Windows 8 Video and a Rant

[dgood]

Like most of you now you've probably seen this video or something similar.

So now if you have watched it just now or already seen it. My thoughts not as a professional, not as a Mechanical Engineer (well maybe), but as a general enthusiast of computers and an ex- Systems Administrator.

All I see is a re badged Windows 7 with A new app's feature. /Begin Rant. Why do we want APPS? if I want apps I'll use my android phone, or my friends iphone. I don't need to say "there's an app for that" on my computer. This is my computer. I want something without Apps, without widgets, without anything running but the base windows services when my computer starts. I want to start programs running when I choose. I don't want everything running in the background.

Don't get me wrong this looks great for a touch operating system for a tablet. However, it looks like the worst possible operating system for anyone to use at work. Also at what point will they tell people buy windows 7 if you want 32bit processor support? I mean I understand supporting 32bit programs with the 32bit emulator, they have been doing that since windows xp 64.

Tiles are better than icons? Seriously? No not on a desktop, that would annoy me. On their windows phone sure, that could be cool.

I pay for an operating system to get something streamlined and because I don't want to fight over finding drivers and setting up a linux operating system.
I sure hope they release a work version that is very streamlined, though I don't want to have to pay more to get the stripped down version. That's like paying more for a car because it has nothing in it and thus is a little faster.

All in all I'd like to see them take some more risks, I don't want my desktop to behave like a phone or tablet. /End Rant

[hark]

I don't care for petty interface changes either. However, Microsoft claims to be supporting PC gaming more (but we've all heard that before with Vista and even back to the Windows 95 days). If they do pull through on that and allow for far greater gaming performance either through a "gaming mode" or much more efficient hardware access, I'd be on board. Seems to me that we're better off just skipping every other version of Windows.

[Sparky]

Not impressed, looks like an i-phone or table OS to me. I don't really want a touch screen for my home PC...smudgy fingerprints on the screen?? Besides, my monitor sits on the back of my desk and the older I get the further I have to sit from it to see it! So it would be tough to reach to interact with IMO.

[Sttm]

The main thing they should do with Windows 8 though is make it all optional and able to be turned off relatively easily. You should be able to go into the control panel, and their should be an option for the UI that you can click to not have it use the tablet setup ever.

That said I do like certain things about it. I just went from Vista to Windows 7 and some things I like about 7 I can see getting expanded on in 8. For example in the start menu I have Steam listed, and I can click to the right of steam and it opens up a list of all my games. Or for CC Cleaner it will let me open straight to registry cleaning, or for the web browsers straight to a web page.

So what if they expanded this with their live tiles. Like having a Steam tile that would update itself showing a list of who on my friends list is on and what game they are playing and allow me to join them by clicking on it. Allowing me quicker access to things by having them right on the desktop and constantly updated. I am not sure about the way they have it setup, as it does seem very tablet oriented. I would rather they would let the tiles just sit on your desktop as optional icon replacement. Where you could just right click - view - Tile , Large icons, medium Icons, small icons; and choose what ever you want.

I don't like the idea of touch screen for desktop either, but I can see that they have to have it to compete in the tablet space, and I like they are going to have the same Windows on a tablet, notebook, and desktop instead of taking their phone OS like Apple did and making it the tablet OS. Once tablet hardware matures and Intel gets their 22nm chips out I might actually want a tablet and I like that Windows 8 would be the same.

[Calamar]

I got on XP until 7 was released and just because 7 offered me some improvements: boot times, 64bit, etc.

So who cares about next MS OS? Until 7 gets very old I will use it.

Why do you need an OS every 2 years? Its "only" the platform to run your programs or games. MS tries to emulate the smartphone-periodic-os-update madness thanks to apple and google. I thinks its a wrong move, but hey, they are the experts ;D ask w.millenium & w.vista.

[bubba]

Don't see this Win8 start screen "app" being useful a desktop. Tablets are getting more and more popular, this could be nice for that. I know a lot of people that have moved to tablets for pretty much everything. Redid their old PCs just for printing stuff.

I don't see this start screen crap being useful at all in office spaces. Just hope they continue to sell Win7 for a while after 8 comes out.

[Sttm]

Why do you need an OS every 2 years?

Because I end up building a new PC every 2-3 years and I typically still need my old os on the old pc.

[DragonFury]

At first I was not all that impressed with Windows 8 myself, but after playing with it I am starting to like it more and more. Especially since I been able to have access to my start up menu programs (read Below to know how) You can uninstall all of the aps or hide them on the Metro Start Up.

Adding the Start menu programs as a Quick Launch. how to do this is by goto your task bar, right click it > un check Lock the Task Bar (there is a reason for this)> then right click on the task bar again, then goto ToolBars in the sub menu add new tool bar> you will get a new window asking to browse for a folder type in this "C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs" hit enter, then click ok. you will see a new quick launch with your Programs from your "Old Start menu Programs" show up on the Task bar. Now right click on the "Programs name of the Quick launch then un check Show Text. Then on an empty protion of the task manager re lock the Task Bar. I would show SS' but the forums not allowing me....

[KnightRid]

I was going to download it to try it out but I just cant bring myself to use something that looks like it was made for morons. Seriously, apps? I can see this being a great OS for tablets but I am not going to use any of those ridiculous features on my main pc. Touch screen, because sitting a few inches from your monitor is so good for your eyes LOL

It really looks like it would be great on a tablet but if you have an IQ above 4, I think you can figure out how to use Windows 7 with gadgets/widgets/whatever they call them.

[sbohdan]

I totally agree with dgood. Something that is great for a handheld device like a phone or tablet PC would be very annoying on a PC, especialy if it cannot be turned off. The first thing I always do after of fresh install of an OS is to turn off all widgets and stupid aero. They just annoy me and slow down the PC. I would rather see a windows that is immune against BSOD's and other faults windows is full of. They should be reliable, secure and compatible, not full of apps and stupid widgets.

[DragonFury]

Again you can uninstall the apps, here is a reg hack for those who don't like the Metro screen and prefers the older windows look

http://www.geek.com/articles/geek-pick/ ... 8-20110914

[Darkstar]

I wasnt too impressed wither, my teen gave it a thumbs up after a trial run (probably the social media setups)

there is also a 3rd party app to let you toggle between (or turn off) the metro and normal windows desktop.

[doghucat]

I loaded it on my Laptop and it cut the boot times to less than 15 seconds plus there are lots of tweaks and tips that at first glance you do not even know are there for use. Plus the main thing to remember is it is the developers version not a finished product. Check out the Windows 8 Forums for lots of info on the tweaks and keyboard shortcuts.