Recommended Posts

Anyone else go right back to Windows 7 after playing with 8 for a little while? I think it's kind of a mess and definitely not ready for prime time.

Me, I gave it a chance and really like it, but being a beta it was a bit iffy with some apps, I don't like having to go to the Metro screen whenever I want to open Explorer, so I guess I ended up pinning it. They really need to allow people to enable the start menu, or this is going to flop hard.

I hope they bring the start menu back. I believe they said metro will be disabled by default for desktops and non-touch screen laptops, so people can transition into it.

Well see though. I hear way too many requests to bring back the start menu.

Yeah after a few hours I got tired of it.... whereas up until the CP was released I was using the developer preview which to me was better.... (boots were simple and didn't require a reset to switch OSes and they seemed to have taken away the ability to use the scroll wheel on the left side of the screen to switch between apps)

Yeah I downloaded it and played just for a minute before work and was excited. After about an hour when I got home, it wasn't for me and I've spent the night reinstalling Windows 7. I guess that'll teach me to use a VM next time.

  • Like 2

I think there should be two modes or verisons for Windows 8. On my non-touch laptop, everything is just so awkward. I have to scroll my touchpad or mouse up and down to scroll horizontally.. and I have to take additional steps to just go to Control panel or run Windows Updates. I think Microsoft has long long way to go on this one.

Lol you guys got it all wrong. I haven't used my mouse for Windows 8 at all.

Windows explorer is Windows key + E (or if on the SuperBar it's Windows Key + top numbers on keyboard)

Anything I want to search for is the same as windows 7 albeit just full screen search now.

I don't know what you guys are complaining about.

The only chance I get to use metro is when my computer boots up, no search queries, just click & go.

After I'm on the Desktop I just do:

  • windows key
  • first few letters of program/settings from control panel to files and anything really
  • enter key

Simple, fast.

Metro pops for a half a second and my program/file/setting is already loading.

Although I'm not used to the full screen search, just the little search box that windows 7 used to be. It's no different from it.

I'm using it right now, and I really like it, but I'll probably go back to windows 7 tomorrow. I actually had no problem getting used to the metro UI and really like the apps that they have included. My only problem with it is that I wish it was all Metro and not Metro / Aero.

Lol you guys got it all wrong. I haven't used my mouse for Windows 8 at all.

Windows explorer is Windows key + E (or if on the SuperBar it's Windows Key + top numbers on keyboard)

Anything I want to search for is the same as windows 7 albeit just full screen search now.

Windows key + search query + enter. The same for control panel settings, files and pretty much everything.

I don't know what you guys are complaining about.

Windows key + search query gives apps, you have to make an additional click if you want to get to settings or files, unlike in Windows 7.

2 hours is not enough time to judge an entire operating system. On the Developer preview I didn't really like it for the first 48 hours, but once I got used to how the OS worked and learned the gestures, I began to catch on and really enjoy the experience. Although my time is spent mostly in the desktop UI, the Metro apps really are much nicer than the apps that were around before. For example the mail app is much, much faster than Windows Live mail and the live tiles make it worth the switch.

Windows key + search query gives apps, you have to make an additional click if you want to get to settings or files, unlike in Windows 7.

No you don't, to search settings it's Windows Key + W.

Windows + F is to search files. Easy.

I gave it 1 hour and it was enough for me to NOT like it at all. I'm back to Win7 and I feel right at home. I much prefer OS X or Win7. MS wont get any money from me if Win8 stay that way. It may be fantastic for a touch screen, but it's crap for desktop use. And suddently, it's okay to learn new keystroke to do things? Wow, this seems backward in evolution.

How do you close/quit a Metro app? Do they stay open all the time?

And why do I feel like I'm dealing with 2 OS at the same time: Metro and Desktop? What does Win8 want to be?

I installed it on a VM, and on my wife's laptop early this morning. We both used it for our normal stuff all day long. We also both have (and absolutley love) Windows Phone 7.

Reverted the laptop to a Windows Home Server backup from last night, so it's back to normal.

The biggest issues for her were:

1) No ability to print in Mail

2) No Favorites in Immersive IE

3) No Search from Address Bar in Immersive IE

4) Not great for multi-tasking. She usually has multiple brower windows open, Windows Live Messenger and Windows Live Mail. While the multiple browsers can be addressed on the regular desktop, in that view there is no way to know if you have new instant messages or emails.

Overall it was not a great experience.

