Windows 8
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 436
Likes: 0
From: Patterson, NY
Lon Moore:
I'll begin by stating that I am not a Microsoft fan at all. I don't like their products and I don't like them as a company. My preferred operating system - for home use - is iOS, followed by Linux.
Having said all that I have indeed used Windows 8 for quite some time.
In a nutshell? Windows 8 will give the vast majority of users a migraine, at a minimum. It is far, far from intuitive and should you make the mistake of moving away from all the pretty little tiles on the desktop and back to the more common Start menu, going back to the pretty little tiles desktop is an exercise in... thousands of mouse klicks.
It is also slow. Much slower than Windows 7 and XP.
If you're using Win7 I'd say stick with it until... whenever.
I'll begin by stating that I am not a Microsoft fan at all. I don't like their products and I don't like them as a company. My preferred operating system - for home use - is iOS, followed by Linux.
Having said all that I have indeed used Windows 8 for quite some time.
In a nutshell? Windows 8 will give the vast majority of users a migraine, at a minimum. It is far, far from intuitive and should you make the mistake of moving away from all the pretty little tiles on the desktop and back to the more common Start menu, going back to the pretty little tiles desktop is an exercise in... thousands of mouse klicks.
It is also slow. Much slower than Windows 7 and XP.
If you're using Win7 I'd say stick with it until... whenever.
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 360
Likes: 0
From: Middlesbrough U.K.
I replace my laptops and desktop every three years. I'm due to do that in November but having looked at W8 I think I'll stick with what I'v e got for now. It looks total rubbish. I read 3 PC magazines. Why change something that's not broken? They could have kept developing W7 but it's because money is involved, and Microsoft need an income the same as any other company. This one could sink them.
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 147
Likes: 0
From: Euroland
The only reason I bought a new computer last month is so that it would come with Win7 instead of that excuse for an OS called Win8 
It can imagine it works great on smartphones and tablets but not on a normal keyboard/mouse computer.
It can imagine it works great on smartphones and tablets but not on a normal keyboard/mouse computer.
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 1,630
Likes: 0
From: 39N 77W
Microsoft desperately needs something that is suitable for tablets and the like. Thus Windows 8.
I know someone who has a desktop with touchscreen interface to Win 7 ... they quickly disabled the touchscreen and went back to keyboard . mouse with Win 7. They felt that touchscreen interface is not suited to desktop computers.
I, too, very recently bought a laptop with Win 7 Pro so I could get virtual XP on the same machine. I hope it lasts a long time.
I remain convinced that Microsoft has shot themselves in the foot in the desk/lap top market in order to compete in the (very important) tablet market.
How long before Win 9 appears? It could well be "what Win8 should have been". (cf Vista/Win7) In other words, Win 8 is not likely to have a very long life.
I know someone who has a desktop with touchscreen interface to Win 7 ... they quickly disabled the touchscreen and went back to keyboard . mouse with Win 7. They felt that touchscreen interface is not suited to desktop computers.
I, too, very recently bought a laptop with Win 7 Pro so I could get virtual XP on the same machine. I hope it lasts a long time.
I remain convinced that Microsoft has shot themselves in the foot in the desk/lap top market in order to compete in the (very important) tablet market.
How long before Win 9 appears? It could well be "what Win8 should have been". (cf Vista/Win7) In other words, Win 8 is not likely to have a very long life.
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 611
Likes: 62
From: Down under
It won't be seen on any of my machines based on my one and only foray into the supposed advantages of Windows 7 in a new Dell laptop which is fast becoming one of the most frustrating combinations I've encountered (I start at TRS80 model 1 with a cassette data storage 
)
I know my way around XP pretty well by now and I'm reasonably confident and competent in getting it to do what I require. However Windows 7 seems to be some kind of sad game where almost everything has been changed for no obvious reason, and it seems to be damn near impossible to do anything like configuring a modem or a network without unlearning everything picked up over the past 30 years and starting again. Far easier to grab an XP laptop and get the job done.
Bah! Humbug! When M$ finally cease their support for XP, I'll probably go either Linux or Apple (perish the thought)
Rant mode <OFF>
) I know my way around XP pretty well by now and I'm reasonably confident and competent in getting it to do what I require. However Windows 7 seems to be some kind of sad game where almost everything has been changed for no obvious reason, and it seems to be damn near impossible to do anything like configuring a modem or a network without unlearning everything picked up over the past 30 years and starting again. Far easier to grab an XP laptop and get the job done.
