Microsoft Releases Windows 8 403
Orome1 writes "Microsoft today announced the global availability of Windows 8. Beginning Friday, Oct. 26, consumers and businesses worldwide will be able to experience all that Windows 8 has to offer, including a new user interface and a wide range of applications with the grand opening of the Windows Store. Launching at the same time is a new member of the Windows family — Windows RT — designed for ARM-based tablets and available pre-installed on new devices. In addition to Microsoft Office 2013, Windows RT is designed exclusively for apps in the new Windows Store. In addition to the range of new Windows-based devices available, consumers can also upgrade their existing PCs. Through the end of January, consumers currently running PCs with Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7 are qualified to download an upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for an estimated retail price of US$39.99." Also at Slash Cloud, where Nick Kolakowski writes: "If the operating system and its associated hardware capture the attention (and dollars) of mobile-device users, Microsoft will have successfully expanded the Windows brand to a new and rapidly growing market segment. But if it fails, and Apple and Google continue to rule the mobility space, then Microsoft is left with few alternatives."
First post! (Score:5, Funny)
Posted using Windows XP Technology
Re:First post! (Score:5, Funny)
See if you were on Windows 8! Your computer would of ran faster and you would of gotten that first post!
Re:First post! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:First post! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:First post! (Score:5, Funny)
> So what you're saying is that it's worth me upgrading from my 14" CRT and windows 95?
A 14" CRT would work great with Windows 8's metro apps. That is about the screen size it was designed for. Your fancy 40" monitor is obsolete now as you must replace it with something SMALLER.
BTW, happily posted with:
Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Win95; en-US; rv:1.8.1.25pre) Gecko/20110912 SeaMonkey/1.1.20pre
Re:First post! (Score:5, Insightful)
I don't think they realize all they're doing is making it hard to determine if someone is in fact using windows 8 and is happy with it and what the positive features are or if all positive post concerning it are just paid shrills out there to spread FUD. There frick'n everywhere any forum concerning Win8 has a massive log of people obviously just trying to make sure anything negative about windows is pushed right off the map. And yes I had considered that maybe it's because it's just a good OS, then I remember using the developers preview and watching all the "how windows will succeed" videos thinking, "Are they bat shit crazy!!!?"
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Core wise, Win 8 seems better then Win 7 and there are a number of 'real' benchmarks out there to show the cases. I have to say the evaluation hasn't made my PC any slower or used any more ram then 7. Really they did improve on 7 and make it better... other then this Metro thing that is a backwards step on desktops.
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Win7 is faster on the same hardware than Vista, and Win8 is faster still, on the same hardware, than Win7. I'm typing this on a very "slow" convertible tablet (Core 2 Duo ultra-low voltage @ 1.2GHz, 80GB 1.8" 4200RPM HDD) from 2008 (it came with Vista) and have observed this progression first-hand. It also uses less RAM, although that's less of a concern since I upgraded the RAM (the only easily upgradable component, sadly) to 4GB almost immediately after buying it, which made the Vista performance... accep
Re:First post! (Score:4, Insightful)
Why? (Score:5, Insightful)
Confession: I'm a Windows/PC user. Win 7 works fine for me. I use it at work. I use it a home. I can run pretty much anything I want on it. It's stable and mostly trouble free for me.
I've yet to see a single compelling reason to move to Windows 8 for desktop/laptop. Maybe it's OK for tablets? I don't know... I use Android and I'm happy with that. Is there *any* "ohhh... gotta have that" feature in Windows 8? Looks like a usability step backwards from Windows 7 to me. Am I missing something?
-S
Not really (Score:5, Informative)
It is a better OS from a technical standpoint. It is faster (Cakewalk found it sped up Sonar X1 in all heavy load cases) and some of the tools like the task manager are much better. However it isn't major.
On the down side its UI is ugly, and the metro stuff is crap. You don't have to use the metro stuff. Start 8 or Classic Shell will get you a real start menu and you can then ignore the tablet crap.
I'm fine with it, I use it at work since Windows support is my profession and I need to be familiar with it and it works well. However it is not a major update. Internally it calls itself Windows NT 6.2, 7 being NT 6.1. It is improved some, uglied up some, and has tablet bits it tries to shove down your throat.