From my point of view (as a .NET developer) I was also disappointed. Doing simple things (like printing) seemed impossible and the apps are far from beta quality in my opinion. Switching back and forth between the start screen and the desktop (again, in Visual Studio all day long) seemed unnatural. I instant message with my wife all day long (even though we're in the same house, I'm in my office upstairs, so it's just easier) and switching between Visual Studio, to the start screen to get a new IM was a mess. I couldn't stand it.

  • Like 2

Gonna give it a try later when I have time to download/install it. It looks surprisingly good on that 82 " screen. I didn't think it would work on larger screen devices, but it looks like I might have been wrong.

How does the performance compare with Windows 7?

And why do I feel like I'm dealing with 2 OS at the same time: Metro and Desktop? What does Win8 want to be?

Like I've been saying in the thread, you're using it wrong. You're not supposed to stay in the metro interface, as a desktop user it's just an extension of Windows 7's orb that makes searches except it's fullscreen.

If you spend more than literally one second on metro you're doing it wrong. The search feature is fantastic, much better improved to find what you need. I don't use the mouse whatsoever on Metro. People just don't know how to use Windows 8 yet.

No you don't, to search settings it's Windows Key + W.

Windows + F is to search files. Easy.

While I didn't directly state it I was hoping that I implied it.... that having to learn 3 different shortcut commands to search quickly, which you don't have to do in Windows 7 is the main problem I was getting at. The average user is going to be making the extra click to get to what they want. For me they're adding more steps to do something... :/

While I didn't directly state it I was hoping that I implied it.... that having to learn 3 different shortcut commands to search quickly, which you don't have to do in Windows 7 is the main problem I was getting at. The average user is going to be making the extra click to get to what they want.

If anything Windows 7 has all those result types mixed together. It's so nice to have them separated so that you can find what you want. Not sort through each type files/windows settings and take a few seconds to click on what you actually want.

Then again that will only benefit power users, the only people that it's not benefiting is people who can't adapt to changes when there's actually tools to get what you want faster. The latter not being an opinion, but dare I say that having more shorcuts (tools) is a fact.

I installed it on a VM, and on my wife's laptop early this morning. We both used it for our normal stuff all day long. We also both have (and absolutley love) Windows Phone 7.

Reverted the laptop to a Windows Home Server backup from last night, so it's back to normal.

The biggest issues for her were:

1) No ability to print in Mail

2) No Favorites in Immersive IE

3) No Search from Address Bar in Immersive IE

4) Not great for multi-tasking. She usually has multiple brower windows open, Windows Live Messenger and Windows Live Mail. While the multiple browsers can be addressed on the regular desktop, in that view there is no way to know if you have new instant messages or emails.

Overall it was not a great experience.

From my point of view (as a .NET developer) I was also disappointed. Doing simple things (like printing) seemed impossible and the apps are far from beta quality in my opinion. Switching back and forth between the start screen and the desktop (again, in Visual Studio all day long) seemed unnatural. I instant message with my wife all day long (even though we're in the same house, I'm in my office upstairs, so it's just easier) and switching between Visual Studio, to the start screen to get a new IM was a mess. I couldn't stand it.

Metro IE has the same Windows key shortcuts that IE9 has: Win-E for search, Win-L for address entry.

Like I've been saying in the thread, you're using it wrong. You're not supposed to stay in the metro interface, as a desktop user it's just an extension of Windows 7's orb that makes searches except it's fullscreen.

If you spend more than literally one second on metro you're doing it wrong. The search feature is fantastic, much better improved to find what you need. I don't use the mouse whatsoever on Metro. People just don't know how to use Windows 8 yet.

Sorry, you're wrong. That "new" full screen start menu, Metro, is not just a new start menu. Metro apps are going to be around and you'll have to deal with Metro apps and Desktop apps and it's not gonna be pretty. And they don't seem to integrate all that well. If you're in the desktop and you get IM message in a Metro app, unless you have that apps on the "side" of your desktop screen, you have to switch over. It's crazy. The desktop seems to be for "old stuff" and Metro is going to be "futur stuff". But for now, it's a mess.

Sorry, you're wrong. That "new" full screen start menu, Metro, is not just a new start menu. Metro apps are going to be around and you'll have to deal with Metro apps and Desktop apps and it's not gonna be pretty. And they don't seem to integrate all that well. If you're in the desktop and you get IM message in a Metro app, unless you have that apps on the "side" of your desktop screen, you have to switch over. It's crazy. The desktop seems to be for "old stuff" and Metro is going to be "futur stuff". But for now, it's a mess.

