Do you guys like windows 8?

Page 3 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.

Majic 7

Senior member
Mar 27, 2008
668
0
0
I have mine set up with native W8 capabilities and never see the Start page unless I am curious to see if there is actually a useful app in the store yet. Boot directly to desktop and use Winkey if I want to go to the Start page. My experience is exactly like W7, never did use the start button for anything more than sleep and control panel, etc. Don't have a problem with an extra click now and then or putting icons on the desktop and taskbar. I know the whiners aren't retentive,"their mother had them tested", but they are really grasping at straws sometimes.
 
Last edited:

biostud

Lifer
Feb 27, 2003
19,763
6,850
136
For the low upgrade price I think it's worth it, but it needs start8. Otherwise I would be extremely frustrated.
 

pmv

Lifer
May 30, 2008
14,980
9,864
136
I know the whiners aren't retentive,"their mother had them tested", but they are really grasping at straws sometimes.

The level of abusiveness by many of the fanboys is really, really, odd. Its as if they think Microsoft is a member of their family.
 

pmv

Lifer
May 30, 2008
14,980
9,864
136
Actually, what I like best about it is all the gnashing of teeth and bitchy whining it has invoked. Good times...

In contrast, I find the way some people have become so emotionally invested in a profit-making corporation, so as to get personally worked up about people criticising any of its products, to be rather depressing. It says something dispiriting about human nature, I think.

I don't think Windows8 is for me. I neverhtheless expect it will do OK in the market. Not once I have I said there's anything wrong with people who find it works for them. What I do find peculiar is those who throw abuse at people who don't like the product, or those, like you, who seem to regard an OS that they didn't even work on themselves, as being something they have to emotionally identify with (I could actually understand it if you work for MS and personally worked hard on the product).
Why not just shrug your shoulders at this alleged 'whining'? Why does it matter to you at all?
 

Griffinhart

Golden Member
Dec 7, 2004
1,130
1
76
Metro UI in itself is designed for something like a tablet (limited memory, limited multitasking). But it is _NOT_ the main UI in a Windows 8 system. It is basically a Start Menu that is full screen, that happens to allow you some fast access to apps (such as checking email/news) without having to launch a full browser/email client.

Actually, this isn't really true. Metro UI IS the main UI. The Classic windows desktop is merely an app running under Metro. MS has stated this, and the intent is to move users away from classic windows desktop apps to Metro apps. This is one of the reasons why MS limited access the desktop for apps to only Office on Windows 8 RT devices. This is why they removed any semblance of a start menu from the taskbar. This is why they got rid of "Aeroglass." The latter two being removed later in the beta cycle to push more towards metro.

This is the primary reason there is a lot of pushback on Windows 8. MS wants to move users away from the classic desktop UI to the Metro UI. They have even said as much. They have gone as far as to insist that the Windows 8 UI is NOT Metro, but "Windows." Windows 8 is a "bridge OS" designed to move people to the new UI.

That said, With 3rd party apps like START8, to skip the Metro UI, I find Windows 8 to be pretty good. There are many new helpful features that would rock in Windows 7. Native ISO mounting for example.

Ultimately, MS wants windows to be full screen metro apps, using the cloud as storage for data on a platform that will essentially be the same on Phones, Tablets and Desktops.

IMHO, I think Windows 8 will be considered a "failed" product the way Vista was but for different reasons. Keep in mind, Vista sold very well as it was on most new PC's. Vista introduced many of the features that made Windows 7 as good as it is.

In the end, I believe that Windows 8 would have been an instant hit and success if they didn't insist on this transition away from the "Windows Desktop". If Windows 8 gave users a choice to never see the metro UI and have a Win7 start menu if they use a traditional PC or laptop while defaulting to Metro on Tablet and Hybrid machines, it would be about the best OS one could hope fore.

Instead, they are forcefeeding desktop users Metro when it clearly not great for mouse users.
 

Whisper2

Member
Sep 17, 2009
144
0
0
In the end, I believe that Windows 8 would have been an instant hit and success if they didn't insist on this transition away from the "Windows Desktop". If Windows 8 gave users a choice to never see the metro UI and have a Win7 start menu if they use a traditional PC or laptop while defaulting to Metro on Tablet and Hybrid machines, it would be about the best OS one could hope fore.

Instead, they are forcefeeding desktop users Metro when it clearly not great for mouse users.

I agree completely. Microsoft is violating the most basic principal of Marketing -- a successful company offers the products its customers want, not the products its engineers want to build.
 