In general I would say don't worry about it. If you've a reason to get it or a system comes with it, it'll work fine. You'll want to get a start menu replacer but it'll be fine after that. However I wouldn't rush out and upgrade. 7 works fine and 8 really does have an ugly UI.
Re:Not really (Score:5, Interesting)
For myself, I actually vastly prefer the new start screen over the old menu. It's more customizable, with more space for icons, and has a much faster and more intuitive universal search feature than Windows 7. It's enough for me to be willing to pay $39 for an upgrade. On the other hand, Metro is dumb on a desktop monitor, but at least you aren't forced to use it--for now. I'm worried that new apps will come out that will use Metro and only Metro. I like using the newest version of things in general, but that alone would be reason enough not to upgrade in that hypothetical case.
Re:Not really (Score:5, Interesting)
Interesting you should mention search. If you type in "printer" on Windows 7 the first result is the Printers and Devices applet. On Windows 8 you get no results.
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So universal search that "just worked" is now segregated... I never found the Windows 7 search to be cluttered, it always had the result I wanted as the first or second item.
it has better multi core use and other under the h (Score:2)
it has better multi core use and other under the hood speed ups.
To bad it's build for touch and smaller screen laptops / tables.
And desktop mode needs to have a start menu and be able to run metro apps in a window.
Re:Why? (Score:4, Interesting)
Am I missing something?
Given that people general prefer Windows because they already know how to use it and their existing software already runs on it ... I'm no so sure that this "re-imagining windows" idea is such a good idea.
... Microsoft may be doing something smart, avoiding a trap that many large established companies fall in to. Large established companies tend to innovate less and more commonly merely offer what customers ask for and/or incremental improvements. This has historically allowed small innovative companies to come in with radically different things and get a foothold in the market, maybe even disrupt the market.
Then again
Plus, isn't there an option to switch the UI to Windows 7 style? If so then the risk to Microsoft may be somewhat low. IF it is true that Windows 8 uses less memory and runs fewer processes/services then maybe a switch would be a good idea even when switching to the Windows 7 style interface.
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Plus, isn't there an option to switch the UI to Windows 7 style?
That depends on how stringent you want to be with the definition of style. There's no option to revert to a full Win 7 experience, but it's similar enough that anyone whose upset about the delta will get over it once they realize there's no more point in them expending energy to be upset about it anymore. On all Win 8 computer the primary "app" is the desktop. The desktop does look a little different (no rounded corners, no glass, Ribbon in Explorer), but for all intents and purposes it functions identicall
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Except Aero Peek and all are still there... (Score:3)
It *would* be a shame, but they didn't, so that's irrelevant. Aero Peek, Aero Snap, Aero Shake, live thumbnails in Windows Flip (Alt+Tab), and limited use of transparency (the taskbar and the desktop overlays are still slightly transparent) are still present. The only Aero features that are gone are window border transparency (which I do miss) and Flip3D (which I don't). The keyboard shortcut of Win+Tab now switches among "Metro" apps and the desktop (as a whole), while Alt+Tab still switches among all open
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Last I heard, no option to switch to a different UI outside of a third party.
[John]
Re:Why? (Score:4, Informative)
I've yet to see a single compelling reason to move to Windows 8 for desktop/laptop.
There probably isn't a single "killer feature" that can get you to move, but rarely is there ever such a thing. I use Windows 8 on my laptop and desktop, and find myself in desktop mode 99% of the time.I personally don't mind the metro interface, I actually like some of the apps, and I especially don't miss the start menu (never used it in Windows 7 TBH).
However, there are various niceities I enjoy in Windows 8 including the multi-monitor improvements, fast boot time (~8 seconds on my Desktop), explorer enhancements (thank god the up directory button is back), vastly improved task manager (especially love the detailed performance graphs and startup options right there, instead of in msconfig.exe), improved copy dialogue, etc.
On the other hand, you can get many of the improvements by bolting add-ons to Windows 7, I suppose. They probably won't be as nicely integrated, but they will work. At any rate, I'm happy with Windows 8 on my laptop, tablet, and desktop. I don't find the Metro interface any less usable with a mouse and keyboard, especially with the plethora of shortcuts for each.
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However, there are various niceities I enjoy in Windows 8 including the multi-monitor improvements
I've heard that phrase several times, but I don't think I've seen anyone explain just what these "multi-monitor improvements" are; for example, my Win7 box handles multiple monitors just fine.