If you don't like to use the mouse on the Metro screen, then learn to use it as a search box.

So with that, try to use just your keyboard and it's not a mess to get from desktop to metro and vice versa. It only takes a couple of keystrokes and you don't lose momentum. If you want to complain the only thing that you could really complain is for the few moments for metro to load for you to type what you want (if you're not already in

So no, I'm not wrong.

Everybody just has to get rid of whatever they used to think they knew and learn to adapt and see that it's actually better than they thought.

  • Like 2

If you don't like to use the mouse on the Metro screen, then learn to use it as a search box.

So with that, try to use just your keyboard and it's not a mess to get from desktop to metro. It only takes a couple of keystrokes and you don't lose momentum. If you want to complain the only thing that you could really complain is for the few moments for metro to load for you to type what you want.

So no, I'm not wrong. You're just arguing because you don't like it, and we all get that. Everybody just has to get rid of whatever they used to think they knew and learn to adapt and see that it's actually better than they thought.

Why is this the prevailing mindset? that we should just accept whatever a company puts out and be happy with it? The world today is really bizarre...

Why is this the prevailing mindset? that we should just accept whatever a company puts out and be happy with it? The world today is really bizarre...

No, but do you really think a company like Microsoft is dumb enough not to know what the difference is between Desktop users and Tablet users?

I don't know why people complain about Metro when you don't have to use it the majority of the time. Sure, you can bring up settings, but who really stays in settings longer than a few minutes? Your desktop experience will mostly be on your desktop and that's where you'll stay the biggest percentage of your time. Metro doesn't get in your way (once you used to it you'll only see that screen for quick moments). The only reason Metro would get in your way is if you didn't know how to use it. But the same can be said about any OS which people have no experience with.

It's not that I have a prevailing mindset. But I also want my point of view to be heard, backing it up with facts and tips. All I hear is opinions, but I don't see anyone trying to provide solutions or ways to make the switch easier for past pre-windows 8 users. I'm trying to help and at the same time try to explain to people that it's not as bad as they think or hear it is. Isn't that what a tech community is supposed to be about?

