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Windows 8

Smeagol

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I got a new Windows laptop recently and to be honest I'm thinking I need to just switch to Macs. Do the people designing the operating system even use their own product? To me it seems somebody at the top decided iPads were the new rave and directed the software people to make Widows 8 work like a tablet...sort of...but with Windows's tablet interface. But then when it was beta tested the "yes people" in the test group said "yes siree, this is great but although this is the best thing since sliced bread, I kinda still like the old windows". So they came up with a somewhat confusing way to toggle back and forth between tablet on a laptop and traditional windows.

Gone are well known minimize, maximize and close buttons on the top right corner. I've got dozens of "apps" and instances of Internet explorer open that I have no idea how to close. The address bar on web pages hides but at the bottom that I've only been able to accidentally get to.

My guess is Microsoft is in a perpetual state of panic feeling the computing world they once ruled is being (has been) taken over by Apple and Google and are trying to reinvent themselves to be like their competitors. Add to that a likely awkward corporate culture when objective and constructive input and feedback from associates is seen as disloyalty and sucking up is the most rewarded attribute broght to the table so everybody just does what they're told even if it a disjointed mess. Know, I've got a big imagination but I'm really disappointed with Windows 8 and just trying figure out why some of the most brilliant minds in computing who a decade ago litterally changed the world don't see how lacking this upgrade is.
 
I got a new Windows laptop recently and to be honest I'm thinking I need to just switch to Macs. Do the people designing the operating system even use their own product? To me it seems somebody at the top decided iPads were the new rave and directed the software people to make Widows 8 work like a tablet...sort of...but with Windows's tablet interface. But then when it was beta tested the "yes people" in the test group said "yes siree, this is great but although this is the best thing since sliced bread, I kinda still like the old windows". So they came up with a somewhat confusing way to toggle back and forth between tablet on a laptop and traditional windows.

Gone are well known minimize, maximize and close buttons on the top right corner. I've got dozens of "apps" and instances of Internet explorer open that I have no idea how to close. The address bar on web pages hides but at the bottom that I've only been able to accidentally get to.

My guess is Microsoft is in a perpetual state of panic feeling the computing world they once ruled is being (has been) taken over by Apple and Google and are trying to reinvent themselves to be like their competitors. Add to that a likely awkward corporate culture when objective and constructive input and feedback from associates is seen as disloyalty and sucking up is the most rewarded attribute broght to the table so everybody just does what they're told even if it a disjointed mess. Know, I've got a big imagination but I'm really disappointed with Windows 8 and just trying figure out why some of the most brilliant minds in computing who a decade ago litterally changed the world don't see how lacking this upgrade is.

This seems to be the resounding theme with a good portion of Windows 8 users....
 
I actually just upgraded from Windows 8 to Windows 7 this weekend for my new laptop. Glad to be back with an operating system that doesn't make me want to shoot myself in the face.

Just go back to Win 7, most of the world is still running on XP and 7.

The general consensus of the community is to skip 8 like we skipped vista.
 
So I find the OS fine. Boots up quick - but I absolutely loathe Microsoft's neverending need to pack their products with useless, unwanted, unproductive "features" - as if they know what we want, let alone what we need.

I am really frustrated with Windows 8. The interface is a complete piece of crap - you have to move your mouse to some invisible location on the far upper right-hand corner of the screen to get to another menu to do things like log off - from "Settings" no less.

Truly a bunch of geeky morons designed that mess. Can't stand it. If I could go back to XP, I would, in a heartbeat.

And the truly frustrating thing is that MICROSOFT REFUSES TO LISTEN TO ITS CUSTOMERS!!! AAAAAAAGGGGGHHHH!!!
 
I got a new Windows laptop recently and to be honest I'm thinking I need to just switch to Macs. Do the people designing the operating system even use their own product? To me it seems somebody at the top decided iPads were the new rave and directed the software people to make Widows 8 work like a tablet...sort of...but with Windows's tablet interface. But then when it was beta tested the "yes people" in the test group said "yes siree, this is great but although this is the best thing since sliced bread, I kinda still like the old windows". So they came up with a somewhat confusing way to toggle back and forth between tablet on a laptop and traditional windows.