Care to elaborate?
Re:Why? (Score:5, Informative)
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This should explain it well enough: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/archive/2012/05/21/enhancing-windows-8-for-multiple-monitors.aspx [msdn.com]
Thanks for the intel!
Couple of points:
About. Damn. Time.
I can already move programs from one screen to another. This is nothing new (more a step back, really, since "Metro apps" all default to full screen, thus reducing overall screen real estate)
Okay, now that is a neat feature. Not really the most useful thing
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thank god the up directory button is back
What's the great about the up button? I find it annoying and something that takes up screen real estate?
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I'm sure that there is some setting that would fix this for me, but I really dislike the feeling of Windows 7 with regard to traversing directories and library management.
1. I like my address bar on my windows to show the old style "C:/folder/1/2/3/another/andthefile.file"
2. The behavior of the 'back' button is different than the 'up' button.
Sometimes what is 'back' is NOT one level up in the directory structure. I didn't like having to click on the weird folder list thing that the address bar became. I
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Looks like a usability step backwards from Windows 7 to me. Am I missing something?
Perhaps looks can be deceiving...
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- There are some dedicated apps for tablets I often wish I had on my laptop. It wouldn't be hard to get these apps on Windows, there is just a lack of a built-in app store model to make it easy. Plus making app install/uninstall easier on a computer is a good thing (not sure if this will be the case).
- When using my tablet at home I often finding myself wishing I had a keyboard,
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If you are happy with Windows 7, Stay on it.
I upgraded because my Laptop has a multi-touch display on it and windows 8 makes using the Laptop much easier. If I had a normal laptop or a desktop, I wouldn't want to upgrade now anyways.
Down the road if there are some good Metro apps out there... Perhaps. But it is just Windows 7 with a Touch Friendly UI.
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What you're missing is that this isn't about getting people to run out and upgrade to 8, Some people will do that (mostly developers) but most copies of Windows are sold bundled with a PC. So 8 is not being marketed to you, it's being marketed to OEMs. How many OEMs will bite?
Maybe we'll see a lot of Windows-based tablets, which is the hardware platform the new GUI is designed for. But even if that happens, the dominant workaday PC will remain the desktop and laptop. I predict that few of these will be sold
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Am I missing something?
Microsoft needs your money.
Re:Why? (Score:4, Insightful)
Well, you should have said: "Check out my blog post for a little more on the subject"
[John]
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Gartner: Android to beat Windows by 2016 [reuters.com].
Re:Why? (Score:5, Informative)
4) Improved out-of-the-box multi-monitor support (it's been likened with Ultramon, but without requiring third-party software). /. has been clamoring for MS to add for ages.
5) Client HyperV. If you do anything with virtualization on your PC, or have even thought you might like to, this is a solid reason to look at Win8. There simply aren't any better virtualization solutions available for client Windows versions right now, certainly not at anything close to the same proce.
6) If you use multiple computers (most of us, probably, just like I imagne most use multiple monitors when posible), the ability to use Lindows Live for single-sign-on and profile roaming is excellent.
7) The Windows Store, which holds both "Metro-style" and desktop apps (at least on the x86 version of Win8). You may choose to avoid it for its tablet-friendly UI, or for the fact that it's basically a DRM system (like other commercial and integrated "app stores"), but you may find the ease of software discovery, installation, and updating to be useful.
8) Built-in antivirus. Just like a certain vocal portion of
Re:Why? (Score:4, Interesting)
6) If you use multiple computers (most of us, probably, just like I imagne most use multiple monitors when posible), the ability to use Lindows Live for single-sign-on and profile roaming is excellent.
I'm not sure I actually want this. I don't want the same desktop background, and other settings on the htpc as my home office pc, or much of anything from either on the laptop I use... am i unusual here? how many people want roaming profiles at home?
I'm also extremely unlikely to spend the several hundreds of dollars it would take to upgrade my computers. So while the next laptop i get next year might be win 8 as I have no objections to the OS, that roaming profile support is not going to do me much good anytime soon, even if i wanted it.
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4) I'm running a Windows 7 laptop with excellent multi-monitor support right now. I happen to have good video drivers though, which leads me to wonder why multi-monitor support would be Microsoft's problem...
