Early look at Windows 8 baffles consumers

[OilersFan]

I've been using Windows 8 on my notebook for a month and on my desktop for about 2 weeks. Still don't like it at all...

I really don't understand why Microsoft can't provide the classic start menu. I find it quite disorientating when I am watching a video or working on a spreadsheet and I want to launch another program, I hit the windows key on my keyboard and it just takes over your whole computer where as before I could continue watching a video, or reading a document as I brought up the start menu to launch another program. I really don't know why they are trying to kill multi-tasking on a desktop...

At least give us a registry or gpo setting for the corporate environment, as the way it stands now no large scale corporation will be using it. I definitely will be recommending at work to skip this version.

[DeadEndAccount]

Android, Debian, MINIX and Ubuntu are based on the same kernel. Would you consider them the same operating systems?

Those 4 above can be installed on at least two CPU architectures

AFAIK, WP8 supports only ARM while Windows 8 supports ARM, x86, and x86-64. Nothing else.

If you're going to correct someone please ensure that you actually have your facts correct - MINIX is based on MINIX; MINIX is a micro-kernel operating system written by Andrew S. Tanenbaum to teach students.

[Fourjays Veteran]

Then where are the killer apps? If Windows 7 is so great for today's computing, why isn't it working on other hardware? Why can I not load Windows 7, and have access to the same apps iOS, and Android has? If Windows is still be actively developed for, where are the Facebook, Twitter, LinkdIn apps? Where are the games people craze over? Where are the "cool, you have to see this!" apps? Where's the Store where I can upload my app so that everyone can see it? Like it or not, you're living in an app world. Windows 7 has none of these apps to speak of.

Oh boy... You're seriously arguing that Windows 7 needs to change because isn't like iOS and Android?! Why? Because everything can be done on a tablet or smartphone? How do you think they developed Windows?

Windows doesn't need "killer apps". It doesn't even need "apps". It is a desktop/laptop operating system - one that has become successful based on the fact that it can be used for productive work in just about any field going, with little to no compromise. Whether you be a web developer, a scientist, a student, a school teacher, etc... Windows can do what you need and always has. It isn't perfect by any means but on the whole it does its job. Hence why it is so successful. "Killer apps", "games to craze over" and social networking sites are faaaaaaaaaarr down the list of priorities for people who depend on Windows for their productivity. Actually, they aren't even necessary as most would just use their phone or the website.

This is where you are failing to understand why some people just won't get on with it. As a web developer, I don't care for "apps" when I work, least of all ones for social networking. Nor would most in the situations that they'd use Windows.

Now if you want to argue that Microsoft needed to get itself into the tablet market, I'd agree. Tablets do have their uses beyond social networking and fart apps and have already proved themselves extremely useful in several fields (for example, a friend who works in hospital IT support says they are invaluable to doctors). You could also argue that Windows needed to improve for desktop users as well, and I'd also agree. I even get that Microsoft is trying to shed the dead weight that remains in Windows from early in its life.

What I'd disagree on is the method. I get that they wanted to make the experience unified and easier to use, but I believe they could have done that in a far superior way. Maybe the concept will come together more in Windows 9 (or maybe Windows 8 depending on Microsoft's update plans), but at the moment it just looks like a backwards, poorly thought out mess full of too many compromises.

[Dot Matrix]

Oh boy... You're seriously arguing that Windows 7 needs to change because isn't like iOS and Android?! Why? Because everything can be done on a tablet or smartphone? How do you think they developed Windows?

Windows doesn't need "killer apps". It doesn't even need "apps". It is a desktop/laptop operating system - one that has become successful based on the fact that it can be used for productive work in just about any field going, with little to no compromise. Whether you be a web developer, a scientist, a student, a school teacher, etc... Windows can do what you need and always has. It isn't perfect by any means but on the whole it does its job. Hence why it is so successful. "Killer apps", "games to craze over" and social networking sites are faaaaaaaaaarr down the list of priorities for people who depend on Windows for their productivity. Actually, they aren't even necessary as most would just use their phone or the website.

This is where you are failing to understand why some people just won't get on with it. As a web developer, I don't care for "apps" when I work, least of all ones for social networking. Nor would most in the situations that they'd use Windows.

I'm not talking about the business end of things. I know developers don't want fluff. But consumers do. They're buying up consumer devices by the droves. Something that Windows doesn't run on. Consumers want those apps. If you don't have them, your platform is nothing. It's why we've seen other tablets fail. It didn't have the ecosystem. Windows has *a* ecosystem, but one that should Microsoft stayed the same, would have eventually died out.

Ok, now let's talk business, tablets are taking over there too. Schools are buying them up. All these devices. Not running Windows. That's not music to Microsoft's ears. That's developers abandoning ship. Being able to run AutoCAD or ancient vertical software isn't a total saving grace. Microsoft needs to react, quickly, if they are able to remain relevant. Windows 8 is that. Not only can I run Windows on a tablet now, but I can also install that same OS to my desktop. One OS to rule them all.