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • NetSpeedTray 1.3.3 by Razvan Serea NetSpeedTray is a lightweight, open-source Windows network monitor that shows live upload and download speeds directly on the Taskbar. Designed for efficiency, it quietly sits in the system tray, conserving CPU and battery with dynamic updates. It blends seamlessly with Windows 10/11, adapts to light/dark themes, and auto-positions to avoid overlaps. Features include accurate interface detection, customizable display, optional mini-graph, color coding, granular font and unit control, detailed per-interface history graphs, safe data management, and easy CSV export—bringing the network monitoring Windows forgot. NetSpeedTray key features: Lightweight & Efficient Runs quietly in your system tray without consuming resources. Features a "Dynamic Update Rate" that lowers refresh frequency when the network is idle to save CPU and battery life. Native Look & Feel Blends seamlessly with Windows 10/11 UI. Smart detection for light and dark taskbar themes ensures text is always visible. Intelligent & Adaptive Positioning Automatically finds empty space next to your system tray and shifts to make room for new icons, preventing overlaps. Seamless OS Integration Behaves like a native Windows component. Hides instantly with auto-hiding taskbar Hides when a fullscreen app is active Smart Network Monitoring Accurate by Default: Auto mode identifies your main internet connection and ignores noise from VPNs or virtual adapters. Easy Interface Selection: Switch effortlessly between Auto, All, or Selected network interfaces via intuitive radio buttons. Total Visual Customization Free Move Mode: Unlock and place the widget anywhere on your screen. Optional Mini-Graph: Real-time graph of recent network activity with adjustable opacity. Color Coding: Customize colors and speed thresholds to quickly see network status. Granular Display Control Text & Font: Adjust font family, size, weight, and alignment. Units: Automatic (B/s, KB/s, MB/s) or fixed Mbps display. Precision: Set decimal places and always show them for uniform appearance. Detailed & Intelligent History Graph Smart Scale: Logarithmic scale shows low-level traffic and large spikes clearly. Per-Interface Filtering: View speed history for specific adapters (Wi-Fi, Ethernet, VPN). Safe & Efficient Data Management: Adjustable retention, automatic cleanup, optimized database. Easy Data Export: Export raw data to .csv or save high-quality graphs for reports. NetSpeedTray v1.3.3: The Updater Fix A stabilization release that repairs a critical regression in v1.3.2: the app shipped without OpenSSL, which silently broke every HTTPS request — including the built-in update checker (the "Could not check for updates" error many of you hit). This release restores it, hardens the build so it can't happen again, and fixes a startup crash plus four other reported bugs. Changes: Fixed update checking — Resolved a critical issue that prevented the app from checking for updates ("Could not check for updates"). Fixed startup crash with Auto-Cycling — The app no longer crashes on launch after enabling Cycle display mode. Fixed incorrect network speeds on 10GbE adapters — Multi-gigabit network cards now display speeds correctly instead of being stuck at 0. Improved color coding — Default color is shown when idle, and color/threshold changes now apply immediately without restarting. Fullscreen visibility fix — The widget now correctly stays visible over fullscreen apps when Keep Visible is enabled. Improved AMD Ryzen temperature detection — More reliable CPU temperature monitoring for Ryzen processors. Cleaner upgrades — Installer now removes outdated application files during upgrades, preventing DLL/version conflicts while preserving user settings. Improved stability — Fixed potential DLL loading issues by excluding critical OpenSSL and NumPy components from UPX compression. Better settings window — Scrollbars removed and layout improved for a cleaner experience. Localization improvements — Updated translations and completed missing UI text across all supported languages. More reliable releases — Added regression tests covering recent critical fixes, bringing the test suite to 196 passing tests. [full release notes] Download: NetSpeedTray 1.3.3 | 87.9 MB (Open Source) Download: NetSpeedTray Portable | 101.0 MB View: NetSpeedTray Home Page | Screenshot Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
    • Why Delta Chat is the best decentralized messenger you have probably never tried by Paul Hill There is no shortage of messaging apps out there; we have WhatsApp, Messenger, and Telegram, just to name a few. While Meta has taken steps to incorporate encryption into Messenger and WhatsApp, they still leave a lot to be desired. If you are in the market for a messaging app that promotes security, privacy, and optional anonymity, you'll want to read what I have to say about Delta Chat. For those not familiar with Delta Chat, rather than relying on centralized servers as you do with Facebook Messenger, it relies on email. Essentially, it is a chat interface that feels like a messaging app, but secretly in the background, it is firing off emails. In the past, you used to have to sign in with your email account. When you sent messages to people, it would just be sending encrypted messages to their inbox, which their Delta Chat client would decrypt. When I first learned about Delta Chat, it required users to sign in with an email account, but I was pleasantly surprised upon trying it in 2026 that this is no longer a requirement, or the preferred method was to use the app. Recently, I’ve tried UAD-ng on my old Nokia 3.4 to disable most of the Google apps because the bootloader is locked, and this is the next best option. While finding replacement apps in F-Droid, I came across Delta Chat again, and it has undergone quite a big change since I last used it, with its new chatmail relays, which no longer require you to sign in to your own email account, providing anonymity, and they offer greater security. Android and Desktop Delta Chat apps. Not only does it run on my de-googled phone, but it also works on desktop computers and iOS, making it truly ubiquitous. For me, Delta Chat is a wonderful alternative messenger because it gives you more control. It supports switching between different profiles, which you can set up super quickly; you don’t register a username, you don’t register a password. The only thing you do have is a random string email address on a chatmail relay (which you don’t have to memorize). To maintain access to your profile, you just need to add a second device to your account via QR code or make a backup of your account, which you can restore later. Fail to do these, your account is gone - as it should be if you don’t want to leave accounts that could get hacked later on. My decision to block Google stuff on my Nokia was done for practical reasons; the device sucked when it launched, and it sucks even more now. The nice thing about F-Droid and the apps within is that they’re usually lightweight, free of bloat, and work well on that device. What was inconvenient for me was that it was hard to