5) I've been able to download VMWare products for free that do the same thing and more... with the added benefit of using something that already has massive industry-wide support. Besides, what the hell would Joe Sixpack need with this?
6) No need for profile roaming and the like here (I have a home serv
Re:Why? (Score:5, Interesting)
Wait how the hell did this get voted +5? Microsoft astroturfing out on a grand scale?
The Ars Technica reviews points to problems using multiple monitors: http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2012/10/windows-reimagined-a-review-of-windows-8/5/ [arstechnica.com]
How the hell is the Windows store an advantage?? Programs like Chrome update just fine by themselves. The store is an excuse to close down the ecosystem and earn Microsoft more money, there is absolutely nothing about it that's good for users. I use Google for software discovery, I have never in my life wished there was an app store where I could find applications to try out jsut for the heck of it. You want an application to perform a specific task, you look up what's avaialble, try trial versions. Don't need no damn app store for that.
Microsoft Security Essentials is free and works just fine on Windows 7, Vista, and XP. Not a reason for upgrading.
The ability to use an account tied to Microsoft and their services for Windows? No thanks.
All changes that basically clamp down the ecosystem and tie you to Microsoft's services, now that anti-trust is off chasing Google.
Touch screens on desktops and laptops? Useless. Look up Gorilla arm. How many touch screen laptops and desktops did Apple, the pioneer of touch based devices, launch? None.
If I get a tablet someday I'll look at Windows RT/8, but not at the current price. No way in hell is it getting anywhere near my primary work machine.
Re:Why? (Score:5, Insightful)
By the way, building an AV into an OS is the worst idea, ever.
Do you suppose that ANY professional virus coder out there will release a virus that hasnt been thoroughly checked against that AV, now? By making it a baseline for all computers, MSSE is now utterly worthless. This is why a monoculture is retarded.
Rubbish (Score:3)
While Win 8 may have a whole bunch of other problems, what you've stated is not one. If you assume AV technology is so primitive so as to be completely ineffective simply because virus writers will check against it, well, your assumptions need to be reconsidered. Do you think current viruses are not checked against Norton/McAffee/etc?
As long as users (or the software itself) updates the AV database regularly, the chances of an infection are indeed reduced to a huge degree. When a new virus hits, a few compu
Re:The emperor's new clothes. (Score:5, Informative)
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Comments Summary (Score:5, Funny)
something something linux something something it works for me something something micro$oft tax something something free beer something something
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something car analogy something godwin something ron paul something bitcoin something apple fanboi
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You forgot about the Microsoft, OSS, Raspberry Pi and Arduino fanboys.
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Some free beer doesn't sound too bad.
If I don't like 8 (Score:4, Interesting)
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Can I reinstall 7 or does upgrading invalidate my Windows 7 key?
If 8 fails, you get Windows , and that is an endless loop. Be warned!
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One might download a factory ISO then use an activator with an OEM serial list.
It's faster than a conventional activation and doesn't require connection to the internet.
Dear Windows 7 users. (Score:3, Funny)
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The wall is a little steep, I'm sure you can all make it though. The grass is greener on the other side, honest.
Someone who betrays Dumbledore do not deserve my trust.
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Snape never betrayed Dumbledore. Yes, I've heard there are people wrong on the internet, but not on Slashdot!
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In fact Snape was ordered by Dumbledore to betray Dumbledore. Anyway, Snape had a curse that would have killed him had he not followed through. Snape protected Harry Potter because he loved Harry's mother Lilly, but treated Harry poorly because Harry reminded Snape of Harry's father James. There! We got Harry Potter out of our system!
My daughter got me started with those books....
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Dear windows 8 user,
I already have a mobile phone, I don't need one on my desktop. Honest.
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For a lot of people, there won't be any green grass on the other side because the learning curve is too steep and they'll switch to Mac.
Or even just an iPad. If all you do is email, instant messaging and Facebook, why the hell would you need a full-fledged OS anyway?
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What if Im actually HAPPY where I am, and dont WANT to like it?
Cant I just be stubborn, and be left alone?
Already? (Score:3)
Wow! What a surprise. up until yesterday there was absolutely no mention of this Windows 8 version that you are talking about. Who would have thought that Microsoft would develop a whole OS so secretly.
Do we need to keep this up. Let it come out already and see. This has been in the news for sooooo long now that it's probably going to be overshadowed by Windows 9 on Monday.
