Has anyone else tried the new Windows 8? I've installed it on my computer and am currently trying it as I'm typing. But I must say it is a nice piece of work.
Here is a link to the download site.
It comes in an easy to install ".exe" setup file.
Download Windows 8
ID:610770
 Mar 31 2012, 6:28 pm
|
|
The biggest problem I have is the metro interface.
Fist and foremost, I don't want to be taken to a completely different window if I need to quickly open Notepad. Start -> Notepad is a lot easier than Start -> Metro -> Notepad. Secondly, Metro's extremely obvious tablet design. I didn't spend four grand on a beastly desktop so I can operate it like an iPad. Thirdly, The Ribbon. I hate The Ribbon. It is the single worst designed toolbar in the history of man kind. Currently, I know what the words mean, and I know where to find them. In The Ribbon, I'll be damned if I know what the hell the pictures are, and why should I have to wait for a tool-tip to explain to me what it is. Sure, you can argue all the info is right there for me to edit on the fly, but at the same time, I can navigate a file menu faster than I can navigate The Ribbon... And it takes up too much space! Another thing is the apps. There's no way to close them from what I can see... You push a key, and it does what my iPhone does... I don't want that in a computer. Phones and tablets are designed for quick usage things like that, generally 'cause you're on the move. On a desktop, you don't need that much speed. You can swap between things a lot quicker with a mouse in front of your computer than you can standing on a fast moving, crowded (probably full of people who want to mug you) train using your fingers. And honestly, I've been using Windows for so many years now, the UI experience has been drilled into me. Such drastic changes is obviously going to bug me. | |
What would be really impressive is if Windows 8 could turn my monitor into a touchscreen.
| |
You can already do that if your monitor supports it. All you're really doing is mapping mouse commands to the screen like the touchpad on a laptop.
| |
I agree that Windows 8 seems to be more of a hassle to get around. But you can get around despite the fact that you have to go through a few more menus. I personally think it takes up less CPU Usage and RAM then Windows 7 and Vista.
I personally haven't experienced a crash or computer freeze once yet, and I've been opening windows quite fast and recklessly just to see how Windows 8 handles it, and if I do say so myself, it has over exceeded my expectations. | |
I have more than enough CPU and RAM cover Windows 7, so improvements on those fronts are of no use to me. I just want a very quick way to get to what I want. Metro interferes with that, as does The Ribbon.
Hardware improvements don't interest me, my hardware is good enough to cover it. =) | |
If you don't mind me asking. What are your computer specifications?
| |
Nothing special, but still perfectly good enough:
Graphcs: Gigabyte ATI Radeon HD5870 2GB Eyefinity 6 Edition CPU: AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-890FXA-UD7 And 8GB of Kingston HyperX(?) DDR3 RAM of some kind as well as a few other odds and ends. Perfectly capable of handling anything Windows 7 can throw at it. Thus improvements on Windows 8 are not worth sacrificing usability. This bothers me. | |
Definitely capable. Though the lack of a start button does throw me and new users off.
| |
Gizhy wrote:
Though the lack of a start button does throw me and new users off. I don't get that decision, and I hope they change it (regardless of what they say now). It might seem like a nice interface for home users, but it's just going to get in the way for professionals and power users. | |
What Microsoft is thinking is that touch interface is the wave of the future. As you guys already discussed, this is upsetting to some people, primarily developers and power-users. Microsoft is trying to make money, so they realize that it might be better marketing to push for something that's very different and somewhat innovative. It's a gamble they're willing to take to stay on the top. So far it actually looks and seems nice, that is, if you're an average user. What I think all of us need to do is try using the Consumer Preview for an extended period of time as our main OS and see how comfortable we are able to get with it. That's what I'll be doing at least.
