Windows 8 - Why?

genec57

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I have now worked with the release preview long enough to progress from hate to what should I say? Acceptance, perhaps? Windows may load a bit faster but it seems to take a bit longer to load start up items so performance appears to be a wash.

I have learned to live without the start button and I have found the gadget to make shut down less of a pain.

What I have not found is where Windows 8 improves my computing life to the point where I would be willing to plunk down $100 + for the release version. I should state that I work in a definite mouse and keyboard - touch screen is not in my future - well, that's not quite true - I do have an iPad and iPhone:D.

I know there must be lots of folk who face the same dilemma.

Are there features and/or performance tweaks that I have not experienced yet?

Thanks,
Gene
 

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I do think Microsoft is taking a big gamble here, that everyone is going to have mobile touch screen devices in the near future and that Windows 8 will fit their needs for an OS, I believe it's going to take awhile until that happens, in the meantime I guess us desktop people just stay with windows 7.

I don't think we are going to be missing that much to be honest, USB 3.0 isn't really here yet, apps and metro are fun but aren't really productive in making our computing experience better and the other stuff is mostly social networking type stuff, which while I know is important to some people, to others it is not.
 

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The problem I see is that we are talking about the home user here - a fairly small market. The enterprise is of far more importance to Microsoft. Thousands of companies are still using XP and will really have to upgrade soon. I think business uses far more desktops than tablet.
I find it hard to believe that Microsoft would miss the boat that badly but then again they did put ME on the market. :)
 

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    windows 8
What I have not found is where Windows 8 improves my computing life to the point where I would be willing to plunk down $100 + for the release version.

:ditto:
 

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Hi there
Simple

"Money makes the world go round" etc.

Apart from the updates to EXCEL which I use a lot in Office 2010 I could quite easily do 90% of my daily work on Windows XP (or even Windows 95) !!.

Maybe a little bit of media streaming needs something a bit better than Windows 95 but XP works absolutely FLAWLESSLY.

I like W78 and W8 -- but these updates aren't at all CUSTOMER driven -- as I said Money makes the world go round !!!.

I do use photoshop so I'd probably need at least Windows 2000 but XP just works fine. !!

As far as Enterprises are concerned --forget Windows 8 --this OS will never be seen inside a large organisation except as a curiosity on some of the I.T techno guys / I.T support desks who might like to play with it when the have some (usually rare) spare time.

I'm sure Enterprises will have a great time explaining to users how to logon or navigate the GUI -- especially if support comes from one of those "off shored" call centers --fortunately this whole method of providing customer support is sinking faster than the titanic.

Cheers
jimbo
 
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Why not?
 

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It will be interesting to see how it shakes out. Many big corps still have XP on hundreds of thousands of desktops and support is just about done for XP so these corps will soon be forced to upgrade.
Were I an IT executive (was, now retired) I would strongly advise the President to upgrade to Windows 7 while the opportunity is still there.
Sure am glad I sit on the sidelines now :).
Gene
 

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    windows 8

My Computer

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To be honest, you're not expected to plunk down money to upgrade to Windows 8. Microsoft gets very little upgrade revenue from Windows. Very few people upgrade their OS without buying a new computer.

Windows 8 is designed for new PC's with touchscreens, tablets, and phones. Windows 7 was not as useful on those devices, and a lot of work has gone into Windows 8 to make it work in much smaller footprints (and other processor architectures). This is 90% of what Windows 8 is. The other 10% is the visual stuff you see.

If you buy a new PC, it will come with Windows 8. The license you have for Windows 7 is bound to the PC you bought it on (unless it's a retail license, in which case it's transferrable). So if you buy a new computer, you have to buy a new OS in most cases (legally speaking).

So no. You aren't expected to upgrade to Windows 8. But if you do buy a new PC, tablet, or windows phone then it will have Windows 8 on it.
 

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Tech enthusiasts like we have on this forum, are far more likely to upgrade their machines, or buy a new retail copy of the OS than they are to buy a pre-manufactured OEM computer. Thus we actually would be plunking down money that would go to Microsoft.

Of course, many here plunk down their money in the form of a TechNet agreement and use their OS's that way.
 

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    Windows 7
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    Intel Q9550 2.83Ghz OC'd to 3.40Ghz
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    Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R rev. 1.1, F12 BIOS
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    8GB G.Skill PI DDR2-800, 4-4-4-12 timings
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    EVGA 1280MB Nvidia GeForce GTX570
    Sound Card
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    23" Acer x233H
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    1920x1080
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    Intel X25-M 80GB Gen 2 SSD
    Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black, 32MB cache. WD1001FALS
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    Antec P182
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    stock
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    ABS M1 Mechanical
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    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
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    15/2 cable modem
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    Windows and Linux enthusiast. Logitech G35 Headset.
On the Desktops, the Metro UI is a small kid in comparison with his mom/dad: the Win XP or 7 desktop UI.
Eventually kids grow old BUT in the meantime they still need to learn some stuff from their parents.
 

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    Windows 10 x64
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    HP Envy DV6 7250
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    Intel i7-3630QM
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    HP, Intel HM77 Express Chipset
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    16GB
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    Intel HD4000 + Nvidia Geforce 630M
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    15.6' built-in + Samsung S22D300 + 17.3' LG Phillips
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    SteelSeries Sensei
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    That's basically it.
Windows 8 - Why?

I have spent a ton of dough on fancy doodles,
window fringes, and start menu super chargers

With 8, all that stuff can be eliminated.
I know you are being humorous,
but my view is that the metro shell is not
competing with the desktop.

The metro start screen is a Launchpad.
.... and the other parts of the shell
are more ways to get things done.

My view is that it is not productive
to try and hack explorer to pause the metro.

