Windows 8 Windows 8: Good or Bad?

Drew said:

The word, 'Enterprise', was used to mean business & corporate needs & concerns not, the Enterprise edition of an OS. Enterprise 'world' or environment not, Enterprise version.

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I am sorry for my obvious confusion then, as I actually took the time to reference the link you included and according to the article

Here's a look at six of the more significant features exclusive to Windows 8 Enterprise.

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SOURCE: = Your link Windows 8 Enterprise: 6 Key Features For IT - Windows - Microsoft news - Informationweek
I don't know just gathering information. But I'll likely fore go both Windows 8 Enterprise as well as its' associated Server version as it also has the Metro UI. Now tell me that's not just silly ( Link Removed ).

Yes, I realize the article speaks to the Enterprise version. Nor would that or a server be of any interest to everyone. Point being voiced is that in designing & building Windows8 the goals of the Team addressed many things. One of the most major areas of attention being business focused.

Some seemed to think MS had created Win8 as 'Social Networking' toy & not for traditional PCs & laptops (both of which are HUGE in the work/biz community) or for serious corp settings. The reality is very much the antithesis of this.

People take things as confrontational ...cus things are described does not say anyone must run out & buy Win8 & everything before is rubbish. BUT, there is something, absolutely, fundamental that is, oft, being missed. It doesn't matter whether one uses Win8 or likes it or not... Point is what makes it whatever & why is that cool or is it cool?... The fact that certain design goals were met & what they were is, in & of itself what makes Windows8 have value.

These transcend any specific items, details, Features, good or bad, preferred or not. But, these Basics that may be surprisingly, ironically & unexpectedly missed are what make the OS shine.

>Has made itself appealing to enterprise environments
>Vast compatibility base, both hardware & software
>Be happy on various devices, past, present & future - this, including mobile devices & touch screens, as well as conventional desktop PCs & laptops
>Be fast
> Not be resource demanding
>Be enhanced & or improved in several technical areas such as boot time, networking, connectivity, CPU & RAM handling, hardware assets access, graphics & more.
> Have native security enabled by default.
> Allow (easy) 'Build you own APPs" (Link Removed)
> Have an 'eye' to the future of computing
> And More
Comparisons, aside, the mere fact that Win8 met its design goals makes it a sound, solid piece of work.

There is a fair bit, new or revamped, in Windows8 that is worthwhile & either better than before (it) or didn't, even, exist 'til, now. Other Windows have been or are good, in many ways... @ least, as good as those,Windows8 turns a significant & inevitable corner on the road of modern computing.

The tile 'Start' screen & skepticism should not cloud or mask all that makes it possible to see Win8 in a good light

And it remains that whether, subjectively, one likes it, choses to like it, uses it now or later, by choice or otherwise...

An OS that met its (lofty) design goals & JUST for that it ends up earning kudos.

Cheers,
Drew

Hi

I started with Windows 3.1, I reinstalled it so often, (it took a long time from floppy disks, 17 megabytes of disk space if I remember correctly and something like that many disks) that I finally installed it twice on the same hard drive partition.

Once in a Windows folder, and also in a Alt Windows folder.

The computer would boot to which ever one you pointed it too from the dos prompt.

This way when one of them would crash I'd boot into the other one, delete the first one, and then reinstall it in the same place again.

I went from that to Windows 95, only had to reinstall that once in a while, then to Windows 98, a big improvement, but still a lot of crashes.

I skipped Windows 2000 and waited until Windows XP, much better I almost never had to reinstall it and only had a few crashes.

Then to Window 7 skipping Vista.

The best OS so far.

Now to Windows 8.

I don't have any problem with 8, it runs fast, and is stable so far.
I don't see any real advantage over 7 except for a boost in performance but it doesn't have any thing unique from 7 except to start page.

Which people seem to either love or hate.
I can use it if I have to but I'd rather work from the desktop the way I've done since Windows XP.

In fact my desktop now, looks and works more like xp then is does anything else.

Mike

"They are trying to help everyone, and that's a damn good company, in my opinion."