[xWhiplash]

I'm not talking about the business end of things. I know developers don't want fluff. But consumers do. They're buying up consumer devices by the droves. Something that Windows doesn't run on. Consumers want those apps. If you don't have them, your platform is nothing. It's why we've seen other tablets fail. It didn't have the ecosystem. Windows has *a* ecosystem, but one that should Microsoft stayed the same, would have eventually died out.

Ok, now let's talk business, tablets are taking over there too. Schools are buying them up. All these devices. Not running Windows. That's not music to Microsoft's ears. That's developers abandoning ship. Being able to run AutoCAD or ancient vertical software isn't a total saving grace. Microsoft needs to react, quickly, if they are able to remain relevant. Windows 8 is that. Not only can I run Windows on a tablet now, but I can also install that same OS to my desktop. One OS to rule them all.

......Again, you seem to be missing the point. Let's take doctor's offices as what the tablets are used for. Probably you are getting a tablet for patient schedule and records. Or you are using it on the go. It is for a specialized task. They still have their office and desktop computer, but they take their tablet with them to the patient's room or whatever.

They want those apps on their phone or tablet. Not their desktop OS. You would prefer $1.99 games like Angry Birds over $60 fully featured games? These small apps offer nothing to desktop users. A twitter/facebook app? Why? There is a website for that which has a much better layout and functionality.

Hundreds of image manipulation programs that turns your eyes into demon eyes? These are useful on a phone because you can take a picture and immediately have some fun with it.

What apps from iOS and Android are needed on the desktop environment? Everything in the app store, the desktop has better versions of. The adobe creative suite, apples video and audio production software, fully featured and top of the line video games, document creation and other office-like suites

Windows has *a* ecosystem, but one that should Microsoft stayed the same, would have eventually died out.

Again Why? If they kept windows the same style (but improved the desktop experience of course), and released a separate OS for phone and tablets, you are saying it would die out? Explain why please. The way that desktop operating systems are now (Most Linux distros, Windows 7 and OS X Mountain Lion) is where you can be as productive as you want. So what if we have nothing else to add to the OS other than under-the-hood changes at this point. People (and businesses) would still upgrade when it is time for them to upgrade.

There comes a time when ANY software has matured so much, you cannot really add anything to it. You can add new versions to have under-the-hood changes like speed and stability. Maybe one or two new features. This is NOT a bad thing.

[NightScreams]

It's not like I don't know those things are possible and I'll probably use them in the future (if my laptop ever gets updated drivers). It's the fact that I have to that pretty much means there is something wrong with Microsoft's design. I shouldn't have to do those things. It should either just work or be possible to make it work using built-in options.

I shouldn't have to slam on the brakes just because some douchebag cut me off while driving, but that's life, there are many, many things you shouldn't have to do. MS could probably use those exact words to mention all the things they shouldn't have to do too, like support legacy..etc.

[Fourjays Veteran]

I'm not talking about the business end of things. I know developers don't want fluff. But consumers do. They're buying up consumer devices by the droves. Something that Windows doesn't run on. Consumers want those apps. If you don't have them, your platform is nothing. It's why we've seen other tablets fail. It didn't have the ecosystem. Windows has *a* ecosystem, but one that should Microsoft stayed the same, would have eventually died out.

Ok, now let's talk business, tablets are taking over there too. Schools are buying them up. All these devices. Not running Windows. That's not music to Microsoft's ears. That's developers abandoning ship. Being able to run AutoCAD or ancient vertical software isn't a total saving grace. Microsoft needs to react, quickly, if they are able to remain relevant. Windows 8 is that.

As I said, I agree they needed to get into the tablet market. But you said nobody is developing for Windows, which simply isn't true.

Not only can I run Windows on a tablet now, but I can also install that same OS to my desktop. One OS to rule them all.

In my experience, one size fits all approaches rarely work. So far Windows 8 proves this with things like the hot corners and the mixed UI paradigms. I can only hope Windows 9 brings things together a bit better for productive users like myself rather than social network users.

They really should have approached it like responsive web design - "morph" the OS according to the device. Could actually work very well with the Surface (behaves like a tablet by default, open it up with the keyboard and it switches things for desktop use).

[BoredBozirini]

Like I said, dead on arrival. Windows 8 will not take off. We might as well call it Windows Vista 2.

[ahhell]

Like I said, dead on arrival. Windows 8 will not take off. We might as well call it Windows Vista 2.

We'll be sure to quote you on this when MS sells 100's of millions of copies.

Even Vista was on 400 million machines. :rolleyes: Yep. What a failure.

[MikeChipshop Member]

OP is a terrible waste of time reading and makes little sense.

Like I said, dead on arrival. Windows 8 will not take off. We might as well call it Windows Vista 2.

There's not enough yawn emoticons in the world to reply to this drivel.

[techbeck]

thats not including all the autoexec.bat and config.sys editing just to get the game to run. Then having to switch 5.25 floppys mid game

Fond memories of "copy con"