Can Windows 8 be rescued at this point?

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Sweet Jesus.

I haven't really been paying any attention to windows 8. Just watched some videos... Well good luck with that MS.
 
In terms of perception, probably not. Once enough people shit on something, regardless of the legitimacy of their concern, it becomes ingrained into popular opinion and people will latch onto that without forming their own viewpoints through research and personal experience.

It happened with Vista, and it's probably going to happen with Windows 7. It'll sell well regardless though.
 
i installed classic start menu and all is well. i bypass metro and i get my xp/classic start menu back. couldnt be happier.

honestly, i would say that the start menu needs to be an option for those who want it back. i dont think it should be the default (so people experience metro and see what its like), but at least have the option to change it if they want.
 
I think they just need to retool the Start Menu for regular desktop users. Make it more similar to the classic one while keeping some of the new stuff and give us the option to enable several Metro features based on our preference.
 
Under the hood Windows 8 is the slickest and lightest the OS has ever been. At the moment, at least before the first service pack, that's all that should matter.
 
Is it possible MS is going with a New Coke strategy here? Intentionally release an OS they know a lot of people won't like, so that people will be desperate to buy the next one? Everyone who doesn't like Windows 8 is probably going to have extra incentive to buy Windows 9, since MS has created an idea that "good" Windows could be scarce in the future.

I can just imagine Windows 10. No start menu, no taskbar, if the mouse cursor goes near any side of the screen (even while watching movies, playing games, browsing internet) you get pop up bars, searching automatically closes all your windows, and you have to draw a pentagram in the middle of the screen with the mouse cursor to summon a program.

And then Windows 11 Classic with the restored features and ability to disable the new ones you don't want... for a limited time! Buy now!
 
It's fine and its up keep is fine. If it progresses how it is it will be fine. The problem is the XP crowd and stubben users who backlash the OS. They need to win them over, but otherwise its all fine.
 
i installed classic start menu and all is well. i bypass metro and i get my xp/classic start menu back. couldnt be happier.

honestly, i would say that the start menu needs to be an option for those who want it back. i dont think it should be the default (so people experience metro and see what its like), but at least have the option to change it if they want.




You went all the way back to this ?

Windows-95-1995.gif


Your hard core
 
Is it possible MS is going with a New Coke strategy here? Intentionally release an OS they know a lot of people won't like, so that people will be desperate to buy the next one? Everyone who doesn't like Windows 8 is probably going to have extra incentive to buy Windows 9, since MS has created an idea that "good" Windows could be scarce in the future.

I can just imagine Windows 10. No start menu, no taskbar, if the mouse cursor goes near any side of the screen (even while watching movies, playing games, browsing internet) you get pop up bars, searching automatically closes all your windows, and you have to draw a pentagram in the middle of the screen with the mouse cursor to summon a program.

And then Windows 11 Classic with the restored features and ability to disable the new ones you don't want... for a limited time! Buy now!

Microsoft banked huge on Windows 8. I really doubt that.
 
I love love Metro. I HATE this "dual UI" bullshit. Pick one and stick with it. I hate having a second UI there laying dormant. Makes the whole product seem unfocused.

You can make Metro into a better user experience, and more productive too. You can also make it just as "productive" as the regular desktop.


The traditional desktop is ancient. We dont need that shit. There's a reason why most people take all icons off their desktop for their widgets or wallpaper.

EDIT:

I feel the same way about OSX's "launcher" screen that looks like iOS homescreen. Why the hell do we need that when we got the desktop and the dock? Just looks like there's 2 different OS there. Not very elegant, but at least in OSX I have the choice to never bring it up.
 
There's a reason why most people take all icons off their desktop for their widgets or wallpaper.
Yep. I had 0 desktop icons with Windows 7 and I have 0 with Windows 8 too. It's just a temporary dumping ground for stuff I download really.

I don't even have the recycle bin on the desktop. I have it in the taskbar instead: -

uC504.jpg
 
I don't even do that.. I just hit window key + e and type 'Recycle Bin' into the bar. :lol
Haha, that seems like a long-winded way to me, but I guess it's one way to do it. I'm an obsessive recycle bin emptier, so I couldn't use that method. :D
 
I've really enjoyed using it so far, aside from some minor quibbles. There is indeed a tutorial at the beginning when you are installing the OS, though I guess most people would probably go find other things to do during that time.
 
The traditional desktop is ancient. We dont need that shit. There's a reason why most people take all icons off their desktop for their widgets or wallpaper.