Windows 8 is the best system ever (Score:3)
...for running Linux in a virtual machine.
At this point my setup depends heavily on virtualization.
I need to run the desktop software for which Windows is famous, and prefer the Windows "everything has a device driver" model to fiddling with configuration files.
But when it comes to getting stuff done, it's time to drop into the virtual machine where everything is configured as I'm used to, and I have all the tools built-in that I need to get the job done.
Microsoft could perhaps sway me by making SSH, an advanced command parser, etc. available for Windows, but for now I just delegate that to Linux, although "technically" my home OS is Windows.
Did you hear that, Redmond? * shakes floppy at empty sky *
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They don't really care about your use case. they got your dollar.
Re:Windows 8 is the best system ever (Score:4, Informative)
Microsoft could perhaps sway me by making ... an advanced command parser... available for Windows
Wasn't that the entire point of PowerShell? Granted, I've never used it...
Re:Windows 8 is the best system ever (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Windows 8 is the best system ever (Score:5, Informative)
You're probably already aware of Client Hyper-V, but since you didn't mention it, I'll drop a mention here; not only isn Win8 lighter weight than previous versions (making it a good choice for a host OS), it also includes a seriously excellent hypervisor-based virtualization system.
As for *nix tools, there's things like Cygwin, and even Interix (full POSIX environment running on top of the NT kernel, but not through win32). Sadly, Interix appears to be deprecated; it's still possible to use it in Win8 but it may be gone in Win9. I've been using Interix bash as my primary command line on Windows since 2006. It also offers ssh (both client and server), incidentally (although you have to install them it a Microsoft-funded repository rather than having it in the base install).
As for "advanced command parser", have you looked at Powershell? Included in all recent versions of Windows, and in some ways much more powerful than *nix shells. Commands consume and produce, and pipes pass, objects. These objects are sometimes just strings (especially if you pipe in text), but are often more complex data which are simply presented in text form when the end of the pipe is reached. PS also supports aliases (and comes pre-configured with a bunch of *nix-like ones), command completion, scripting, and so on. Additionally, because it's built on top of .NET, you can actually create .NET objects and invoke methods on them in your scripts, which is handy if you're familiar with the framework. It's basically .NETscript.
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Cygwin is an improvement, but still uses the braindead windohs pipes. Real *nix is vastly preferable for people who want/need it.
Requires new drivers (Score:5, Insightful)
Looks like hardware drivers are being updated for Windows 8 support (WDDM 1.2 / DXGI 1.2 / etc). This means, even if you really want to upgrade, wait at least a few months. All the problems I had (and most people I know) going from XP to 7 were driver related. New driver models = new drivers = buggy drivers = unstable machine = let someone else be the beta tester.
First two are done. (Score:2)
Give me windows 7 for forty bucks (Score:2)
Sell me Windows 7 for forty bucks instead, and you've got a deal.
Why would I want Windows 8?
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Why Win8? Let me explain... (Score:4, Interesting)
I'll get this in before the hundreds of "omg don't want" posts. Windows 8 is significantly different from previous versions, not just for the interface which takes some initial getting used to (although many, predictably, end up warming to it - http://www.zdnet.com/dont-hate-windows-8-7000006297/ [zdnet.com]).
Nope, this Windows is the first release that presumes/pre-empts that you, the user, will do your computing across multiple devices and that you don't want to have to worry about your data & user experience being tied to any one device.
Want to see it in action? Log into Win8 with an MS account on any machine - your apps, data, settings, everything will magically appear (assuming you've allowed it) even if the machine has never heard of you before (and again, assuming this isn't locked down). Load Office 2013 - again, your files & data appear as if you created them on that very machine, all completely seamlessly. All the apps & social integration stuff also follows you wherever you go - the idea being you wouldn't know you were on a new/different device - again all seamlessly streamed from whatever sources of social networking you have setup. That's huge; it effectively eliminates the concept of local file-systems for user data. Everything is transparently in the cloud and just works, as it should be. This is the first Windows to be built from day 0 on this basis.
Now, for people that don't like metro because they don't have touch? The answer is simple - don't use metro-style apps if you don't like them. Your old desktop works just as well (although it doesn't have the same level of cloud syncing) and all the apps you had on Win7 will work just the same way. If a killer game/app comes out in metro-style, guess what, you have the option to run that too. It would be like Mac OS users being able to natively load iOS apps if they wanted - the choice to be able to is good.
