The Official Windows 8 Discussion thread

[Ailos]

So I installed Windows 8 earlier today, and my opinion with is kinda mixed atm. I actually like not having a start button, and the replacement we are presented with has potential, but seriously needs work. It's much more touch-friendly, but the vast majority of computer users are still stuck with a keyboard and a mouse. And they haven't released a beta for ARM devices yet.

At the moment, I'm using the start screen as a dashboard kind of thing, to where I just launch applications off it, or if you just start typing it'll automatically start searching for you. But the thing it so desperately needs right now is better integration with the desktop interface. Get rid of the blue background, or just make it translucent, since I can pick it to be a grey color, but it just looks so out of place with the rest of the desktop environment. More to the point, on a device with no detectable multitouch interface, it should never launch apps using the metro interface - or at least give me the option to tell it to launch apps in on the normal desktop.

Other than that, it's just development. Get more apps into the store. Fix some annoying issues, like the lock screen, which you have to "slide" up even on a desktop. And get rid of that dumbass fish on the startup loading screen. Just having it black with the little loading circle would be fine.

Anywho. What are yall's impressions of Microsoft's newest attempt at reinventing the wheel?

[Goku]

I'm going to attempt to use it on my laptop. Thus far everything is going fine, but the internet at my dorm SUCKS, so I am unable to do anything.

[Fenrys]

Because I don't use a touch screen, I'm not interested enough to download it.

Maybe once it's finished, if there is a long enough list of reasons why it's better than Windows 7, I might check it out. It would be hard to convince the people in my office to switch though - one of our machines is still using XP

[Zulthus]

-snip- nevermind

[Ailos]

Originally Posted by Fenrys

Because I don't use a touch screen, I'm not interested enough to download it.

Maybe once it's finished, if there is a long enough list of reasons why it's better than Windows 7, I might check it out. It would be hard to convince the people in my office to switch though - one of our machines is still using XP

I will keep this updated with my experiences, but I would recommend you use windows 7 instead. Right now, when I get everything in a way that works on a 3-screen desktop is basically just windows 7.

[Fenrys]

Thanks Ailos.

I'm glad to hear that it can be set up to look like something other than an overgrown cellphone.

[Ailos]

Originally Posted by Fenrys

Thanks Ailos.

I'm glad to hear that it can be set up to look like something other than an overgrown cellphone.

Don't get your hopes up. Until Microsoft allows me to customize it further, it still looks like a 56" wide cell phone, but thanks to my prowess still functions like a desktop. This is how my start menu looks atm.



Takes up the whole middle screen, and I can't help but feel that that's overkill XD.

[Rbstr]

See I love the win-7 start menu. The built in search is great plus all the quick shortcuts.
But the main reason it's great is I can hit the windows button and then type whatever program and hit enter and it's loading.
And the task bar is great too with the powerful right click menus.
What happens to the task bar?

I really get the idea of the new start screen for tablets and the like...but I think MS (and really, everyone) is kidding themselves if they think that tablets are a replacement for desktops long term and they should not pay attention to or even remove keyboard/mouse functionality.

Do they really see people doing spreadsheets on tablets? Jesus fuck that would suck razor dicks. I can hardly stand it on my laptop.

[Goku]

I agree. There is going to have to be massive improvements to metro UI for Desktops. I tweaked mine for over an hour and it still seemed rather disorganized, unless there is tools I am missing to make it better. Regardless M$ maybe better off holding off on Metro for desktop and even laptop users till its a true alternative for the Start button menu. They should avoid another Vista fiasco at all costs with this being their first tablet OS.

I love using my TouchDroid (Touchpad flashed to ICS). Although this is only or web browsing, media use, and some games. I will in no way be able to sit down for hours and do intensive MS Office works in it or other type of programs.

What I really see happening is the laptop and tablet merging to become a newer device. Similar to Asus' Transformer dock concept, but going further with Lenovo. Lenovo is making a Intel powered laptop dock with a dockable tablet powered by ARM with ICS. I see that becoming what laptops will be become during the coming unless its a gaming brick 17 inch laptop of course.

I think that type of concept will be come further to being true once Windows 8 is here. In that being able to use a Intel Core CPU in the main laptop then a Intel low power atom (medfield I think) for the tablet portion. You will actually be able to properly sync the two devices due to not having a seperate/limited mobile OS. That is why I think Win 8 is going to have a major advantage over iOS and Android come later this year. If this proves to be the case expect Apple to merge their iOS and OSX OSes in a similar manner as well.