On the heels of what Shane has said... Be it categorically true or not to whatever degree, I, too, grow weary of the MS sux rhetoric. Every time there's a new OS, we hear, this OS sux. If, something anyone or any group dislikes, didn't want changed, removed, added, moved... if some piece of hardware or software doesn't work on a new OS, it's the OS's fault or Microsoft's fault. AND it's always because Microsoft doesn't listen, doesn't care, just does whatever it pleases & public opinion, acceptance, excitement or enthusiasm be damned. Maybe, due to being a MS Partner & an IT Pro, that gives a certain perspective but, Shane is right. Think about it people... what bloody sense would it make for MS to take no heed to Users or not care what customers say or want?!! A company wants to make money, that's why people are in business. You don't do that well, if, you blindly, ignore those who pay your salaries & are your bread & butter. Anyway, the fact is the lengths to which MS goes to find out what the marketplace, it's partners & clients want & need or will support is huge. No, I am not going to try listing all the many methods employed to this end but, the resources devoted to the effort are vast, deep, many & intensely used. Anyone who thinks MS doesn't desire & solicit feedback AND react to it & tailor things accordingly, is dead wrong. For those that repeatedly find fault w/ Windows & what MS does, think globally ( amount of people, businesses, computers & usage) it boils down to, can't please everyone all the time OR if, you can do a better job, go nuts.

3 more years & we'll have a repeat performance... MS sux, this Windows9 sux & I'm running Windows8 'til all it's support is gone, damned MS can't make me change & I see no reason why I should, I like my Windows8. Oh, sigh, it's deja vu

Cheers,
Drew

There is no better company, no company that offers so much support, no company that offers so much personalization in an OS, no company dedicated to listening as much.

Apple is Apple, they don't care about people only money.

Linux is Linux, They try their best but no one wants to support them, I mean in terms of hardware and software developers. Although one good thing I do like about Linux is their creativity in making good desktop interfaces. They are beautiful, colorful, and very organized which makes it a shame they cant run windows hardware and software very good.

If Linux could better themselves and run hardware and softwares better, then it would be a different story for me. I probably would run Linux because of the so many Distro choices which give users more options to have a desktop to their liking. But for now that isn't the case, and Microsoft continues to dominate the PC world.

No matter how one looks at it! Win 7 still needs some fixes and a service pack that gives us: classic menu option and search filters; Will make Win 7 as successful as XP if not more. But MS decided to basically abandon improving Win 7 and has come up with a chimera called Win 8.

Win 8 will fail simply because us common plebs who do not have the time to spend hours just customising OS's now have to relearn a totally new UI that offers absolutely nothing superior to win 7.

I have yet to actually meet anyone face to face who has tried win 8 and likes it. Perhaps because everyone I know are PC users and none own tablets and their smart phones are God forbid iPHONES.

MS has gambled but will loose on this one! Perhaps a rude awakening is what they need in order to start listening to their customers instead of the MS Golden boys who I suspect all use iPHONES and never use a PC!

This time MS has given us a SQUARE wheel and is praising its capabilities of not needing a parking brake!

MS for the love of God just give us a service pack for 7 that gives us classic menu option and fixes the search filters. Is this too much to ask for?

As for win 8: Laughing baby - YouTube

It troubles me that incorrect information concerning windows 8 is being posted time and again.

Now if many of these claims on how it takes hours to set up, is bad for productivity and has a nasty, nasty page that everyone is scared of (metro)were true then I certainly wouldn't use it either..

I've been using this os for some time now and if it was really as bad as some would claim then I simply would not use it. It must be said that this is just 'my' opinion but I remember the bad old days of vista and this is light years from being anything like that.

kemical said:

Now if many of these claims on how it takes hours to set up.

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I hope your not talking about what said in a previous post, I was referring to windows 98 and windows 2000 also Xp too in some ways. They take much longer to set up then with newer versions of Windows. I think windows 8 is basically ready to go straight from the box.

I never said windows 8 was a bad system and I like using it just as much as anyone else.
Others I can not speak for, but as for myself I have always kept an open mind and am willing to try and learn new things. I didn't mean to repeat myself in any way, I just like talking to others about different Versions of Windows as I find it interesting to hear what other peoples intakes are on how they like using them. I like talking about different systems because I'm curious to see what works for others so maybe I can try them out too.

Hi

One last thought, from me.

In reality there is no reason to change the Windows UI at all for the PC.
At least until it all becomes voice operated.
As long as you use a mouse and keyboard, they could have stopped at Windows XP, and have a modified interface for the pads and phones.

What needs constant updating is the ability to accommodate faster and faster computers with more and more resources and larger and larger hard drives etc, and the ever moving goal of ultimate stability, none of this shows on the surface.

Things like DX and graphics are just going to keep advancing, but there is really no reason to change the UI unless it lets you do something you couldn't do before.

Widows 7 added Snap and some useful new innovations, but it also gave us a less convenient start menu.
You could have added the new abilities and left Windows 7 looking like Windows XP.