Not to mention the benefits for developers having a single & consistent API set to target every form-factor from multi-CPU gaming monster to WinRT/ARM tablet, and that's before we mention WP8 being as it is the same kernel. That's a benefit for users too; pick up any modern MS powered device from Xbox to tablet to desktop PC and the user will be in a familiar UI.
Also, keyboard shortcuts make up for any lack of touch. WinKey + X brings up the power-user menu; WinKey + C brings up the right-swipe bar; there's absolutely loads to help mouse/keyboard users feel at home, but there is a learning curve and from what I've seen from feedback, this is the most objectionable thing. People don't like change; bears have also been know to take dumps in the woods, life goes on.
Are you happy on Win7? Good for you; if you are on Win7 & have no other devices or intention of sharing data on anything but your trusty desktop, then frankly the benefits of Win8 are lesser.. There's a new & vastly improved task manager; Win8 is faster in almost all metrics, and there are some nice desktop GUI enhancements that you'd likely appreciate, however the face of IT is changing to one where it will be rare to have just the one computer, and Windows 8 has that front & center of the design.
One day your average IT worker will find the idea of saving personal data directly to a device actually most amusing I suspect, and the shift in thinking has already started.
There you go; that's my take on the best of Win8. I don't expect many here to appreciate it as I do but there's some real benefits in Win8, despite that being an unpopular opinion in the group-think echo chamber that Slashdot can be sometimes. Now lets return to the flaming.
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So...you're saying it magically syncs data and apps across various devices? Like CromeOS or Android or iOS? Not really new stuff; people have been doing that for quite a while now.
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Nope, this Windows is the first release that presumes/pre-empts that you, the user, will do your computing across multiple devices and that you don't want to have to worry about your data & user experience being tied to any one device.
So I can save my office document and open it on my Android Phone or my Linux laptop?
Not to mention the benefits for developers having a single & consistent API set to target every form-factor from multi-CPU gaming monster to WinRT/ARM tablet, and that's before we mention WP8 being as it is the same kernel. That's a benefit for users too; pick up any modern MS powered device from Xbox to tablet to desktop PC and the user will be in a familiar UI.
You see, that's the thing, I don't own an XBox or a Windows Tablet... I already have a PS3 and an Android phone. I'm not going to go out and buy everything I own again in Microsoft flavor just to feel self important. In fact, I'd argue that everyone should avoid putting all their eggs of data in one companies basket... but you keep doing it. If Windows allowed me to log in with my Google ID and synced with my Google Drive
Re:Why Win8? Let me explain... (Score:5, Insightful)
Dear Astro, believe it or not, we get it. Many of us get what Microsoft is attempting to do. And many of us think that parts of it are not even half bad ideas. Not particularly original - but then, who is? This thing is, we just have very little faith that Microsoft is going to get it right. Why? Because of Microsoft's track record. Microsoft has tried it again and again and again, and the one thing they're left with which is really solid and stands for itself is the OS - which works best when it is not perceived. See, people don't actually enjoy using WIndows - it's just there, and it runs all their software. It's still quite annoying, but then so are all OSs. Windows does a worse job than others in keeping out of the way and acting as a platform for actual productive stuff, but also better than some. Office? Format lock-in. Xbox? Good stuff. Wouldn't actually sell if not at a loss, though. Zune? Dead. Kin? Never got to the stage of being alive I think. "Plays for sure"? Isn't playing anymore. And that last one is maybe the best - They actually succeeded in branding something "Plays for sure" - and then knock it down? That takes a *special* kind of talent. Silverlight? Microsoft really appreciates that you attempted the switch from Flash and became a stakeholder. Remember? "Developers developers developers"? But now not so much anymore. They thew it at the wall, it didn't stick .. next! ... W8. Good stuff. Good concepts. Now if I somehow managed to get the feeling that, say, MS employees were actually eating their own dog food, and not only that, that they actually had some kind of influence of any kind to say what might be improved, what is inconsistent, a wording, a button, anything ... then you might actually be on to something. Trouble is, we don't get that feeling. It's going to be another buzz-word compliant three-quarters finished piece of work built by a group of people where those who have vision have no influence, and those who call the shots have their eyes firmly fixed to the bottom line with complete disregard for anything else.
