Windows 8 really isn't that bad

[DMHolt57]

Welcome to the forum pinklotus. I would not upgrade over your Windows 7. Try it in a virtual machine, but wait till October before trying to upgrade over Windows 7.

 

[Max Peck]

Running the RTM in Virtual Box. It looks and seems to work fine. I'm sure it will be OK.

For myself, though, I personally will not rebuild a machine to Win8. I can see absolutely nothing that I could accomplish with it that I can't already do with my Win7 equipment. There simply isn't anything about it that I consider an upgrade in any way, shape or form. Aside from tinkering with it as a new piece of technology (which I can do in a Virtual Machine) it's just not something I'm going to waste time doing. No, it's not "horrible" - it's just "different". Like trading in one phillips-head screwdriver for another brand of the same thing with a different colored label on it. Zero sum game. Not worth the trouble.

Since I just bought a new machine I will take advantage of the $15 update offer so I can build a VM around it. I'll use it as a sandbox for testing my desktop applications to make sure they will still run in the field. Beyond that it just doesn't add value to any equipment I have or anything I'm doing.

Hope they make a killing selling "Surface" tablets with it, however even that won't pry my retina iPad out of my hands. As for my software development tools I have VS2008 and accessories and plan no Metro development so there's just nowhere Microsoft that I need to spend any bucks right now. I'm in good shape. I'll just observe this thing from the sidelines for awhile!

-Max

 

[R0bR]

Huh! How complicated! Why not leaving the Charm visible all the time to avoid all that mouse choregraphy? .... AKA "The Task Bar".

If it's THAT difficult to make a simple mouse gesture than just use WIN + C.

 

[pparks1]

The DP and Enterprise are the only versions that can correctly install my sound driver.

I'm very confused as to why the Enterprise would handle your sound driver any differently than say the Windows 8 Pro version. Seems very odd to me.

 

[Frank1]

OK--For what it's worth, I'm putting my two cents worth in again. For all who disagree with me, I respect your opinion. Most of you probably know more about this stuff than I do, so maybe you know something that I don't. I played with Win8 pre-release. Yesterday, I downloaded and installed the Evaluation Version. I couldn't see much difference. They did give more instructions such as: "Tap this" or, "swipe that". With a mouse??? My final conclusion is this: Windows 8, plus a keyboard, plus a mouse simply do not mix. Sort of like oil and water. Maybe for the hand held gadgets it's OK. But not for a keyboard and mouse. Some of you may feel differently and that's OK. But, that's how I feel anyway.

 

[Fredledingue]

If it's THAT difficult to make a simple mouse gesture than just use WIN + C.

You don't get it: Why they are making the charm disapearing, why they are not leting it visible? Why no taskbar, from which you can do eveything on the bottom of the Metro Start Screen? Why no "minimize" button on the Start Screen? Why full screen by defaut without any ohter choice? This I don't understand. On phone screens it makes sens, but on desktop display it's counter productive.

 

[R0bR]

If it's THAT difficult to make a simple mouse gesture than just use WIN + C.

You don't get it: Why they are making the charm disapearing, why they are not leting it visible? Why no taskbar, from which you can do eveything on the bottom of the Metro Start Screen? Why no "minimize" button on the Start Screen? Why full screen by defaut without any ohter choice? This I don't understand. On phone screens it makes sens, but on desktop display it's counter productive.

No I totally get it, you don't like the Start Screen and want it to be like the regular desktop which is basically what you described above.

 

[Frank1]

Hi

I have a question

I'm using 7 but I really would love to try 8 ....

Is windows 8 really worth it to upgrade to?

will this version progress or it's the last audition of 8?

Is it the right time to install 8 or should i wait a little longer?


thanks

If I were you, I would find a way to try it before buying it.

 

[Mustang]

Must admit I've lost interest in Win 8. Will probably buy $39 upgrade and use on backup desktop machine as upgrade to Vista, to keep up to speed, but won't get serious about possibility of using it as main machine until at least SP1 is out.

Aside from anything else I'm using extreme mobo and CPU with SLI bridge for 3 GTX graphics cards, and therein lies the problem ... forget it! Even with only one card still get lockups and occasional "purple" screen with error message to the effect: "video card stopped working and has recovered". Have tried both HDMI and DVI connect to monitor.

And that's after downloading correct drivers for Win8 from NVIDIA online search for drivers, and doing stand alone installation on separate HD. Aaaaaaagggggghhhhh! Enough is enough!

 

[Coke Robot]

If it's THAT difficult to make a simple mouse gesture than just use WIN + C.

