I grew up (well, relatively - I'm pretty young) using Windows in various flavors. About five years ago, I saved up enough to get a Macbook. I was very happy with the Macbook and it worked quite well. I don't necessarily privilege Mac over PC. I'm just saying that at the time, the Mac was best for me.
Now it is five years later. The Mac was pretty tough, so it's still trucking. But slow, and things freeze a lot. I can still run Photoshop and Skype, Firefox and iChat. Still, I needed a new computer. I figured I needed to start the process of saving for another Mac again, and that this one would need to keep running for at least another year.
I went on a cruise with my family in early January on the Carnival Legend. There was a raffle on the boat, and I entered. My surprise, a few weeks later I was told I had won a new computer. I was overjoyed and couldn't wait for it to be delivered. I had fantasies of Photoshop working faster and running Second Life, Skype calls with group video, things like that.
Well, it arrived.
It has Windows 8.
I am so disappointed I can barely look at the thing. I tried to get some simple programs up and running but accidentally ended up merging my mom's Microsoft account with my own Skype account (luckily, I could unmerge them). To do the simplest of things I have to google them, and Googling is nearly impossible because tabbed browsing doesn't seem to work, being that the website is full-screen. Also, the only thing that seems to resemble a back button does not work. I tried going to Desktop mode, but the only program that could be launched from there was Internet Explorer, and I had to google how to get back to the main screen. Some of the instructions I got from Google were patently wrong, as well.
My mom paid for everyone to go on the cruise, so, by extension, she is responsible for me getting the laptop. She really, really wants me to like it. She keeps saying "You'll get used to it." I want to believe her (and also not disappoint her by being an ungrateful leech), but I don't know what to do. I mentioned having a friend wipe the whole thing and install Linux, and she begged me not to do it. I'm going to try to broach the topic of wiping it and installing 7 (which I have worked with before), but if she has an equally histrionic reaction to that, what should I do?
Is there any way to make 8 more like 7? Get rid of this nonsense where you have to google everything before you can do it? Tabbed browsing the old-fashioned way?
Now it is five years later. The Mac was pretty tough, so it's still trucking. But slow, and things freeze a lot. I can still run Photoshop and Skype, Firefox and iChat. Still, I needed a new computer. I figured I needed to start the process of saving for another Mac again, and that this one would need to keep running for at least another year.
I went on a cruise with my family in early January on the Carnival Legend. There was a raffle on the boat, and I entered. My surprise, a few weeks later I was told I had won a new computer. I was overjoyed and couldn't wait for it to be delivered. I had fantasies of Photoshop working faster and running Second Life, Skype calls with group video, things like that.
Well, it arrived.
It has Windows 8.
I am so disappointed I can barely look at the thing. I tried to get some simple programs up and running but accidentally ended up merging my mom's Microsoft account with my own Skype account (luckily, I could unmerge them). To do the simplest of things I have to google them, and Googling is nearly impossible because tabbed browsing doesn't seem to work, being that the website is full-screen. Also, the only thing that seems to resemble a back button does not work. I tried going to Desktop mode, but the only program that could be launched from there was Internet Explorer, and I had to google how to get back to the main screen. Some of the instructions I got from Google were patently wrong, as well.
My mom paid for everyone to go on the cruise, so, by extension, she is responsible for me getting the laptop. She really, really wants me to like it. She keeps saying "You'll get used to it." I want to believe her (and also not disappoint her by being an ungrateful leech), but I don't know what to do. I mentioned having a friend wipe the whole thing and install Linux, and she begged me not to do it. I'm going to try to broach the topic of wiping it and installing 7 (which I have worked with before), but if she has an equally histrionic reaction to that, what should I do?
Is there any way to make 8 more like 7? Get rid of this nonsense where you have to google everything before you can do it? Tabbed browsing the old-fashioned way?
My Computer
System One
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- OS
- I'm on a five-year-old Macbook that runs slowly. Still better than Windows 8.