[Outcast]

Anyone else install Windows 8?

It looks completely different from any other iteration of Windows, the most radical departure from the classic start button and taskbar seen so far.

As someone who uses Mac OS X begrudgingly due to no other OS being as pretty and slick but now with Windows 8, theres some choice.

This post has been edited by Outcast on Thursday, Mar 8 2012, 22:04

[MrMateczko]

It sucks.
Don't bother. Unless you watn to install it in na ARM tablet, then it will be somewhat good.
But Microsoft, slow down!
It's not the time to push this Metro sh*t to desktops just now.

[Slamman]

I plan to, even with the Metro Interface GUI, I've read you can revert to some traditional Windows formatting, I think Win Vista and Win 7 are not far removed enough for me to dislike either, and I debated on getting Vista, which is why I chose an Ultimate version, just to get everything for the Windows most maligned since Microsoft's Millennium Edition, which I still consider the best Win 9x platform! haha

[illegal_luggage]

Vista was pretty bad. Just get Windows 7 and I don't think Windows Millenium was all that great either. Anyway I don't like Windows 8 with all that metro nonsense and it's hard to find settings.

[ska]

My only problem with Windows 8 is that Microsoft seems to be thinking too far ahead of the curve in regards to the interface. I think it will be a great OS, especially for tablets, but using it day-to-day on a desktop just doesn't seem fitting to me.

[Stinky12]

I've tried both developers preview which was released a few months back and their consumer preview that was released a few days ago.
Running on VM, there is only 1 word that can describe both version. Complete and utter sh*t!!!
In DP you can at least still function to the basics, but in CP it's so dumb down you can't do anything. First start is not start any more and has been integrated into
the metro ui menu place on the right. There is no way to close off a open app unless you head over to task manager.
Right now I'm stuck in IE and have no way of closing it.

[Outcast]

Keep in mind, this is just a consumer PREVIEW. its just meant to be a taste of whats to come and from looking at Windows 8 you can see the sort of direction they're going to be moving in and it is a good one in the current climate. They need something fresh and different to draw more people to windows. out of all my friends im the only one with a windows laptop (a thinkpad for when im on the road) but i've also got a macbook, a mac mini and a macbook pro for normal web browsing etc.

Windows is long overdue an overhaul of their GUI, to unite all msft devices this is it.

[okei]

QUOTE (Outcast @ Friday, Mar 2 2012, 15:04)

Keep in mind, this is just a consumer PREVIEW. its just meant to be a taste of whats to come and from looking at Windows 8 you can see the sort of direction they're going to be moving in and it is a good one in the current climate. They need something fresh and different to draw more people to windows. out of all my friends im the only one with a windows laptop (a thinkpad for when im on the road) but i've also got a macbook, a mac mini and a macbook pro for normal web browsing etc. Windows is long overdue an overhaul of their GUI, to unite all msft devices this is it.

Why so many laptops? You're almost as bad as me with the amount of modern computers I've got lying around.

[Stinky12]

The Win8 MS demo during this years CES keynote was totally different, it was a lot user friendly than what they released
to the public.

[Wolf68k]

Win8 looks like it should be for phones and tablets and should stay there. All of the tech people that I've seen that are trying it, they like it but even then it looks like they are using it from the view point of a mom/dad/grandparent basically someone that doesn't to much more than surf the web and use office and stuff like that.
For someone like me, and many of you guys here, it looks like it'll take even longer to do the simplest things we do now. Syphon mentioned after trying the developers preview version that it does take 1-3 extra clicks to do the same thing you can do in Win7.
If there is an option to disable the metro interface and use it like 7 then great I'm all for that. I said the same thing when I saw the dev preview.

I admit I didn't like Win7 at first, partly because of the Aero, but I got past that. What I do love about Win7 is the Start->Search. In the past with 98 and XP because I would install so much and used the Start menu to start everything, because I like to keep the desktop completely clear of all icons, the Start->Programs menu was huge. To fix that I create sub folders that groups programs together; games, video, audio, graphics, utilities. With Win7 I don't need to do that, I can just type in the name (or part of) into the Search and BAM found it. So much easier on so many levels.
From what I've seen on 8: start off in Metro, click something to get the desktop, then I guess move over to the "charm" area on the left to click search, now I can search for whatever.

To make 8 even worse the Task Manager is completely different and from what little I've seen I don't see anything in the 8 TM like the 7 TM, in fact the only thing on the 8 TM is what you see in 7 TM for the Applications tab. No processes, services, performance and so on.

I am not looking forward to 8 at all. I also don't think businesses aren't looking forward to it either, never mind that many of them still having moved to 7 yet either.