Gone are well known minimize, maximize and close buttons on the top right corner. I've got dozens of "apps" and instances of Internet explorer open that I have no idea how to close. The address bar on web pages hides but at the bottom that I've only been able to accidentally get to.

My guess is Microsoft is in a perpetual state of panic feeling the computing world they once ruled is being (has been) taken over by Apple and Google and are trying to reinvent themselves to be like their competitors. Add to that a likely awkward corporate culture when objective and constructive input and feedback from associates is seen as disloyalty and sucking up is the most rewarded attribute broght to the table so everybody just does what they're told even if it a disjointed mess. Know, I've got a big imagination but I'm really disappointed with Windows 8 and just trying figure out why some of the most brilliant minds in computing who a decade ago litterally changed the world don't see how lacking this upgrade is.

Just what the world needs - another end-user who buys a system knowing nothing about it and is surprised when he doesn't know anything about how to use it!

"OMG!!! Things have changed!! Didn't anyone tell MS that technology is supposed to stay the same?" :lamo

And topping off the foolishiness are the predictions of doom for MS

windows-8-market-share-100031382-large.png


Windows 8 Now Up To 7.41% Market Share, Windows 7 Still King

Windows Phone market share to more than double by 2017 | Microsoft - CNET News

Windows Phone Market Share Up Around The World, But American Sales Still Weak - Forbes
 
Just what the world needs - another end-user who buys a system knowing nothing about it and is surprised when he doesn't know anything about how to use it!

"OMG!!! Things have changed!! Didn't anyone tell MS that technology is supposed to stay the same?" :lamo

And topping off the foolishiness are the predictions of doom for MS

windows-8-market-share-100031382-large.png


Windows 8 Now Up To 7.41% Market Share, Windows 7 Still King

Windows Phone market share to more than double by 2017 | Microsoft - CNET News

Windows Phone Market Share Up Around The World, But American Sales Still Weak - Forbes

I think there's a reasonable expectation for subsequent releases of windows to build upon the familiarity of previous versions. If I buy a 2014 automobile I shouldn't have to learn how to drive a different way from scratch. That's just me.
 
I think there's a reasonable expectation for subsequent releases of windows to build upon the familiarity of previous versions. If I buy a 2014 automobile I shouldn't have to learn how to drive a different way from scratch. That's just me.

it's an expectation, but given the history of computing technology, it's not reasonable.
 
Just what the world needs - another end-user who buys a system knowing nothing about it and is surprised when he doesn't know anything about how to use it!

"OMG!!! Things have changed!! Didn't anyone tell MS that technology is supposed to stay the same?" :lamo

And topping off the foolishiness are the predictions of doom for MS

windows-8-market-share-100031382-large.png


Windows 8 Now Up To 7.41% Market Share, Windows 7 Still King

Windows Phone market share to more than double by 2017 | Microsoft - CNET News

Windows Phone Market Share Up Around The World, But American Sales Still Weak - Forbes

Unless they are doing a completely different interface, why change? Refine yes, change? What for? Unless the change makes it MORE functional, then change for changes sake is pointless. I really don't see much in Windows 8 that convinces me to change over to it.
 
Unless they are doing a completely different interface, why change? Refine yes, change? What for? Unless the change makes it MORE functional, then change for changes sake is pointless. I really don't see much in Windows 8 that convinces me to change over to it.

I think Microsoft is transitioning from the PC to the tablet world of personal computing and that's what windows 8 is about. In fact, now that I think about it a big part of the new OS is touch screen functionality, that my laptop doesn't have.
 
I think Microsoft is transitioning from the PC to the tablet world of personal computing and that's what windows 8 is about. In fact, now that I think about it a big part of the new OS is touch screen functionality, that my laptop doesn't have.

That's true, I have a tablet computer that I wanted to test 8 out on to see if it was something that was more than marginally useful. I understand they want a unified environment. Well hopefully 9 will have the bugs worked out. I am looking into a new interface technology called LEAP that I am very interested in. https://www.leapmotion.com/ coupled with some visual audial technologies and that is the beginning of a new revolution in computing and efficiency.
 