Bah! Humbug! When M$ finally cease their support for XP, I'll probably go either Linux or Apple (perish the thought)
Rant mode <OFF>
Last edited by FullOppositeRudder; 25th October 2012 at 06:54. Reason: Speling errer
Plastic PPRuNer
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 1,902
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From: Rochechouart, France
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 611
Likes: 62
From: Down under
(This forum is amazing
)FOR
More bang for your buck
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 3,513
Likes: 1
From: land of the clanger
When the beta of windows 7 came out I downloaded it and dual booted it with XP, after 2 weeks I never went back to XP, when 8 came out I did the same, after 2 weeks I never went back to windows 8. The classic shell improves it a bit.
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 147
Likes: 0
From: Euroland
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 97
Likes: 0
From: Nr Salisbury UK
Some more views on Win8 here:
N00bs vs Windows 8: We lock six people in a room with new OS ? The Register
N00bs vs Windows 8: We lock six people in a room with new OS ? The Register
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 798
Likes: 0
From: The Land of Beer and Chocolate
I downloaded the beta of Win 8 a while back and put it on a "spare" PC. That didn't last long.
Why oh why didn't they just give the option to set up a "classic" windows instead of trying to force what would be an interface for a tablet or smartphone upon us?
Why oh why didn't they just give the option to set up a "classic" windows instead of trying to force what would be an interface for a tablet or smartphone upon us?
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 755
Likes: 26
From: Dublin, Ireland. (No, I just live here.)
I used the pre-release for a while; it wasn't that bad. I soon got used to the way you launch applications: hit the Windows key, type the name or part thereof. e.g. "Word", or "Control" for Control Panel.
I got rid of it not to go back to Windows 7, but to go to Linux. On that laptop I'm back to Win 7 for reasons related to applications. If I'm to try Win8 at all, it will need to be really cheap ..!
I got rid of it not to go back to Windows 7, but to go to Linux. On that laptop I'm back to Win 7 for reasons related to applications. If I'm to try Win8 at all, it will need to be really cheap ..!
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 624
Likes: 0
From: East sussex
Hellsbrink......"Why oh why didn't they just give the option to set up a "classic" windows instead of trying to force what would be an interface for a tablet or smartphone upon us?"
It does and you can. This was demonstrated on the 'Click' program (today) on BBC News 24 from what I can recall, touch one of those screen icons and it's the good old times again.
Daz
It does and you can. This was demonstrated on the 'Click' program (today) on BBC News 24 from what I can recall, touch one of those screen icons and it's the good old times again.
Daz
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 463
Likes: 0
From: Canada
Windows 8 is the main reason I just bought the parts to make a new games PC; I figure that way, I can keep going with Windows 7 at least until Windows 9 and, at the rate Microsoft are releasing new versions, probably Windows 10.
It's clearly designed for touch screens and just looks like a disaster for desktop machines.
It's clearly designed for touch screens and just looks like a disaster for desktop machines.
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 3,663
Likes: 0
From: Earth
I seriously think this will be Microsofts last installable desktop operating system. After this it will all be embedded systems, "thin" terminals and "cloud" architecture
Customers will just have a pad / slate / thin client with an embedded operating system, and will access their files and applications over the internet.
Customers will just have a pad / slate / thin client with an embedded operating system, and will access their files and applications over the internet.
As long as Microsoft continue to have the emerging countries in their sights as a source of prospective and continued clients, there will be offline versions of Windows.
Same goes for government and corporate accounts with their laptop estate. Those who are already willing to embrace change will be starting to work on it now .... the more conservative accounts will continue to lean on their Microsoft account managers.
Sure there may be a cloud version of Windows brewing (just like you have "home", "pro" etc. editions at the moment), but it ain't going to happen across the portfolio in the next decade or two.
Last edited by mixture; 28th October 2012 at 20:52.
Joined: Jan 2008
Aviation Qualifications: ATPL
Posts: 38
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From: The Smaller Antipode
I agree with both of you -- the only Indefinite Article is the Time Scale.
( and if we had that breadth of knowledge we wouldn't be sat here typing into PPRuNe ! )
( and if we had that breadth of knowledge we wouldn't be sat here typing into PPRuNe ! )
Last edited by ExSp33db1rd; 28th October 2012 at 21:26.