The traditional desktop has major advantages over Metro particularly proper multitasking. And don't try and tell me the 1/4 window nonsense is multi tasking, it's not good enough. I'm running Windows 8 on 2 PCs and the only time I see Metro is on boot up when I click Desktop. Metro apps on the whole are underwhelming compared to their desktop equivalents and the whole Metro experience isn't beneficial at all with a mouse driven interface.
 
From what I read online you can just make a quick regedit change and get your start menu back and remove Metro all together.
So why not upgrade to Win8 if its faster?
 
Humans don't like change. MS should have known that.

I've been a W8 user and I love it. I practically have to stop myself from rolling my eyes when people say stupid/false things about W8, but lately i've been immune to it.
 
The traditional desktop has major advantages over Metro particularly proper multitasking. And don't try and tell me the 1/4 window nonsense is multi tasking, it's not good enough. I'm running Windows 8 on 2 PCs and the only time I see Metro is on boot up when I click Desktop. Metro apps on the whole are underwhelming compared to their desktop equivalents and the whole Metro experience isn't beneficial at all with a mouse driven interface.

All valid criticism. Metro as is, is not perfect. But, you can't say they cant make Metro into something better than the traditional model. If they can figure out a way to make a non-modal traditional window experience consistent with the Metro design it would be great for multitasking. Hell, the way they do it now is fine as well. They can expand on that.

Quality of software/apps can improve over time. The "closed" nature is only one option to obtain software/apps, third parties can still utilize their own app store, and people can still download whatever they want on other sites.
 
The traditional desktop has major advantages over Metro particularly proper multitasking. And don't try and tell me the 1/4 window nonsense is multi tasking, it's not good enough. I'm running Windows 8 on 2 PCs and the only time I see Metro is on boot up when I click Desktop. Metro apps on the whole are underwhelming compared to their desktop equivalents and the whole Metro experience isn't beneficial at all with a mouse driven interface.

Yes yes yes. They don't offer anything at all over their desktop equivalents. That's the biggest problem with metro apps. The reason why I treat them as widgets instead of apps.
 
It works fine for the HTPC i made. Hopefully XBMC and steam make a metro app but that won't likely happen. I don't like Win 8 on my desktop or notebook though. l Wish they were able get rid of dual OS thing and either make some single hybrid or allow you to select one only without seeing the other.
 
Touchscreen monitors will become ubiquitous within the next few years, partly due to Win8 and associated apps but also because adding more input options reduces the risk of RSI.

Once companies realise they can stop buying iPads - and dealing with the associated headaches involved in coordinating them in PC-centric environments - and instead use W8-based tablets that work the same way as desktop PCs, Microsoft will be lauded as the forward-looking smart company they actually are.
 
Why don't you try 8 for more than 10 minutes and find out for yourself?

The traditional desktop has major advantages over Metro particularly proper multitasking. And don't try and tell me the 1/4 window nonsense is multi tasking, it's not good enough. I'm running Windows 8 on 2 PCs and the only time I see Metro is on boot up when I click Desktop. Metro apps on the whole are underwhelming compared to their desktop equivalents and the whole Metro experience isn't beneficial at all with a mouse driven interface.


I only use a couple of Apps for social stuff and the rest of the time I use desktop.
 
I have been using Windows 8 on a tablet PC for a month, and some of the touch gestures are simply retarded. For example, if I wish to close all my metro apps, I need to pull out the sidebar and drag each app from the top of the sidebar to the bottom one by one. That is just retarded, in portrait mode, that is a lot of motion to go through. Sometimes, it doesn't even work and I don't know why. The only other way I have found to close metro apps quickly (using touch) is to use the task manager on desktop mode, which is not even optimized for touch.
 
I have been using Windows 8 on a tablet PC for a month, and some of the touch gestures are simply retarded. For example, if I wish to close all my metro apps, I need to pull out the sidebar and drag each app from the top of the sidebar to the bottom one by one. That is just retarded, in portrait mode, that is a lot of motion to go through. Sometimes, it doesn't even work and I don't know why. The only other way I have found to close metro apps quickly (using touch) is to use the task manager on desktop mode, which is not even optimized for touch.

Swipe from top to bottom. You can even do it using your thumb while holding your device.
 