Unless they are doing a completely different interface, why change? Refine yes, change? What for? Unless the change makes it MORE functional, then change for changes sake is pointless. I really don't see much in Windows 8 that convinces me to change over to it.

Excellent questions!!

Computing is moving to mobile devices.

Business customers, the group to whom MS makes most of its' sales to, has billions and billions and billions of dollars invested in the development of custom software applications that they developed in house. Just as you don't want to be required to go to your desktop in order to see your email, those business customers would be pleased if their staff were not tied to their desktop either. They could squeeze efficiancies out of their staff by moving apps onto mobile devices.

Right now, doctors and nurses see a patient, and write down the info they've collected onto the patients chart. Then they have to go to a desktop and enter that same info into a database. Imagine the productivity bonus that would occur if that info was just entered into the database immediately using a smartphone! In addition, because that info goes right into the database, it could be checked for possible problems (say if a prescription was handed for a patient who was already taking a medicine that interacts with it)

Now, the business could just write an app for the smartphone, but that would just be "re-inventing the wheel". After all, they *already* have an app! A Windows app! They just need it to get moved onto a mobile device.

Windows 8 provides a migration path for businesses that have in house developed custom apps that run on Windows. In order to move to a mobile device, all they have to do is re-write the part of their app that deals with the user interface so that it's compatible with a touch screen that is smaller than a desktop. All of the other code is re-usable.

This way, they don't have to re-invent the wheel; just a new hub cap
 
I think Microsoft is transitioning from the PC to the tablet world of personal computing and that's what windows 8 is about. In fact, now that I think about it a big part of the new OS is touch screen functionality, that my laptop doesn't have.

That is basically correct, which is why you should have bought a Win7 box.
 
Excellent questions!!

Computing is moving to mobile devices.

Business customers, the group to whom MS makes most of its' sales to, has billions and billions and billions of dollars invested in the development of custom software applications that they developed in house. Just as you don't want to be required to go to your desktop in order to see your email, those business customers would be pleased if their staff were not tied to their desktop either. They could squeeze efficiancies out of their staff by moving apps onto mobile devices.

Right now, doctors and nurses see a patient, and write down the info they've collected onto the patients chart. Then they have to go to a desktop and enter that same info into a database. Imagine the productivity bonus that would occur if that info was just entered into the database immediately using a smartphone! In addition, because that info goes right into the database, it could be checked for possible problems (say if a prescription was handed for a patient who was already taking a medicine that interacts with it)

Now, the business could just write an app for the smartphone, but that would just be "re-inventing the wheel". After all, they *already* have an app! A Windows app! They just need it to get moved onto a mobile device.

Windows 8 provides a migration path for businesses that have in house developed custom apps that run on Windows. In order to move to a mobile device, all they have to do is re-write the part of their app that deals with the user interface so that it's compatible with a touch screen that is smaller than a desktop. All of the other code is re-usable.

This way, they don't have to re-invent the wheel; just a new hub cap

Makes sense. I do this to a point in my operation. I have a tower system at the office and I use a full bore Samsung series 7 tablet computer on the road. The reason I went the full bore route on the tablet was when I was testing the other tablets that didn't have a Core 3 or Core 5 processor and the memory they could multitask as efficiently as I needed. I run a gps splitter program serving signal to a mapping program, and a logging program, it is also running MS Access and Outlook, Excel and Explorer with 5 tabs. Most tablets when I was looking at couldn't run that load without having a heart attack.
 
Makes sense. I do this to a point in my operation. I have a tower system at the office and I use a full bore Samsung series 7 tablet computer on the road. The reason I went the full bore route on the tablet was when I was testing the other tablets that didn't have a Core 3 or Core 5 processor and the memory they could multitask as efficiently as I needed. I run a gps splitter program serving signal to a mapping program, and a logging program, it is also running MS Access and Outlook, Excel and Explorer with 5 tabs. Most tablets when I was looking at couldn't run that load without having a heart attack.