send messages from that device, say if I wanted to copy a code over to my main phone or send family members a link from that device. That’s when I decided to look at the available chat apps and saw Delta Chat. Another nice thing about Delta Chat is its notifications. Some messaging apps rely on Google’s ecosystem for notification transport on Android; however, with Delta Chat, it can use Google’s solutions if you have Play Services or MicroG installed. Otherwise, it is able to keep a background connection to the chatmail relay server so that you can get notified when you receive a message. As free software, the code of Delta Chat is open for all who want to take it and build upon it. In the future, if the developers of Delta Chat make a catastrophically bad decision and take the app in an undesirable direction, users can take the code and fork the project. This contrasts with closed-source apps from corporations that can take their products in any direction they like. By relying on free software instead of closed-source programs, you actually control your computing. I’ve spoken at length about how running this type of software is like owning your own home rather than renting it. The same applies here; if you use Delta Chat, you don’t need to worry about it going away in the future. Whether it is Telegram, WhatsApp, or Messenger, you are required to register a username and password to use these services. A major flaw in this design is that anyone can try various passwords and potentially break into your account with your complete chat history intact. Sure, there is encryption in Messenger, where you need a second PIN and two-factor authentication in Telegram, but breaches happen all the time. Unlike before, when you used to sign in to your email account to send and receive messages, the primary way to do it now is to create an account on a chatmail relay. The resulting email address is a random string followed by the name of the relay you pick. This means you can start and begin adding contacts Without a username and password, you either need to ensure you have a backup or at least one device running your Delta Chat profile. The primary way to log in on another device is to go to the settings and add a second device. Then, you’ll just scan a QR code with your new device, and it’ll log in to your account and sync all your chat history and contacts. To end users, Delta Chat just looks like any instant messenger; however, it is really sending your messages as encrypted emails to your contact. This is pretty cool from a censorship perspective, as it makes the service more difficult to block. Previously, the main way to use the app was by logging in with email, but nowadays, it’s recommended that you use chatmail relays. Chatmail relays temporarily hold messages in case your device is offline. They are cheap, simple servers that don’t store data as group states. Other information, like your name and avatar, only exists on your device and the devices of those you share your contact information with. The relays are also decentralized and operated by various groups and individuals. It is even possible to set up your own chatmail relay, but most people will want to use one hosted elsewhere. To keep your messages secure, Delta Chat uses a secure subset of the OpenPGP standard that gives you automatic end-to-end encryption. It also uses Secure-Join to exchange encryption setup information through QR-code scanning or invite links. Autocrypt is also used to automatically establish end-to-end encryption between contacts and all members of group chat, but sometime this year Autocrypt v2 will be rolled out, bringing post-quantum resistant encryption and forward secrecy. The Delta Chat FAQ is an interesting read that explains many more details about the app. Credit: Pexels Delta Chat is unique among messaging apps because it is built on email, a technology that’s decades old and isn’t going anywhere soon. What’s more is that email is not centralized either, so it’s far more difficult for any authoritarian regime to disrupt the Delta Chat app. I haven’t spoken too much about features yet, so I will do that now. Delta Chat allows you to do one-on-one chats, group chats, and create channels. It also supports file sharing and making audio and video calls when chatting one-to-one, but it’s not available for group chats right now. At the time of writing, the calling functionality is disabled and can be enabled in Settings > Advanced > Debug Calls. I have used the video calling feature, and the quality is excellent. It works over WebRTC, another open standard. The app also lets you send voice notes, enables disappearing messages, and has its own app ecosystem. I did try playing chess one time there, but it was a bit spotty; though, we did manage to complete the game with a victory for me. To add people to Delta Chat, you can either give them your Delta Chat link or your QR code to scan. These are the only ways to add users, so you won't have any spam bots bothering you. If the people you want to chat with don't have the app yet, just send them your link, and it will take them to a webpage where they can install the app and then add you. It's really quick for them to install it and get started, which is nice. Credit: Microsoft. The Majorana 2 quantum chip unveiled in 2026. I do not think quantum computers are too far out now, and I do hope that Delta Chat is able to push out Autocrypt v2 sooner, rather than later, so bad actors do not attempt to collect encrypted communications and then decrypt them in the future using quantum computers. By getting people’s messages post-quantum-safe now, users won’t have to worry when quantum computers start cracking legacy encryption. Overall, I would recommend this app to people who are already past WhatsApp and Messenger and have perhaps begun using apps like Telegram or Session. It shares a lot of characteristics with these apps and goes a lot further than Telegram in terms of security. By being based on email, it is also resistant to censorship, and the lack of a username and password makes you anonymous (if you want to be) and safe from brute force password cracking attempts. Let me know in the comments if you’ve tried Delta Chat recently. Do you think it's a good bulwark against governments that are tightening their grip on the internet?
    • Putin was behind Farage/Brexit and behind Trump/MAGA. Different idiot lying beasts, same fascist master. Same screwed up results for both nations.
  • Recent Achievements

    • One Year In
      bernmeister earned a badge
      One Year In
    • Week One Done
      Scoobystu earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Week One Done
      tuben earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • First Post
      OffsetAbs earned a badge
      First Post
    • Reacting Well
      OffsetAbs earned a badge
      Reacting Well
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      464
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      217
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      154
    4. 4
      Steven P.
      73
    5. 5
      FloatingFatMan
      71
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!