You don't get it: Why they are making the charm disapearing, why they are not leting it visible? Why no taskbar, from which you can do eveything on the bottom of the Metro Start Screen? Why no "minimize" button on the Start Screen? Why full screen by defaut without any ohter choice? This I don't understand. On phone screens it makes sens, but on desktop display it's counter productive.

On a phone, it wouldn't make sense. You have a 4 inch screen that you have to swipe the edges around with and overall wouldn't be a good experience as it isn't natural to use with such a small screen. Windows 8 is more comfortable to use with tablets and larger screens. Things aren't always visible all the time because that's the point of the design. The point is that one uses the WHOLE screen to display content, like IE 10. Right now, the UI of Eight Forums is the only thing I'm looking at. I don't need to see the taskbar, don't need to see the Settings charm, don't need to see what's playing in Xbox Music, don't need to see the Start button, ect. If I'm on the Desktop, I can just as easily get to the hot corners and hit the Start button just as easy as it is to click on the Start orb in 7. But if you don't need fullscreen apps, don't use them. If the Start Screen is what bugs you, ok, great. I don't understand how that's a huge problem when at most, I don't see what's on the Desktop for a few seconds when I click on Desktop app tile. I don't get how it's counterproductive to have your Desktop windows as they, go to the Start Screen, and start a new program and quickly get back to the Desktop as you left it.

There is a metro taskbar on the left side, the reason it's not on the bottom because if you were on the Desktop, it would become a PITA to navigate around with. Maybe later in the future when the Desktop isn't the commonly used UI, that will happen. But in the meantime, the Desktop HAS to be there.

 

[Coke Robot]

Must admit I've lost interest in Win 8. Will probably buy $39 upgrade and use on backup desktop machine as upgrade to Vista, to keep up to speed, but won't get serious about possibility of using it as main machine until at least SP1 is out.

Aside from anything else I'm using extreme mobo and CPU with SLI bridge for 3 GTX graphics cards, and therein lies the problem ... forget it! Even with only one card still get lockups and occasional "purple" screen with error message to the effect: "video card stopped working and has recovered". Have tried both HDMI and DVI connect to monitor.

And that's after downloading correct drivers for Win8 from NVIDIA online search for drivers, and doing stand alone installation on separate HD. Aaaaaaagggggghhhhh! Enough is enough!

Purple screen? Now that's how you know things are REALLY messed up!

 

[Coke Robot]

....If you just put the mouse in the corner and leave it there after a slight delay you'll get the white charms then if you continue to drag you get the charms with the black background. However there is a delay doing it this way because Microsoft said they didn't want to trigger the charms if the user just happened to put the mouse in that corner unintentionally. If you put the mouse into and....

Huh! How complicated! Why not leaving the Charm visible all the time to avoid all that mouse choregraphy? .... AKA "The Task Bar".

Not unless you change the behavior. I don't want to SINGLE click a file under Windows explorer and have it open. When I single click it, I want to select it (perhaps for copy, move, delete, etc).

Exactly and Microsoft forgot that we are doing this on computers. To open files you definetly need Explorer, or an Explorer's replacement, with a folder tree. + You can set it up to open files on a single click if you realy mean it (but nobody uses this option for obvious reasons). ====> Unless you always work on a single file (or maybe 2 or 3) there is no point in storing file shortcuts on the Metro Start Screen.

The UI seems non-intuitive or non-cohesive at first, but with a little effort, it's not.

Yes that's the problem with w8: It requires efforts. And maybe in w9 it will also require new efforts to move from your old w8 habits. And you won't be allowed to say that you don't like it. Sorry I don't like products which play with my nerves. I don't want their "new way of computing" while I have an excellent, personalized computer already.

....(I)have come to appreciate some of the new features, particularly the full screen IE.

Me too... when I learned that pressing F11 did it on just about every internet browser since IE 4, more than a decade ago. Nothing new here except that you can't resize or minimize anymore with Metro's IE10.

So putting in a few hours of effort is FAR too much to learn a new UI that potentially will be the basis of Windows for possibly 17 years??? Can you tell me, what happened when Windows 95 came out?

What a lazy nation we live in......

 

[Coke Robot]

Hi

I have a question

I'm using 7 but I really would love to try 8 ....

Is windows 8 really worth it to upgrade to?

will this version progress or it's the last audition of 8?

Is it the right time to install 8 or should i wait a little longer?


thanks

Hello! And welcome to Eight Forums! Hopefully all of us can be of some use!

You can put Windows 8 into a virtual machine, or make a partition on your hard drive and install 8 on that new partition. I'd go with the latter as it's the most simplest way and the best way to see how Windows 8 handles your PC.