Yes, to a point. You're not concerned about the costs of developing custom s/w for your use, but you do want to run the same s/w on a variety of platforms. Now, with Win8 you'll be able to not only run the same programs, but use the same user interface (assuming you get a touch screen for your desktop).

In your case, it may not be a big deal to have the same interface, but for a large corp with thousands of employees, having one user interface means only have to train its' employees to use one interface. This cuts down on training costs.
 
I think Microsoft is transitioning from the PC to the tablet world of personal computing and that's what windows 8 is about. In fact, now that I think about it a big part of the new OS is touch screen functionality, that my laptop doesn't have.

Yes, touch screen using smaller screens. The app approach to computing. Also, the ability to sync apps across multiple devices. There are several apps I prefer to the desktop versions now, but it will switch back and forth between apps and the desktop seamlessly.
 
Yes, touch screen using smaller screens. The app approach to computing. Also, the ability to sync apps across multiple devices. There are several apps I prefer to the desktop versions now, but it will switch back and forth between apps and the desktop seamlessly.

Its obvious Microsoft is trying use their PC dominance to familiarize and make the public comfortable with their table interface. I'm watching a bunch of YouTube tutorial videos on Windows 8. So much of how Windows operates is second nature so its learning new ways to do a bunch of stuff.
 
Do the people designing the operating system even use their own product?

In the Microsoft world, no.

Most of my academic and professional life is tied to MS products, and I'll never spend a $ on any Apple product after buying an iPod 3rd Gen, but the truth has to be said and it has been too obvious since the 1980's.

MS has imposed its mentality on the software and hardware marketplace in the past 30 years, which is: The software engineers dictate software functions and the design of the user interface, and it's up to the end user to figure out what's happening on their PC screen and how to use the software they bought.

Apple went the other way: Design what an end user would like to see on their screen and use, and then pass it on to the software developers to come up with ways to make it happen.

That's the general state of things. Exceptions are all over the place for both the MS and the Apple world, but this is why MS products suck for casual use and Apple products are usually easy to use for even a 5 year old.
 
Its obvious Microsoft is trying use their PC dominance to familiarize and make the public comfortable with their table interface. I'm watching a bunch of YouTube tutorial videos on Windows 8. So much of how Windows operates is second nature so its learning new ways to do a bunch of stuff.

Classic Shell - Start menu and other Windows enhancements

Basically turns parts of Windows 8 back to 7.

I'm skipping Windows 8.
 
I'm just going to post in this couple weeks old thread to say Windows 8 sucks more than I had previously thought. Due to our changing needs at the school and the fact it's very difficult to find Windows 7 keys (and even hard to find drivers sometimes), we've had to implement several Windows 8 machines, and the more we have to work on them, the more awful it prove to be. Just a list of things I've encountered:

1) Imaging them is either impossible or requires a several step process to go through and turn off UEFI secure boot. When one is trying to image many machines at a time, the last thing one wants to do is multiple restarts to get into what was/is called BIOS. Even worse, there are times where you simply cannot get into BIOS and you have to boot all the way up into Windows, just to set an option to boot into BIOS. It's absolutely maddening to have to boot an operating system and do a first time setup, just to get into BIOS.

2) Hiding the Power buttons under settings under a slide out menu is ridiculous.

3) The Restart button either takes an eternity to use or simply does not work.

4) I cannot count the number of times already when I've tried to add a network printer that the printer icon simply does not show up in the Printers folder. I've even had to change a setting in Power Options to force a hard reboot to get it to show (which is unacceptable).

5) When doing a search for a program in the new UI, you cannot right-click on the program icon to run an Administrator mode. I once had to do a file scan in Desktop mode just to find an Internet Explorer icon I could right-click to start in Administrator mode.

There are more, but I do not remember them right now. It suffices to say I cannot count the number of times over the last couple of months I've had to resort simply to muttering, "I hate Windows 8".


EDIT: On a side note, we also have tried to upgrade a machine to Windows 8.1. I say the word "try" because despite our numerous attempts, it has not once been successful.
 
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