I have been using Windows 8 on a tablet PC for a month, and some of the touch gestures are simply retarded. For example, if I wish to close all my metro apps, I need to pull out the sidebar and drag each app from the top of the sidebar to the bottom one by one. That is just retarded, in portrait mode, that is a lot of motion to go through. Sometimes, it doesn't even work and I don't know why. The only other way I have found to close metro apps quickly (using touch) is to use the task manager on desktop mode, which is not even optimized for touch.

The point of metro apps is that you don't need to close them at all. They don't consume resources when they are not being used
 
That's exaclty what I wrote isn't it?

You're doing it from the app bar. You can do that on the active app.

Swipe from left to switch apps to the active one. Swipe from top to bottom to close it. What you're doing instead it seems is to swipe the app from within the app bar to the bottom. Which works but is less precise.
 
You're doing it from the app bar. You can do that on the active app.

Swipe from left to switch apps to the active one. Swipe from top to bottom to close it. What you're doing instead it seems is to swipe the app from within the app bar to the bottom. Which works but is less precise.


Isn't it the same problem? To choose the app I want to close, I need to open up the side bar first isn't it?

w8 apps suspend after a short time, no need to close them. Just hit the windows key and go back to the start screen

As above. Also, some apps DO run in the background. There will be situations where you would like to close them, just like on android.
 
I like Windows 8 a lot on my HTPC. It needs some ironing out in spots, but it's very speedy and appealing for the kind of environment I'm using it in.
 
Isn't it the same problem? To choose the app I want to close, I need to open up the side bar first isn't it?

You don't need to open the app bar. Just swipe from left to switch to the next app then close it. Switching to the next app just by a simple left swipe is very fast to be an issue. Unless you tell me you have like 10 apps on your sidebar and you need to rotate between apps to get to the one you want to close, but you shouldn't get to that stage in the first place. Just swipe to close the active app whenever you're done with it.
 
When you think of PCs of the future, do you think of someone clicking a mouse?


Has anyone here ever tried to teach an old person to use a mouse?


"Right click there... no, click with your right finger while keeping the mouse still... no, you're moving your hand..."

Give them an iPad or smartphone though and they're happily tapping away without much fuss.

Windows 8, without a doubt was a BIG change and a big risk, and yeah they probably botched the launch. But the first Xbox wasn't the most successful thing in the world and look where we are now. Microsoft makes a lot of tactical mistakes but usually win strategically. They have seen the writing is on the wall for the mouse as primary input device and are making the jump before anyone else does. I expect at least another year of people on forums pining for the start menu while Win 8 quietly gains market share.
 
You don't need to open the app bar. Just swipe from left to switch to the next app then close it. Unless you tell me you have like 10 apps on your sidebar and you need to rotate between apps to get to the one you want to close, but you shouldn't get to that stage in the first place. Just swipe to close the active app whenever you're done with it.



Yes, that is exactly what will happen. And saying that it won't happen because I can close an app after I use it is not exactly good design, which is what I am saying. The android platform has no such issue.
 
Yes, that is exactly what will happen. And saying that it won't happen because I can close an app after I use it is not exactly good design, which is what I am saying. The android platform has no such issue.

I can equally complain about how much more effort it takes to switch between apps on an Android tablet instead of a simple left swipe. Multitasking wise Metro is far superior.
 
It blows my mind when I click on these threads and see Windows 8 warriors fighting for the cause.

Can't we all just agree that it's the worst OS at least since ME and move on?

Then again, Michael Bay's Transformers had defenders, so what can you do?
 
I can equally complain about how much more effort it takes to switch between apps on an Android tablet instead of a simple left swipe. Multitasking wise Metro is far superior.


Since I have both, I respectfully disagree. I am just going to bail out of this thread instead.
 
What's to save?
.

I was hesitant and hated the beta but now that I have it I wouldn't go back. It takes some getting used to but there's NOTHING I miss from 7. Literally nothing.

The start menu being changed hasn't affected me nearly as much as I though it would and I love the built in mail and calendar apps.

It's faster, smoother and has more features. Nothing to complain about at all. The desktop is still there and woks perfectly well. If not better.
 
It does not need saving. I've been using it for almost two weeks now, both profesionally and for entertainment and I can't say I miss Win7 for a second;
I want to play a game, or a movie, Win8 saves me 2 mouseclicks over Win7
I want to start my 5 pro-apps, Win8 saves me 0 clicks, but almost 3 seconds boot-time per program over 7.

What Win8 needs is more and better Apps; Spotify, Office, XBMC, etc etc, but as it stands, it's the best OS yet.
 
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