We're all used to how things have been with Windows for a long time. Change is eventually going to come, and it's come in the way Windows is presenting it. While it's different, we may just have to deal with getting used to it. It may be for the better in the end. And besides, this is the Consumer Preview so we can expect a lot of changes in the final product. Also, there will be the option to go back to the old normal desktop with the start button and everything. So that's a plus. (At least I kept hearing that, maybe it's not true afterall. Though there do seem to be registry tweaks that can bring it back but remove the metro interface). Or there's the hassle of installing third-party programs like this: http://www.stardock.com/products/start8/ | |
Fugsnarf wrote:
What I think all of us need to do is try using the Consumer Preview for an extended period of time as our main OS and see how comfortable we are able to get with it. That's what I'll be doing at least. I'll just stick with Windows 7 and see what Windows 9 has to offer. If they do the same thing, well, that's just bummer for me and I'll have to update to stay capable. Having owned and used every (non-server/media) Windows OS since I was a child, Windows 8 will be the first one I actually skip (except Vista, which I do own, but never used as a main OS personally). We're all used to how things have been with Windows for a long time. Change is eventually going to come, and it's come in the way Windows is presenting it. While this is disappointingly true, MS could have done what they are doing, and easily released a second Windows 8 for power users/developers. It's not like maintaining several OS versions at once is new to them. Another thing, I'm fairly sure MS somewhere has a legal document stating it will maintain backwards compatibility (to a degree, I suppose). So eventually there will be a limit to how far they can take this OS. What they should have done is released an entire new line of OS's (possibly with a Windows VM inside). Let them explore trendy new style crap in that. And besides, this is the Consumer Preview so we can expect a lot of changes in the final product. I read an article stating that Metro is final and wont be toggled. They are adamant about this, I read. Also, there will be the option to go back to the old normal desktop with the start button and everything. So that's a plus. (At least I kept hearing that, maybe it's not true afterall. Though there do seem to be registry tweaks that can bring it back but remove the metro interface). Or there's the hassle of installing third-party programs like this: http://www.stardock.com/products/start8/ This sums up my opinions perfectly. The guy in the link I posted got it right. The desktop is treated like a Metro Ap. It might as well be called Windows 7 Mode. | |
It is kinda interesting how Microsoft was trying to get Developers for their app store in the Developer Preview, but showed how little they were trying to cater to the developers themselves. Microsoft isn't stupid, maybe they have something up their sleeves for developers. Sure, the Metro interface is here to stay, and the touch screen focus probably isn't going to go away on Windows 9 either. If they don't do anything for those of us who use our computers for a little more than games and internet browsing, they'll probably lose a lot of people to Linux. Apple is going the same direction, it's only a matter of time.
I definitely don't believe this Metro interface is the new desktop in the least, and I hope Microsoft isn't trying to make it into that however much it may seem to be that way. It was interesting though how the guy in the article mentioned shell replacements. Just when we all thought shell replacements had just about completely died with how nice Windows 7 is, we might be finding a lot of new ones popping up for Windows 8. Something I should be honest about as far as the lack of a start button goes. I really rarely actually use it nowadays with how pinning to the taskbar works (both pinning to the bar itself, then pinning specific things to the programs themselves). So that actually doesn't bother me too much. The only reason I ever still click it is because I'm so used to it for certain things, but even then I realize I could get used to not having it pretty quickly. | |
I use a Stardock toolbar attached to the top of my screen for pinned programs. My start bar is for running applications and quick access to the stuff in my start menu. So much so that the start bar stretches across both my screens, and only shows the applications running on that screen.
They are both a very large part of my development process. You do make a good point about Microsoft not being stupid enough to not cater to the people they need to make their app store work however. | |
To bring this back up. After installing the Consumer Preview on a virtual hard drive, I proceeded to try to make it my main OS to be used for everything that I do. What I noticed was kind of interesting to me.
First off, it wasn't a problem to use with a mouse and keyboard, but instead kind of enjoyable. The problem here however is if it's still good to develop on. What I noticed is a division between two sides of my computer usage. Development and various other tasks were only used on the main desktop area. On the other hand, social things such as messages, mail, etc, were kept to the metro start menu division. What I found is that having the division was actually kind of enjoyable. The only slight problem is a lack of a start button. Other than that, it's basically Windows 7 with the new Windows 8 start menu. I can't say it streamlined development, but I believe it streamlined my social online life beside of it. Since it's very easy to not need to access the start menu area at all, it's still basically the same experience without the start button as it used to be. In summary, I basically started to get used to it. It's flashy and seemingly unnecessary, but having that flashy unnecessary stuff for accessing a streamlined online social life was actually kind of cool. | |
Start (Bottom Right) > Click Name (Top Right) > ShutDown