As of now, you can actually download and use Windows 8 Enterprise for a 90 day trial and see how it ranks for you. It really depends on your interest with Windows 8 on when to install it. Theoretically, by around October or November, there should be new updated drivers to use that work best with 8. But if you REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, want to see what the fuss is about, go for it! Chances are that 8 will handle you PC as is without third party drivers.

 

[lehnerus2000]

Weird Indeed

The DP and Enterprise are the only versions that can correctly install my sound driver.

I'm very confused as to why the Enterprise would handle your sound driver any differently than say the Windows 8 Pro version. Seems very odd to me.

Agreed.

Still drivers are unreliable.
Just look at all of the driver problem threads on the Internet.
You will often see a group of people complaining and another group saying that the driver works perfectly.

W8 CP and W8 RP both reported the sound driver as correctly installed, but they would only make buzzing noises.
I tried reinstalling the RP 3x (and I checked the hash numbers) just in case it was an install failure.
No dice.

I think that MS screwed something up in the CP and RP and it has been fixed in the latest releases.

I should point out that I am running W8 (DP, CP, RP and ENT) on VHDs.

But if you don't need fullscreen apps, don't use them. If the Start Screen is what bugs you, ok, great. I don't understand how that's a huge problem when at most, I don't see what's on the Desktop for a few seconds when I click on Desktop app tile. I don't get how it's counterproductive to have your Desktop windows as they, go to the Start Screen, and start a new program and quickly get back to the Desktop as you left it.

Once you install real programs, you can (mostly) avoid the Metro screen and Apps (e.g. Photo and PDF).

If you don't install real programs, the Apps will hijack your session.

 

[pinklotus]

thank you all for your answers to my question.

 

[Fredledingue]

So putting in a few hours of effort is FAR too much to learn a new UI

Yes. Especialy since not every computer will have w8 installed. And for every OS you have to learn specific ways to work. Here I have side by side a W98SE and a W7 machine, but I can easily go from one to another, the principle is the same: You double click icons on the desktop or the Quick Launch, the Shut Down button is somewhere in the Start Menu on the bottom left screen, ... no big deal.

What a lazy nation we live in......

Now with w8 we have something completely different, or starting to be different. The first thing everybody will do is to use apps in the old way: resizable windows and coming back to the desktop everytime they can't find stuff on the Start Screen, Using Explorer (or a replacement) etc. This alone will defeat the new concept Microsoft is trying to push. I don't know if you realize but one week after the first RP was released there were already hacks to disable Metro. Starbuck is making a killing with Start8. Millions of download in a matter of days. Not because Metro Start Screen is bad or ugly. But because Microsoft doesn't want to change one iota from their original design. They don't want to correct the mistakes everybody is talking about.

the basis of Windows for possibly 17 years

Microsoft has changed the name and location of the Document/Library/Whatever-it-s-called-today forlder at every single new version of Windows since W98. And at every new version of Windows there are new stuffs to learn. I'm not saying it's good or bad, just pointing the fact that Microsoft has caught the change obsession syndrome. W8 as we know it will last only one season. W9 will be *again* different and will be *again* the new future.

 

[pparks1]

So putting in a few hours of effort is FAR too much to learn a new UI that potentially will be the basis of Windows for possibly 17 years??? Can you tell me, what happened when Windows 95 came out?

What a lazy nation we live in......

Who said we aren't learning how to use it and putting in the effort? Doesn't mean we have to like it, or prefer to use it in that method.

 

[Frank1]

So putting in a few hours of effort is FAR too much to learn a new UI that potentially will be the basis of Windows for possibly 17 years??? Can you tell me, what happened when Windows 95 came out?

What a lazy nation we live in...... [/QUOTE]
Coke--I remember when Windows 95 came out. Yes there was some apprehension about it. People were a little worried about learning to use it since it was different than Windows 3.x. It was not that they did not like it, they just were a little apprehensive about being able to use it. It wasn't long before everyone liked it. I don't think you can compare jumping from Win 3.x to Win 95 the same as Windows 7 or XP to Win 8. With Win 95 most everyone liked it. But, with Win 8, there are a great number of users who are not worried about learning to use it; they simply do not like it. I'm sure I could learn to use it if I had to, but if you use a keyboard and mouse, what's the point? What's the advantage?

 

[Mike Lonewolf]

OML!!! Did pparks1 ACTUALLY say Windows 8 isn't BAD??? HEY!! Isn't he the guy that wanted it to die since the DP days of Windows 8? (muffled grin)

 

[pparks1]

I'm not sure that i said I wanted it to die back in the DP days, but I haven't been a big fan or supporter.

It's not bad, from a pure operating standpoint as I said. What matters is whether you can get along with the Start Screen, lack of start button on desktop and like the bland new look.

I don't intend to upgrade my own computers to Windows 8 though, so my opinion hasn't changed there.