Editorial Windows 8.1, and Why You Should Let Go of Windows 7

[Shou Miko]

like this?
http://imageshack.us/a/img16/9163/xf9i.jpg

no more like Windows 8...

 

[bmaverick]

With each release of M$ O$ products, the deeper entrenched the NSA and other back door agencies have to poke through your data.

The focus on search vs. folders is a crock. A person who is organized has a better grip on their data vs. playing the search game endlessly.

Using the computer in a workstation environment literally wipes away much of the Windows-8 gains. With a workstation, Windows-7 wins hands down.

 

[Phobia9651]

I'll try to be as unbiased as I can in this.
Microsoft made a crucial mistake in their design philosophy of "everything touch", they lost track of their end user. Touch simply does not work in a traditional desktop environment, where precision and little physical effort are the key to success. Touch lacks precision and generates the "gorilla arm" effect in combination with a touch monitor. The same reason motion gestures will neither work in a traditional desktop environment, but that is another discussion.
I can't find it right now, but there was a presentation of Johnny Lee online when he was still working for MS that touch can never replace KB + mouse, it only shrinks the piece of the pie of KB + mouse.
Their new Modern UI design screams touch. Apple was smart enough to keep iOS and Mac OS separate. Microsoft in their attempt to outdo Apple has taken it a step too far, yes synergy between devices is much appreciated, but that does not imply that the GUI has to be identical to achieve this. Simple user studies would have sufficed to proof that a great smartphone/tablet GUI will not have a great task performance on a desktop by default.
As various people mentioned the Start screen is a reduction of user effectiveness and multi-task performance.
The counterargument of work-arounds is actually not a counterargument at all, it only strengthens the base argument. The fact one needs a work-around for simple basic functionality (which was standard in the previous OS version) simply proofs that Microsoft went in the wrong direction with their GUI design.

 

[Kreij]

I rarely go to the start screen in Windows 8, and rarely used the start menu in Windows 7, so it does not make whole lot of difference to me personally.

I pre-ordered a Leap Motion Controller and it should be shipping pretty soon. It basically mimics a touch screen without having to reach out to the screen.

I'll let you guys know how it works with Windows 8 after I play with it for while when I receive it.

 

[newtekie1]

not to be mean newtekie1 but mine didn't i can still see it through the blue squares here lookie:

http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=51706&stc=1&d=1372585614

i tried with an old version i had from ninite and ClassicShellSetup_3_6_7.exe i downloaded yesterday or 2days ago...

That's why, I stuck with the default round start button ClassicShell uses, you switched to the Metro style. Yeah, when I switch to the Metro style button I can still see the real button too. Hopefully this is fixed in the next version of ClassicShell.

 

[dwade]

TechPowerUp calling out them cavemen and dinosaurs.

 

[Deleted member 24505]

I rarely go to the start screen in Windows 8, and rarely used the start menu in Windows 7, so it does not make whole lot of difference to me personally.

I pre-ordered a Leap Motion Controller and it should be shipping pretty soon. It basically mimics a touch screen without having to reach out to the screen.

I'll let you guys know how it works with Windows 8 after I play with it for while when I receive it.

Just googled it, it looks interesting, and is £70 from Amazon uk.

 

[The_]

WOW you people are fighting over what OS is better? I mean really this is happening right now. Issuing a challenge at the faster OS win7 or win8? Just makes no sense at all. Like comparing an orange to an orange!

So when you go to the supermarket you will grab just any orange yeah? Don't worry about that massive bruise on the side or that one with a big tear in its peel. Fuck it, pick that one that looks like three kids have been playing football with it. Or do you carefully select the oranges that look and feel good....

 

[Deleted member 67555]

I'm done with my preview of Win 8.1 because I killed it...LOL
I installed Net.Framework 3.5 SP1 and a few other standalone Microsoft programs that I find to be essential for a Microsoft based HTPC....

It still works in Desktop mode and I can do mostly everything I could do on Win 7 but with a screen that's flashing which is unacceptable....Metro is completely disabled and programs based on Flash player including some Youtube videos are a no go..No Divx based videos will work either...

I'll be honest...I was enabling features that Microsoft makes you pay for with Win 8 Pro Pack but I wasn't using Microsofts programs...which imo shouldn't be an issue...but it is a preview so~

Shutting down to go back to 7....preview was fun but I guess I'll have to wait for Win 9 before I switch.

 

[trickson]

So when you go to the supermarket you will grab just any orange yeah? Don't worry about that massive bruise on the side or that one with a big tear in its peel. Fuck it, pick that one that looks like three kids have been playing football with it. Or do you carefully select the oranges that look and feel good....

Way to take my analogy to nth degree. It is the same coin just a different side is all. Try this one. Just use what you like and really what you are ready for or can afford and in some cases can even run. I would say 8 is great 7 is heaven!

 

[Jstn7477]

I'm done with my preview of Win 8.1 because I killed it...LOL
I installed Net.Framework 3.5 SP1 and a few other standalone Microsoft programs that I find to be essential for a Microsoft based HTPC....

It still works in Desktop mode and I can do mostly everything I could do on Win 7 but with a screen that's flashing which is unacceptable....Metro is completely disabled and programs based on Flash player including some Youtube videos are a no go..No Divx based videos will work either...

I'll be honest...I was enabling features that Microsoft makes you pay for with Win 8 Pro Pack but I wasn't using Microsofts programs...which imo shouldn't be an issue...but it is a preview so~

Shutting down to go back to 7....preview was fun but I guess I'll have to wait for Win 9 before I switch.

