Tablets and Smartphones are a handy tool when you are on the go. But as a web developer, I can't go without a desktop or laptop. Although, a hybrid like Surface could also work, I think.
I really need a real keyboard and mouse to work with. A fake keyboard on the screen decreases the workspace on the screen too much.
Probably also, because I can type blind and I need the feel of the keys under my fingers and not just a flat surface were you don't notice you engaging the keys you press.
Windows 8 (now 8.1) is the first OS I have upgraded to in years. I normally always stayed with the OS that was installed on the device, until I upgraded the device. However, with Windows 8, I made an exception and I upgraded all the devices I have to it.
In the past, I already didn't use the start menu to start programs with. I just pushed start and used search to find the program I wanted to start. I did the same in Windows 8, but I also made some tiles of frequently used programs on it. This made it even faster to start my programs than before.
Sure, I could still have used the desktop with its icons on it, but I find the new start menu (Modern UI) more easily to work with and I can keep my desktop clean from all those icons of programs that I use.
It all depends on how you like to work. I still use a lot of key combinations to do things in Windows, instead of grabbing my mouse to do it. And that's something that hasn't changed over the different Windows versions. You only get more and more of those fast keys to play with.
I can say, my laptop, which I bought back in the day with the recently released Windows Vista on it, is now being used with Windows 8.1 on it, and it works faster and smoother than before.
The desktop with Windows 7 on it, is now also running Windows 8.1, but I don't notice too much difference between them. Windows 7 was a good OS, and Windows 8.1 is almost the same, except for the interface. However, it works in the same way as 7 did. And sure, for companies, it will be better that they can start their PCs to the desktop at once, instead of staying on the Modern UI at the start. But that's something Microsoft already fixed with 8.1.
The Modern UI, well, it has a better overview of things than the old Start menu did for me. You can cull out the things you don't need, and keep the tiles of the programs you often start. It's a faster and more transparent interface for me.
I think I only needed about a week to get used to Windows 8, and even when I did have some troubles with 8.1. In the end, it wasn't 8.1 who was the cause, but third party software that wasn't ready yet for 8.1.
All my systems are now working like before, and I'm very happy about that.
Now, next time, I probably will wait until the new OS is a month in circulation before I upgrade, so the third party software suppliers have fixed their programs.