Kezu

Member
Dec 5, 2002
38
0
0
Once I got start8, I liked Windows 8. I still use the Start screen sometimes but it is nice having the Start menu back. My only complaint with Start8 is that I can't find an option to allow the search box to search all indexed items instead of just those in my user directory.
 

smakme7757

Golden Member
Nov 20, 2010
1,487
1
81
Laptop 1 - Windows 8
Laptop 2 - Windows 8
Desktop - Windows 8
Server - Windows Server 2012 Standard.

Yep, i like Windows 8.

No problem here! (apart from no finger print driver from Dell for laptop 1.). Also i don't use any start applications. I'm finding the stock UI perfectly fine. I miss nothing and i don't seem to need anything, so i really can't complain.
 

Cancer12

Senior member
Nov 30, 2001
510
0
0
Its really not that bad, in fact I kind of like it. However, I try to stick to the desktop and desktop applications. When I launch a modern UI app it kills my workflow so I try to stick to the desktop. Honestly, when I stick to the desktop its my favorite OS. I actually like the start screen as well as long as nothing I launch goes Metro on me.
 

LOL_Wut_Axel

Diamond Member
Mar 26, 2011
4,310
8
81
Kinda pissed off that none of my Codemasters games will work after reinstalling several times (DiRT 2, F1 2010 and 2011).

MS was selling us BS when they said all programs that ran on Windows 7 would run on Windows 8. None of my Steam games wanted to run so now I have to re-download them all over again, and I have around 100 games in my library. Just BS.
 

rbV5

Lifer
Dec 10, 2000
12,632
0
0
Just installed win8 on my win7 laptop. I actually like it pretty well and the price was right!

Maybe just because I've been using my HTC 8x for a few weeks now, but the metro interface seems pretty intuitive for me, and everything pretty much works well.

It was a cheap upgrade to pro, and my laptop already had win7, so the components were all supported, so it all went smoothly. Not understanding the uproar myself though :hmm:
 

spinejam

Diamond Member
Feb 17, 2005
3,503
1
81
Been using Win8 for ~2 weeks -- I was initially going to switch back to Win7 but I actually like it now. They both have some nice qualities so you have to decide what suits your best interests. If you do try Win8 -- give it a week or so to really familiarize yourself w/ it. (Remember, the windows key is your best friend in Win8) :)
 

cvmmcg2

Junior Member
Apr 12, 2005
21
0
0
Not crazy about and liked it even less when I had to go through 6 or 7 steps to get into safe mode to uninstall a unstable Drive.
Have one install of 8 because I am a Technician ,but have decided not to install it on any of my personal machines.
I have had 0 request for upgrades to 8 and have now done over 30 downgrades from 8 to 7. A # of my Clients are pretty Tech Savvy who use high performance Systems and most complained of lost productivity when requesting the downgrade.
MS might be saying something with the pricing.
The other crazy thing is that I am pay triple for Win 7 licenses than for Win 8?
In fact I pre purchased a good amount of Win 8 Professional Licenses @ a deep Discount from MS and have not sold one and it is going on 2 months since I received them??
I feel like I threw $2500.00 into the trash. I will zero value them in my Inventory for tax purposes, just like obsolete devices I have on my shelves.
 
Last edited:

rbV5

Lifer
Dec 10, 2000
12,632
0
0
Not crazy about and liked it even less when I had to go through 6 or 7 steps to get into safe mode to uninstall a unstable Drive.
Have one install of 8 because I am a Technician ,but have decided not to install it on any of my personal machines.
I have had 0 request for upgrades to 8 and have now done over 30 downgrades from 8 to 7. A # of my Clients are pretty Tech Savvy who use high performance Systems and most complained of lost productivity when requesting the downgrade.
MS might be saying something with the pricing.
The other crazy thing is that I am pay triple for Win 7 licenses than for Win 8?
In fact I pre purchased a good amount of Win 8 Professional Licenses @ a deep Discount from MS and have not sold one and it is going on 2 months since I received them??
I feel like I threw $2500.00 into the trash. I will zero value them in my Inventory for tax purposes, just like obsolete devices I have on my shelves.

Seriously, WinX + Run + MSCONFIG + Boot?
 

dighn

Lifer
Aug 12, 2001
22,820
4
81
aside from metro, which is totally uninteresting and useless on a desktop, it's pretty good. very snappy and lots of little improvements. worth the $40.