.NET 2.0-3.5 are included with Windows 8 but are disabled by default. It should prompt you when you install a .NET program that you need to go to Windows Features and enable it.

 

[D007]

TechPowerUp calling out them cavemen and dinosaurs.

Yes windows 7 is for cavemen and dinosaurs.. Think you have a bridge to be under..

So when you go to the supermarket you will grab just any orange yeah? Don't worry about that massive bruise on the side or that one with a big tear in its peel. Fuck it, pick that one that looks like three kids have been playing football with it. Or do you carefully select the oranges that look and feel good....

This is dumb and makes absolutely no sense.
EXACTLY like windows 8..
I am beginning to see a pattern here.

 

[rtwjunkie]

Yes windows 7 is for cavemen and dinosaurs.. Think you have a bridge to be under..

Don't feed the trolls, ! They will keep coming back. I too had to seriously fight the urge to comment on his trolling.

 

[Prima.Vera]

I rarely go to the start screen in Windows 8, and rarely used the start menu in Windows 7, so it does not make whole lot of difference to me personally.

I pre-ordered a Leap Motion Controller and it should be shipping pretty soon. It basically mimics a touch screen without having to reach out to the screen.

I'll let you guys know how it works with Windows 8 after I play with it for while when I receive it.

Was this released already? Is it better than Kinect?

 

[Kreij]

I have not received it yet, and I have no idea if it's better than the Kinect as I don't have an Xbox.

 

[Mindweaver]

I rarely go to the start screen in Windows 8, and rarely used the start menu in Windows 7, so it does not make whole lot of difference to me personally.

I pre-ordered a Leap Motion Controller and it should be shipping pretty soon. It basically mimics a touch screen without having to reach out to the screen.

I'll let you guys know how it works with Windows 8 after I play with it for while when I receive it.

Yea, I remember you telling me about this awhile back and I'm looking forward to getting mine. I think it will make my Windows 8 experience a lot better! I've not ordered it yet main due to I'm waiting for you to tell us if it's good or not. I really want it to be good.

 

[Deleted member 24505]

Yea, I remember you telling me about this awhile back and I'm looking forward to getting mine. I think it will make my Windows 8 experience a lot better! I've not ordered it yet main due to I'm waiting for you to tell us if it's good or not. I really want it to be good.

I looked at the web page, it seems it can apparently detect a single finger motion.

Tempted to pre order one myself, it looks pretty awesome.

 

[lilhasselhoffer]

Yes windows 7 is for cavemen and dinosaurs.. Think you have a bridge to be under..

Don't feed the trolls, ! They will keep coming back. I too had to seriously fight the urge to comment on his trolling.

This is what I was talking about with my first comment. This is an editorial article, filed under the news category. That's one huge strike under trolling (presumably for views).

Strike two is that the author titled this article in the most troll baiting fashion possible. The implication being that somehow a minor tweak of windows 8 suddenly makes it superior to 7 in every way, and that we are fools for not rushing out to buy windows 8 immediately.

Strike three is that this reads like an MS PR statement. There is no attempt to address viable complaints. No substantive information is demonstrated to support conclusions. No authorial credibility is established. All of this points to an article with an agenda that doesn't lie in an area unaffected by financial incentive. This may well not be the case, but it is hard for me to conclude otherwise.


Assuming you disregard everything else I said. Assuming that you think I'm attacking this author for some personal vendetta. Assuming that I am a raving lunatic. You need only ask yourself one question. How can I connect the feature path in all MS products? Think about the xbox-xbox 360-xbone (focusing on the initial policies, not the ones edited from the violent consumer backlash), then think about Windows XP-Vista-7-8-8.1, and finally consider what Office is moving towards. None of this trajectory is considered, or even batted under the table.

The conclusion I can draw is that MS wants more control, less respect for consumers, and they know they are shrinking their market. They're trying to stretch into new markets, but haven't learned the difference between crushing the market and merging into it. Despite the blatant failure (yes, 8 is currently a fiscal failure at this point), they aren't asking consumers to tell them what they want. They are still dictating what consumers will get.

If MS wanted us to buy 8.1 they could sit down with a 50 people. The groups they need to see are non-users (no smart phone, minimal computer), mobile users (smart phone, minimal computer), budget consumers (smart phone, moderate computer), technologically invested consumers (smart phone, heavy computer use), and IT professionals. The three variants of Windows they currently have are a step in the right direction (mobile/touch, home, and power/professional), though people are smart enough to use different UIs on different devices. If they could wrap up about a dozen changes, and market these changes in a way that uninformed users could understand, I'd be behind 8.1. As it stands, this article wasted time by repeating information I already have in a completely non-compelling manner.

 

[beck24]

Suck it up?? Yeah that's the right attitude for unhappy customers, lol.
When a product is REALLY better, people quickly embrace it.
When it's not, the reverse, period, as long as there are alternatives.

 

[Arjai]

I still have my copy of windows still in it's wrapper. One day I may get around to installing it.

Promise me, Please, make a video of your first boot to WIN8. Or, Promise me to make a video of the bonfire you chuck it into!

 

[Arjai]

Why would some "common end-user" sitting on their HP that they bought from some retailer, who is satisfied with their current O/S want to even bother to change?

Hype, like this story?

 

[Prima.Vera]

...I have no idea if it's better than the Kinect as I don't have an Xbox.

But you can use it on Windows also if I am not mistaking...

 

[naoan]

TechPowerUp calling out them cavemen and dinosaurs.

also the shillers, turfers and the self proclaimed misguided futurist.

 

[Ghost]

He likes Win 8! Boo this man!

 

[eidairaman1]

1rule- put back the real start menu that's been used since xp, put back the Aero interfce.