The only reason they change the UI is so that people will feel like they are getting something new, and the ability to make flashy advertising displaying it.

If Windows 7 had looked exactly like Windows XP then people would feel like they were getting cheated.

Your would see posts saying, "This is just the same old Windows with a new name!", so the interface get updated, and people like me change it back to the way it was. LOL

As long as they make it possible to modify it to work like XP, they won't get an argument from me.

The one thing that Microsoft has always been good about is making their Operating Systems so they can be modified to suit the user.

Since I got my iPad I know that Apple doesn't do that!

Mike

I like Windows 7 alot, I like the looks and features. I think Windows 7 is a huge improvement over XP. I think they should of skipped Vista and just made win 7 but I guess Vista was a learning curve they encountered and found out what needed to be polished and tweaked. Leave Windows 7 alone, it has earned its right as the best Windows on the ladder. Windows 8 is not on that ladder but on a totally new one.

Don't forget that you can only do what your computer is capable of, If you have an older computer then Xp would be perfect. Of course some newer computers run better on Windows 7. You have to take into scope what people have to work with, and what they will be using their computers to do. A computer made around 2003 would work best with XP, a computer made around 2007 like mine is better running Windows 7. These factors must not be overlooked because not everyones computers are made the same.

kemical said:

It troubles me that incorrect information concerning windows 8 is being posted time and again.

Now if many of these claims on how it takes hours to set up, is bad for productivity and has a nasty, nasty page that everyone is scared of (metro)were true then I certainly wouldn't use it either..

I've been using this os for some time now and if it was really as bad as some would claim then I simply would not use it. It must be said that this is just 'my' opinion but I remember the bad old days of vista and this is light years from being anything like that.

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Link Removed except for, "the bad old days of vista", which IMO is not a bad OS, I still use it, not as often, but I still use it, because I like it and it runs great.

After ready the many, many replies and hearing I hate 7, or 8 and so-on, the thing I can't get over, are the ones who complain so much that the OS is no good or it doesn't do this or that and blame the OS for it faults, I've said it before and I'll say it again, "A computer is only infallible as its user." and there lies the true fault, the user.
So, to all the Windows bashers, think, before you condemn.

I thought 98SE was great, I skipped ME & 2000, went to XP and thought that was even greater, which it was, then Vista, what a vast improvement over XP (IMO), then 7 and now 8 and truthfully, never had a real issue with any of them and any that did crop up was my fault, not the OS.

I have also tried Ubuntu and a few others and I just thought them to be to difficult to use, it seemed like you have to go through hoops to get anything installed or to get from point A to B, I know it wasn't the OS, it was me, I was just too comfortable and familiar with Windows, which I still think is such an easy OS to install and configure to your own liking and the customizations are pretty much endless.

Well there you have it FWIW,

Don

Never mind things have moved on! LOL

My final conclusion is that windows 8 is not ready for prime time on the desktop. I uninstalled it on all my systems because the RP was too buggy and too cumbersome to operate - although it did everything I wanted to do, just with more effort than in /7.

I did keep only one copy running in Virtual Box so that I can follow the developments. But I doubt that this will ever be my future system. I rather use Ubuntu which is more convenient to operate.

I am a computer tech, so I know a few things about them. When I first got my laptop it had a celeron 1.8ghz processor. Most people don't know that in some laptops the cpu can be changed out for a better one. So I put a Core 2 Duo of 2ghz in. I thought gaming would be better but I didn't realize that sometimes older games do not run properly on duo cores. I blamed the bad performance on Windows 7 which I really liked and never gave it a chance.
But I found out by playing with some settings in task manager that if you set it to one core, everything works much much better. No lags in my favorite games. Windows 7 is a good system I now use everyday, I update it and everything works like a champ. I always liked Win 7 but never gave it a chance since my games didn't run good. But it turned out I didn't know whole truth about why they weren't.
Windows 8 is pretty good, but its really not for me. I like it, but I also like 7. I know people will like Windows 8 and use it. Thats cool, lets not fight over which system is better. Lets just agree both are top notch and very good.

Also, being an IT Pro, myself, I agree, Shane. I will say, while I do like 7 & find it very good... I am beta testing Windows8 for MS (as I did Vista & 7), personally, do not find 8 full of bugs nor cumbersome & no more, if not less effort, than 7. Certainly this stuff can be extremely subjective. As for 7 on a non-touch, conventional Desktop, if the RP is any indication, Windows8 is definitely 'ready'

It remains to be seen if people are 'ready' for Windows8.