The desktop is a workplace.
I think the Launchpad works well with the desktop.

Why 8,
I would buy it because I like the new Launchpad.
I would buy it because it has no orb menu.

I prefer this:

8.jpg

to this:

7.jpg
 
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    Asrock Extreme 4
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I'm quite happy with this.......

It works for ME, and, to me, that's what matters.
 

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    I/R cordless.
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I like that!
That is what is great about Windows!
People can do almost anything they want.

... there are so many people from different countries on this forum,
It's incredible you are from Australia,
I am from the US, another is from India, the Netherlands, Belgium, England ...

I am totally in favor of mega customizations and individual preference.

Almost looks like the Dr. Who box!
A street in London?
 
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    Asrock Extreme 4
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    16GB Crucial Ballistix
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    intel embedded gpu
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    Sound Blaster Z
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    AOC / Westinghouse
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    1920x1080
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    Plextor pcie msata
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    Totally silent. No fans at all.
I was responding to Why Windows 8 ?

... and the endless bashing of the new Launchpad (as I call it)
Anyway, I am a little like (Monk) the neat freak ...
Monk is a detective, Do they show Monk in Australia?

People have compared the metro to the desktop as if they are clashing.
I think they should work together as designed.
That is why I say windows 8 is OK.

If someone wants to pause or disable or remove the metro,
that is their priviledge.
 

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    Server 2012 / 8.0
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    PC/Desktop
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    Home Built
    CPU
    Intel i7 QuadCore 3770k
    Motherboard
    Asrock Extreme 4
    Memory
    16GB Crucial Ballistix
    Graphics Card(s)
    intel embedded gpu
    Sound Card
    Sound Blaster Z
    Monitor(s) Displays
    AOC / Westinghouse
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Plextor pcie msata
    PSU
    Rosewill Silent Night 500W Fanless / PicoPSU
    Case
    open bench - no case enclosure
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    Silverstone HEO2 Passive Silent
    Keyboard
    logitech washable K310
    Mouse
    logitech wired
    Browser
    ie / maxthon
    Other Info
    Totally silent. No fans at all.
Not sure where the pic was taken, mdmd, but yes, I did have the same 'Doctor Who' moment when I first saw it.

And yes, we do seem to have quite an international community here. I think it's great.
 

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    Windows 8 Enterprise 64-bit (7 Ult, Vista & XP in V-Box)
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    Acer Aspire Ethos AS8951G 'Super-Laptop'.
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    Intel Sandy-Bridge i7-2670QM quad-core
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    Acer
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    8GB DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel 3000HD / Ge-Force GT555M 2 gigs
    Sound Card
    Realtek/5.1 Dolby built-in including speakers.
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    18.4" full-HD
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1024
    Hard Drives
    2x750GB Toshiba internal, 1x500GB Seagate external, 1x2TB Seagate external, 1x640GB Toshiba pocket-drive, 1x640GB Samsung pocket drive.
    PSU
    Stock
    Case
    Laptop
    Cooling
    Air-cooled
    Mouse
    I/R cordless.
    Internet Speed
    Borderline pathetic.
As long as the system is customizable, Metro can stay. I don't use many apps but the startscreen is useful. I like the way Win8 works, and some of you don't realize it's a bit better than Win7 no matter the look. For instance look at the compatibility for older progs: it works better, also you have an event tab for drivers so the tech guys can troubleshoot and switch between versions easily.
 

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  • OS
    Windows 10 x64
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    Laptop
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    HP Envy DV6 7250
    CPU
    Intel i7-3630QM
    Motherboard
    HP, Intel HM77 Express Chipset
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD4000 + Nvidia Geforce 630M
    Sound Card
    IDT HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6' built-in + Samsung S22D300 + 17.3' LG Phillips
    Screen Resolution
    multiple resolutions
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 250GB + Hitachi HDD 750GB
    PSU
    120W adapter
    Case
    small
    Cooling
    laptop cooling pad
    Keyboard
    Backlit built-in + big one in USB
    Mouse
    SteelSeries Sensei
    Internet Speed
    slow and steady
    Browser
    Chromium, Pale Moon, Firefox Developer Edition
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    That's basically it.
What I have not found is where Windows 8 improves my computing life to the point where I would be willing to plunk down $100 + for the release version.

:ditto:
Absolutely agree. Where is the beef.
 

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    Vista and Win7
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    2xHP, 2xGateway, 1xDell, 1xSony
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    5 SSDs and 12 HDs
What I have not found is where Windows 8 improves my computing life to the point where I would be willing to plunk down $100 + for the release version.

:ditto:

I think it's a good bet that no one is going to buy it as an upgrade. I think the real question is, how many looking at new PCs and laptops will look elsewhere if Windows HE is the only option? I think the answer is "a lot".
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro with Media Center
Lol:

I remember when my dad brought home Windows 95 to replace 3.1. I was so hostile to the start menu that I spent my first productive half hour in Windows 95 adjusting the marquee screen saver to read "Boycott Windows 95." For some reason my dad never changed it after that so the living room computer said "Boycott Windows 95" until it got replaced.

It's been the same thing in one way or another for every new version of windows.
 

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    windows 8
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    Viliv S10 3G
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    Atom Z530 (1.6GHz)
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    Intel GMA 500
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    Realtek High Definition Audio
    Screen Resolution
    1366/768
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    SanDisk 64GB SSD
    Internet Speed
    6.41/5.47 MBPS
    Other Info
    WiFi 802.11 b/g
    Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
    Internal 3G (Huawei EM770W:
    HSPA/UMTS 850/900/1900/2100MHz,
    HSUPA: 5.76Mbps (UL) / HSDPA: 7.2Mbps (DL))
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