows 9 in hopes of a start menu...

Seriously, here I have to agree, why would anyone wait. Most people have already found an addon to fix the metro mess.


Ain't happening.
This, I'm not so sure. Had 8 been a smashing success, no dialing back would have been considered, for sure. However, that is not the case, and everybody and their mother knows it. It is entirely possible that ms hedges their bet and changes a couple lines of code to allow choice.

Or some have figured out how to make the Start Screen more effective and useful...
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    AMD FX 8320
    Motherboard
    Crosshair V Formula-Z
    Memory
    16 gig DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS R9 270
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Seagate Barracuda (starting to hate Seagate)
    x2 3 TB Toshibas
    Windows 8.1 is installed on a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB
    PSU
    OCZ 500 watt
    Case
    A current work in progres as I'll be building the physical case myself. It shall be fantastic.
    Cooling
    Arctic Cooler with 3 heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K750 wireless solar powered keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Touch Mouse
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, but I might go back on KIS 2014
Am I the only one who had realised this years ago? you know Windows 95 was/is some unhandy operatessystem, but Windows Xp was lovely. Windows Vista some bloody machine, Windows 7 lovely, windows 8 only bloody... I bet the system after 8 is going to be lovely. It's aaaaalways the second system we'd love, right? Xp-7 and ain't 95 vista or 8`?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Mac OS X ML, Windows 8,7 and Uunbtu
    CPU
    i7
    Motherboard
    asus
    Memory
    8-16 gb
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Internet Speed
    100+
Back
Top