In praise of the Windows 8 Desktop

This story needs to be read in full, it's an honest appraisal of Windows 8.

Just in case people think Paul Thurrot is a Microsoft lover, he's not, he bashes Microsoft more than Tim Cook does.

.But the desktop. Oh, how the desktop has improved.

Gone is the now-antiquated Aero look and feel, its needlessly translucent glass effects replaced by the more pleasing, modern-looking, and, yes, opaque Explorer windows in Windows 8. Microsoft removed Aero because of battery life concerns, which I’m OK with. But I just think it looks better.


Windows Explorer has been upgraded substantially with a new ribbon-based UI that power users will immediately start grousing about. Relax, it’s a win-win: Now, the less sophisticated users you support can actually find what they’re looking for. And you can hide the ribbon, creating the cleanest looking version of Explorer you’ve ever used. And you can mount ISO and VHD images directly into the file system and access them just like normal discs and disks, respectively.


Anyone dogged by slow and unreliable file copies in previous Windows versions, especially over a network, will love that file copy/move has been completely overhauled. It not only looks better with a nice new single-window UI, but it moves like greased lightning, as if Microsoft finally discovered multi-threaded programming for the first time. This isn’t an evolution, it’s a big deal.

Read at the source.
In Praise of the Windows 8 Desktop | Windows 8 content from Windows IT Pro

 

[HippsieGypsie]

Great post HippsieGypsie. I clicked another one at end and then copied url for later. Sure would enjoy those movies more if I had an Italian beef & greasy fries to eat while watching them. That's what I miss most after moving to Michigan from Chicagoland. Joliet, Elgin, Rockford, Crystal Lake.

LOL! Then you understand. Italian beef & greasy fries! Not too healthy, but delicious. I have a helping once a month. I miss it when I go north for the summer. It's the first meal I get when I come to visit my kids.

So far as Looney Tunes, I grew up watching those. That's why I'm, well, so Looney!

 

[jimbo45]

Hi there

No surprise about people rubbishing the article.
Typical reaction from the "Nay sayers".

I'll bet if I went out on to the streets of LA and offered to give the first 200 people I saw a genuine 20 USD bill - people would STILL complain. (Hopefully in NY they'd just take the money and run).

Actually a Candid Camera type of program did this type of stunt a few years ago in Hollywood -- and -- you've guessed it -- nearly everyone was 100% reluctant to take the money. -- Pity I wasn't there then.

(Mind you could have been California State Tax collectors were around looking for people with "Any Undeclared Income" so people kept away).

Actually I now very rarely myself use W7 any more --it just seems slow and a bit dated. I'm waiting to see what Ms does next as there WILL certainly be some changes. I just hope it's not going to be a subscription model "a la Office 365").

Cheers
jimbo

 

[whs]

Jimbo, not everything that is modern is automatically good. I am very happy with my dated OS and the modern version gathers dust in the meantime. I look at it about once every 2 weeks just to make sure the updates are done.

 

[SIW2]

Jimbo
No surprise about people rubbishing the article.
Typical reaction from the "Nay sayers".

What do you mean? I don't see anyone "rubbishing" the original article.

Why are you bandying about the term "naysayers" .

Are you in the pub?

 

[SIW2]

legacy (adj) — A pejorative term used in the computer industry meaning "it works"

 

[Rickkins]

I use win8 exclusively, and I agree it works just fine. Windows explorer I never use, I consider it somewhat turdish. I use dopus....

 

[lehnerus2000]

Agreed

legacy (adj) — A pejorative term used in the computer industry meaning "it works"

I would also add:

"- in widespread use so no further profits can be extracted."
​

 

[Lee]

I use win8 exclusively, and I agree it works just fine. Windows explorer I never use, I consider it somewhat turdish. I use dopus....

Thanks for the mention of DOPUS downloading now. Will give this a try.

 

[lehnerus2000]

Dopus

Seems similar to FreeCommander.

The metadata panel is nice.

 

[BillWindows]

I use win8 exclusively, and I agree it works just fine. Windows explorer I never use, I consider it somewhat turdish. I use dopus....

Thanks for the mention of DOPUS downloading now. Will give this a try.

I'm pretty sure Directory Opus was ported over from the Amiga many years ago, it was a fantastic programme then, I'm sure it should still be pretty good now.
The Amiga had some brilliant programmes in its day, it was way ahead of its time.

If anyone is looking for it type in Directory Opus.

 

[whs]

I use win8 exclusively, and I agree it works just fine. Windows explorer I never use, I consider it somewhat turdish. I use dopus....

Thanks for the mention of DOPUS downloading now. Will give this a try.

I'm pretty sure Directory Opus was ported over from the Amiga many years ago, it was a fantastic programme then, I'm sure it should still be pretty good now.
The Amiga had some brilliant programmes in its day, it was way ahead of its time.

If anyone is looking for it type in Directory Opus.

That is correct. It says so in the wiki. And it was/is Australian.

 

[BillWindows]

Thanks for the mention of DOPUS downloading now. Will give this a try.

I'm pretty sure Directory Opus was ported over from the Amiga many years ago, it was a fantastic programme then, I'm sure it should still be pretty good now.
The Amiga had some brilliant programmes in its day, it was way ahead of its time.

If anyone is looking for it type in Directory Opus.

That is correct. It says so in the wiki. And it was/is Australian.

I know I used it on the Amiga 2000, if there's such a thing as loving a computer, man was I in love with that. I even wrote a couple of small programmes on it.

 

[Lee]

I use win8 exclusively, and I agree it works just fine. Windows explorer I never use, I consider it somewhat turdish. I use dopus....

Thanks for the mention of DOPUS downloading now. Will give this a try.

I'm pretty sure Directory Opus was ported over from the Amiga many years ago, it was a fantastic programme then, I'm sure it should still be pretty good now.
The Amiga had some brilliant programmes in its day, it was way ahead of its time.

If anyone is looking for it type in Directory Opus.

Gave it a try for a couple of hours, albeit it is now gone. It just seemed old and out of place. Now this is only my opinion, and those who try it may find it is something they could use. You can use it for sixty days then you need to buy the program. Again give it try and make your own decision. . .

 

[BillWindows]

Thanks for the mention of DOPUS downloading now. Will give this a try.

I'm pretty sure Directory Opus was ported over from the Amiga many years ago, it was a fantastic programme then, I'm sure it should still be pretty good now.
The Amiga had some brilliant programmes in its day, it was way ahead of its time.

If anyone is looking for it type in Directory Opus.

Gave it a try for a couple of hours, albeit it is now gone. It just seemed old and out of place. Now this is only my opinion, and those who try it may find it is something they could use. You can use it for sixty days then you need to buy the program. Again give it try and make your own decision. . .

I haven't used it since the Amiga, so it's probably become bloated over the years, it was always a programme for power users with its loads of features.

 

[lehnerus2000]

If you don't want to pay for DOPUS, try FreeCommander.
The feature sets seem to be almost identical (no metadata panel though).

The main features I like are:

• Single or Twin panel layout (with or without tree)
• Tabs
• Preview (music, video, pictures, pdf, html, txt)
• Mass rename

The author is working on a new version but it isn't complete yet (FreeCommander XE).
It seems to be mostly finished though.