Besides ARM cpus are still a far way from becoming powerful enough to actually replace AMD/Intel CPUs in actual laptops or desktops due to being purely a Mobile CPU. With the need for servers, workstations, and other areas like gaming there will always be a need for higher performance CPUs that just aren't for mobile devices.

[Vancha]

I know this thread is out of date, but there's a couple of places people might find useful.

- This article.

- This subreddit.

Windows 8 also seems to be a far more enjoyable experience if you go into it wanting/willing to learn a new UI, instead of trying to use it like Windows 7 and being annoyed that it isn't.

[Ailos]

I actually have the ASUS transformer, but I don't see the need to buy a keyboard for it. Didn't see it when it was running Honeycomb, totally don't see it now that it's running IceCream Sandwich. I think the Android interface is one of the cleaner ones on there, and I want to say I would somewhat prefer it to Metro even.

Which goes back to my point. I could see myself doing document editing with a touch screen and a wireless keyboard. So I could see the need for a more clunky UI with bigger buttons - but the desktop version of most apps for Windows 7 already did that, and they've already fixed that by giving Windows Explorer that Office 2010-esque ribbon structure at the top. Problem solve, it's now touch friendly.

So M$ needs to quit their shit with trying to incorporate two interfaces into one OS, and splitting up the applications and "apps" into two different categories. The new start screen is just that - a new start screen. It should be used as a launching point, not as a portal to a different world. I think they would probably even stand the chance to pave way for extinction of the mouse if they just allow for use of touch-gestures on a screen (and a keyboard when you wanna type a lot). At the end of the day, I want my desktop to be touch-sensitive and responsive and intuitive. What I don't want is a 56" wide tablet parked on my desk.

[Rbstr]

I really, really, don't want my desktop touch sensitive.
You fingers simply cannot be as precise as a mouse when you think about the surface area your finger hits compared to the text on your screen. I need, in Word, to be able to put my cursor in the middle of a word accurately. You can't do that with a touch screen, even if we made my 24" monitor a touch screen, unless you've got huge fonts or low resolution. Excel would become impossible to use easily.
Not to mention you've have to rethink the concept of positioning the monitor entirely - you couldn't have it sat back on the desktop to give you usable area, it'd have to be in easy finger-reach.
I have this thingy here with over a hundred buttons and a pointing device with crazy accuracy. Why do I want to replace it with my imprecise fingers?
Why did it become a good thing to have your view of the monitor obstructed because you needed to touch everything?


I've probably talked about this before: I'd much rather have a slightly more detailed menu that offers more powerful and finely grained options than a simple, pretty, one-function button and layers of menues. Always. I hate App-ification.
It's like the transformation of cars into appliances. You can hardly do anything to a car anymore as a layperson. Modern luxury cars don't even have dipsticks. It's ok for the average person that simply doesn't care, or doesn't even know how the thing works. But anyone that wants to use it at a higher level is now at a considerable disadvantage compared to before.
They're also a prime example of a place that doesn't need touch screens. Used to be there were easy buttons to set the radio or climate control. Now you've got to look at the screen and tap, and then look and find the next place to tap. WOO touch screen, but you've just made the whole car harder to use.

[Ailos]

Originally Posted by Rbstr

They're also a prime example of a place that doesn't need touch screens. Used to be there were easy buttons to set the radio or climate control. Now you've got to look at the screen and tap, and then look and find the next place to tap. WOO touch screen, but you've just made the whole car harder to use.

"ur doin it wrong!"

I just talk at my lexus.

[Ailos]

Originally Posted by IDukeNukeml

This OS is... different... It handles RAM weird too but that maybe a beta thing..


I demand that Windows goes to a kernel / .dll hybrid! Then move to a damned Kernel!

I do think it's a beta thing. Beta 1 of Windows 7 handled ram more retartedly than Vista. It does seem to be able to keep up with multitasking though. Earlier today had about 30 different things going on my desktop, thing didn't drop a single request. Windows 7 would start to slow some of the further-back apps at that point.

[AidanofVT]

I love windows 8 but I am not able to run PS2 on it. It downloads but when I click play it does nothing. Compatibility mode does not help.

Help would be appreciated!