Cheers,
Drew

Drew said:

It remains to be seen if people are 'ready' for Windows8.

Cheers,
Drew

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If people are ready????? How about "If Microsoft is ready to fix win 7 and stop trying to give us a fisher price OS"? You simply do not seem to understand that not everyone has your knowledge on OS's. Not everyone is capable at customising his OS and certainly not everyone will even bother when faced with an OS that hides everything and forces you to use Microsoft mail amongst other things that only a monopoly could think of.

FIX THE DAMN WIN 7 with a Service Pack and release win 8 for smartphones and tablets ONLY! I for one will celebrate with a pint of stout when the media announces the grand failure of Win 8!

Well, let's see... 1 st all, Win7 ain't broken... if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Win8 is so far away from being a 'toy' or plaything (Fisher-Price reference) it's not even funny. Things are not "hidden"... it's all, still, just Windows w/ a somewhat new & different approach. One does not need to be a tech to customize it, anymore than previous Windows OSs... and all of which can be done quickly & easily w/ no more than natively in the OS & much of that nothing we didn't already have at our disposal. There is nothing that "forces" use of MS Mail.

As for "for phones & tablets only", that would be missing the entire point of WinRT (not to be confused w/ Windows8 RT) & that is a computing platform that works into the future & across multiple devices from phones to servers (which includes Desktops & Laptops be they Touch OR NON-Touch.

Someday soon all this discussion will be behind us, WinRT will be the basis of Windows8, 9, 10... & out technological future. It all will get understood & accepted as the 'norm' in due course... for some quicker & more easily than others, of course.

Cheers,
Drew

tanzanos said:

How about "If Microsoft is ready to fix win 7

FIX THE DAMN WIN 7 with a Service Pack

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I use Windows 7 everday and find nothing wrong with it, what do you think needs to be fixed??? And you say release a service pack. They already released one, its SP1 just google it and you'll find it on Microsofts website.

With SP1 and important updates for stability there should be no issues with Windows 7.

the bad old days of vista

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Yeah, I meant only in the very beginning. Vista was fine if you had the right hardware in the first place..

Reading through the latest I.T. blogs and Tech magazines it would seem the industry or at least it's journalists are split down the middle when it comes to the advent of Windows 8, Surface and the small form factor. It seems Microsoft have had a masterplan all along and some are seeing this as almost visionary. It must also be said that others feel that this is Microsofts doom:

I disagree, however, with his claim that there’s serious potential for long-term disaster. It is true that, two years ago, I did foresee doom for Microsoft’s place in the home if they did not turn things around. Specifically, I claimed Windows PCs were in real danger of being displaced by tablets, smartphones, PCs, and TV devices running simpler, similar interfaces via Android or iOS. What changed? Microsoft is now turning things around by adopting their Metro interface across their entire line of tablets, smartphones, PCs, and TV devices. Boom.

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Reference:

Did Microsoft Look at OEM Designs Before Launching Surface?

Shane Black said:

I use Windows 7 everday and find nothing wrong with it, what do you think needs to be fixed??? And you say release a service pack. They already released one, its SP1 just google it and you'll find it on Microsofts website.

With SP1 and important updates for stability there should be no issues with Windows 7.

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First of all "search filters" need fixing as they will only appear when searching in generic folders and not custom folders. The only way around this is to type "KIND:" followed by the type. Win XP had a better search. Also search in general does not always find what I am looking for and I have to do a manual search by opening one folder after another and visually search the contents.
Secondly the fact that the CLASSIC MENUS OPTION is missing needs to be addressed. Win 7 is also extremely finicky with hardware. Where XP installed without a hitch, win 7 failed to install unless a SATA cable was replaced and this on the same machine.
Thirdly anyone who thinks any OS does not need improvement is grossly mistaken. MS should improve Win 7 instead of releasing a totally different OS.
Fourth Win Live mail has BIG issues with photos and pictures and the fact that MICROSOFT MONOPOLY INCORPORATED is FORCING US TO USE THE AMERICAN SPELLING instead of the PROPER BRITISH is an anathema to the English language. This has not been fixed so far. By the way English is not my mother tongue but I will rather burn in hell than use the letter 'Z' instead of 'S'. I feel like smashing my monitor every time a CORRECTLY SPELT word is underlined in red.
By the way my American friends: METER is an INSTRUMENT and METRE is a UNIT OF MEASURE!
The arrogant ways of MS reminds me of another company and its downfall: IBM!