So yeah
So yeah, again. It's not that we're not going to use it. Microsoft still has enough money at the moment to make sure there isn't much of a realistic alternative. The sales numbers are going to look good on paper. But that's doesn't mean that we actually like it. It's going to be an OS which is slightly more annoying than the last one. And it certainly doesn't mean that it's actually any good.
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Are you happy on Win7? Good for you; if you are on Win7 & have no other devices or intention of sharing data on anything but your trusty desktop, then frankly the benefits of Win8 are lesser.. There's a new & vastly improved task manager; Win8 is faster in almost all metrics, and there are some nice desktop GUI enhancements that you'd likely appreciate, however the face of IT is changing to one where it will be rare to have just the one computer, and Windows 8 has that front & center of the design.
I'm happy on Win7, but have run Win8 for a few months at work (yeah, I'm one of those lucky people). I find Win8 absolutely fine when I stick to desktop/classic mode, which is most of my usage.
The downside is the integration and work flow between Metro and Desktop is god awful. I'd explain but I see Ars Technica already did a better job that I can. Read their review under the "Mixed Mayhem" header (http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2012/10/windows-reimagined-a-review-of-windows-8/5/). I find it
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and all his crap, applications, pictures of his dog, his porn... that all gets dumped on my PC?
No. The settings that are synced are: Personalization, Accessibility, Language Settings, Application Settings, Explorer Settings, Windows Settings, Credentials. All his pictures and media are available by way of skydrive. Apps must be installed separately (although it takes two clicks), Further, an admin has to create the account; you can't just log into any machine with your windows ID.
Oh the humanity!!!! (Score:2)
And so begins another era of nerds lamenting change!!!!!
Reason to switch (Score:2)
The most common reason people stick with Microsoft is because they are familiar with the GUI. With this major switch by Microsoft, is there any reason not to switch to Mac or Linux? Some Linux distros look a whole lot like the GUI that many people know and love.
I don't understand the business plan of "Force users to adopt a GUI they don't like just because we want it." What business college teaches that course?
Of course, despite all that, a lot of people will probably stick with Microsoft because, well,
Windows Media Center (Score:4, Interesting)
...is no longer included in Windows 8.
Earlier this week, I thought I'd upgrade my HTPC to Windows 8. I've been using WMC on W7 now for a couple of years and it has been working great using HDHomeRUn tuners for local broadcast reception and recording/time shifting.
Imagine my surprise. No WMC. It's a paid upgrade. Ok, I'll bite. Where to I upgrade it? Clicky linky. Sorry, the licensing server is not available.
So I said to myself, Self... Let's see what else this WIndows 8 has to offer. This user interface is a total abortion. After fumbling around for an hour and feeling like a fool, I eventually clicked some of the colored boxes on the screen. Not a single thing would launch with the exception of IE9. Reason? My TV is 720 lines of resolution, not 1080. Every stinkin' app said I didn't have the required resolution.
My HTPC is now running Windows 7 again. And will be for a long time to come. It's way too good of a television to discard for a new operating system.
I could be wrong here but.... (Score:3)
It seems to me that many of the people that now use Linux/OSX/Android/iOS are doing it precisely because they DON'T want to use MicroSoft products. All of the aforementioned systems work just fine without any assistance from MS. Ok, so MS has a new OS and a new tablet. That's great if you're looking to stay in that ecosystem. But if you're using one of the other operating systems why in the world would you want to change?
I use a Mac and an Android phone and tablet. I've got a Windows VM on my Mac and haven't had to use it in probably a year. But I keep in around just in case. The phone and tablet work great. I've got tons of apps to choose from and I can do anything I want with it. Windows 8 and their shiny new tablet do no excite me in the least. I'm happy with what I've got.
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Relax. People here aren't excited by windows 8 because they are already dreading the calls they'll get from their friends and family asking where the damn start button is.
I haven't used windows for years...it still haunts me because i'm too polite to blow off everyone who asks me a computer question.
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No, no, Windows 8 is brilliant. Now when people ask for help on their Windows machines I'll be able to say 'sorry, don't know how to do it' and mutter something about massive UI changes if they ask why.
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Shills now own slashdot.
That isn't news either.