[Outcast]

You make some good points Wolf, but the fact of the matter is Microsoft is moving with the times. I've seen mainly negative reactions to Win8 from people here and I have to agree with some of the arguments made, but everyone has to remember that our tech mentality is outdated. Software no longer comes exclusively on CDs for example, just look at the App Store in OSX.

I think what Microsoft is doing is right, they are manoeuvring themselves into a position where they can compete in the future against the likes of Chrome OS and OSX. What the consumer wants today is a sleek and simple OS which allows them to do what they want, when they want. Also the fact that many things are web-based means that new OSes dont have to have the functionality as before.

[illegal_luggage]

I don't really like the new layout of 8 and would prefer Microsoft to have a seperate OS just for tablets and stuff. Previous versions of Windows don't look as cluttered and yes we've seen the same similar layout of previous Windows of the years with the desktop and the taskbar etc but if it ain't broke don't fix it. XP was great and is still widely used today in businesses and Windows 7 is starting to become more popular. Many of my computing teachers at college have all tried Windows 8 and they don't like the new layout. If there's a way to get the old style back so it doesn't look like the Xbox dashboard then I'll be happy. Ohwell I'll just stick to Windows 7 and will probably not bother with 8 and just see what the next one's like.

[Outcast]

QUOTE (illegal_luggage @ Saturday, Mar 3 2012, 02:01)

if it ain't broke don't fix it.

losing market share to Mac OS X certainly seems like something isnt right.

and yes, there is a way to switch between the traditional windows look and the metro gui, and its not some obscure button buried in the settings. its right there

[Slamman]

I can only speak about what I read, since I've yet to format a drive with Win8, but I don't mind it too much, I just think that Ubuntu would be the one to spark GUI ideas. Mac is not so much an issue using Intel processing and emulating Microsoft software. Not sure if they do Linux, since I'm a Windows guy
Even Windows 7 is geared to more Touchscreen and Touchpad tablet uses, but MS plans to meld a lot of platform software, that's part of the idea of transforming Games for Windows Live to a more universal Xbox Live that works on Windows, the thing I like about the idea is sharing your online XBL on a Windows PC. Perhaps using Xbox discs running on Win8 or something like that already suggested, though I am not banking on it, I'd like to see it possible in some way.

QUOTE

Vista was pretty bad. Just get Windows 7 and I don't think Windows Millenium was all that great either. Anyway I don't like Windows 8 with all that metro nonsense and it's hard to find settings.

How so? Vista has not been a problem for me, I have a special evaluation edition I got from Craigslist, My Win ME was installed on my original PC, eMachine eTower, and it's never BSOD more then once or twice, since I don't remember such problems. Mike/PCGuy looked into this as a MS IT guy, he's confirmed memory management was flawed and one major sticking point that caused Win9x BSOD and crashes.

This post has been edited by Slamman on Friday, Mar 2 2012, 18:57

[Stinky12]

Currently Windows 7 has a detection feature for tablets and touchscreens. When the OS doesn't detect any hardware support, these features are automatically disabled. For those running Windows 7, go to system properties and it will say whether your system supports writing and touch screen functionality.

Windows 8 should have this feature as well, that if a monitor doesn't support touch screen, the user will only get the standard Windows interface and MetroUI will only appear if the monitor supports touch screen.

[Slamman]

Like keyboard English or multilanguage support, I think you'd find the features on the right side task bar, minimized, I have capability set for using digital pens, Mics, various entry methods, but there is a Windows Tablet Edition OS I saw listed at a Goodwill auction (Gateway tablet someone donated)

[Cursed]

I'm still not sold on the whole Metro + Standard desktop design. Either go for one or the other. I do think the Metro interface is very nice looking with the full screen apps though, and I dare say navigation would work well with the multitouch trackpad on my Macbook.

The logo isn't exactly brilliant:

[GTA 360]

QUOTE (Cursed @ Friday, Mar 2 2012, 21:04)

The logo isn't exactly brilliant:

No, the logo's crap. Good luck with the software then.

[Slamman]

I wonder if it was bought up then, like NBC Universal...major change, get rid of artistically inclined logo for REALLY boring, corporate type-set

It's pretty bland, but easier to replicate on mobile devices I imagine

[nightwalker83]

Yeah, I made the mistake of installing Windows 8 a while ago! It stuff up the boot sequence on my pc, I usually boot in to Window 7. I then had to do a total format and reinstall everything except Windows 8 all over again.

This post has been edited by nightwalker83 on Saturday, Mar 3 2012, 00:17