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I don't get this obsession with the start button. Mac OS X doesn't have a start button, Linux doesn't have a start button, the Atari ST didn't have one nor did the Amiga.
Are you so afraid of change that you're willing to stick with an older OS just because of the start button? That thing that says "Start" that you must click on to *shut down* the computer?
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The lack of a graphic in the corner of the screen for the Start button is all it takes for you to call it a downgrade? Dear $DEITY how are you intellectually capable of breathing and typing at the same time? The Start button is still there, if you just click the corner of the screen like people always have. Or you could use the Windows key, like people who actually want to get things done quickly usually do.
If you don't want a tablet OS, buy Win8 instead of Windows RT. Actually, you *can't* even buy Windows
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Re:Will they continue selling Windows 7? (Score:4, Informative)
I'm guessing they'll kill Windows 7 ASAP. That's why I just bought the parts to build a new gaming PC, which should last me until at least Windows 9, if not 10.
Assuming Microsoft is still around by that point.
Re:Will they continue selling Windows 7? (Score:5, Informative)
Downgrade rights are an end-user right, documented in the Software License Terms that customers accept upon first running Windows software. Note that end user downgrade rights will be available through the sales life cycle of Windows and Windows Server operating systems, which is up to two years after the launch date of a new version. ... Windows 8 Pro includes downgrade rights to: Windows 7 Professional, Windows Vista Business
So if you buy a Windows 8 PC, you can downgrade it to Windows 7 until 2014.
Further, Windows 7 support continues until 2015 [allyncs.com], with extended support until 2020 (or 10 years after launch, for those counting).
Windows 7 isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
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Let me guess, your assessment is based on the fact you watched a Youtube video on it. And that you just hate windows.
Re:Pay more for less... (Score:5, Informative)
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Re:Pay more for less... (Score:5, Interesting)
Isn't being 'stuck in your ways' the point of continuing to use Windows? I know a good number of people who got unstuck in their ways and moved to OSX about the time Vista came out. Microsoft stands to lose as much as they gain from that thinking. Maybe a new Mac to compliment that iPad you have, rather then a new Surface to compliment the Win8 PC you bought.
It's not that 'Metro' can't be figured out, it's that Metro is a backward step in usability on the desktop. Here is an example I posted on another site...
"You are surfing the web and click to read a PDF file. It opens the 'metro' default PDF viewer which takes up the entire screen (no viewing the webpage and pdf unless you have multi-monitors). When you are done reading the pdf, what do you do now? There is no X. You can use the hot spot in the upper left to go back to the desktop, but the pdf doesn't close. Or you can ALT+F4 which closes the PDF viewer, but now you are at the metro interface not your original webpage so you have to take an extra step of going back to the desktop."
How the defaults work out of the box are very different from what people are used to. Yea, you can install foxit/adobe and default that, but that first impression of suck is going to stick.
Re:Pay more for less... (Score:4, Informative)
You could just hit alt-tab when you're done with the PDF...
That doesn't close the PDF, it's still open in the back ground. Luckily they were smart enough not to do file locking, so you can delete the PDF while its still open in the reader app.
Also, you can close the app after you use the hot spot in the upper left corner by right clicking on it. But it's not obvious, you have go clicking around on things, RTFM, or be told by someone else.
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Windows 8. It gave me cramps and diarrhea!
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Really? I thought Flip3D was a cool tech demo of the desktop compositor, but aside from that I never used it after the first month or so - Alt+Tab was faster. On Win7 and Win8, Alt+Tab also shows you the full window (not just the thumbnail) if you hover (holding Alt) on one of the options for a moment.
The Flip3D keyboard shortcut was remapped to now switch you immediately between "Metro" and the desktop, which is useful in its own way (although you can also Alt+Tab between "Metro" apps like normal).
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Seems like a lot of wasted RAM to me. Many modern OSes use spare memory for stuff like indexing or to make frequently used apps instantly available. The key here isn't how much RAM it uses idling, but how much of it and how fast it can reallocate that memory to apps that need it. My Windows 7 box has 16GB installed and normally uses 4-8GB idling. My six year old laptop has 2GB installed and normally uses 1-1.5GB idling. Windows 7 scales very nicely between modern hardware and hardware several generations ol
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Calm down. Linux is on plenty of devices. It has never been on desktops and never will be.