Recommended Posts

I was being sarcastic, although there is some truth in it.

I just signed off on purchasing 500 Win 7 desktop workstations, where I work.

We are skipping Win 8 upgrade for the simple reason of inefficiency and loss of productivity.

I am glad that there are brave and curious souls out there that are willing to work with anything new that's thrown at their plate.

Personally... actually by consensus, after using Win 8 for couple of months, we decided to stick with Win 7.

I work in the financial industry - R&D dept.

I hope they are good PCs. You probably just bought something that will have to last until they stop supporting it.

Windows 8 is different and makes you rethink some of the things you are used to, but calling it unproductive for professional use is just silly

Once you get used to it, it's just as productive as Win7

Microsoft needs to choose. Metro or desktop. Having those two paradigms at the same time doesn't work. and honestly it sucks when you have to fight against interface mechanisms intended for a touch screen when you only have a mouse or trackpad

one of the things that drives me nuts about Windows 8 more than the lack of a start button is the lack of a "Computer" button. Yes, I know you can click the explore button and then click "computer" on the left, or you can right click the "Hidden" start button and choose computer, or you can just click start and search for it. I still miss an actual physical "Computer button"

The fact that you can search for it, but can only pin it to the start menu is retarded.

That's not some new Windows 8 problem though is it? Windows 7 doesn't have a "Computer" button either, if I recall correctly.

That's not some new Windows 8 problem though is it? Windows 7 doesn't have a "Computer" button either, if I recall correctly.

It does, on the start menu. You can view it as a menu or link. Not the end of the world but for people who used the Start menu this way, they will find some of Windows 8 less efficient.

Microsoft needs to choose. Metro or desktop. Having those two paradigms at the same time doesn't work. and honestly it sucks when you have to fight against interface mechanisms intended for a touch screen when you only have a mouse or trackpad

Well if you think desktop / metro is bad, just imagine straight metro on the desktop.

If the desktop really is a dying breed, then let it die with some dignity.

Win8 is a whole different story and far more efficient and productive to use than 7 thanks to Metro.

"far more efficient and productive"? That depends on the user and the tasks at hand. I boot directly into the desktop, as I have no need for a tablet interface on a laptop. I'm as big of a fan of Microsoft as anyone, but the way they did Windows 8 is just so discombobulated. They should have never gone the hybrid route, imho. But whatever, my $.02. I'll stick with it. This will be my last laptop anyway.

To people saying they shouldn't bring the start button back...

At first I thought it was dumb that MS got rid of it, then looking at screenshots, I thought it looked stupid not being there.

After trying Win 8, it's absolutely retarded that it's gone, seeing is that to bring up the Start Panel, you move the mouse cursor down to the lower left corner, then a little box pops up and you click on it to go to Start Panel. Now how much sense does that make?!? Would have been faster to just have the Start Button there and click it to still bring up that Start Panel.

I think people that do like Win 8 like the Start Panel, and I ain't saying it's bad, but what does removing the actual Start Button have to do with it, when you gotta click down there anyways? Think about it. Der.

So in summary of this topic: "Windows 9 in development, almost exactly like Windows 8"

...yay?

That pretty much sums it up. :laugh:

To people saying they shouldn't bring the start button back...

At first I thought it was dumb that MS got rid of it, then looking at screenshots, I thought it looked stupid not being there.

After trying Win 8, it's absolutely retarded that it's gone, seeing is that to bring up the Start Panel, you move the mouse cursor down to the lower left corner, then a little box pops up and you click on it to go to Start Panel. Now how much sense does that make?!? Would have been faster to just have the Start Button there and click it to still bring up that Start Panel.

I think people that do like Win 8 like the Start Panel, and I ain't saying it's bad, but what does removing the actual Start Button have to do with it, when you gotta click down there anyways? Think about it. Der.

The start screen doesn't make any sense for me, I don't need a tablet interface on my computer. But as I said earlier, I think Microsoft should stick to their original plan, given the number of start menu replacements out there for me to use.

Demanding that they don't put back a feature that a lot of people clearly want judging by the sales of start menu replacements just to satisfy you, who is the clueless one here?

for sure. the couple thousand at most third party start menus == 40+ million windows 8 activations. How dumb of me

We are skipping Win 8 upgrade for the simple reason of inefficiency and loss of productivity.

How are you losing efficiency and productivity ? when the start screen opens just as fast if not faster, offers faster locate and click, allows MORE organized pinned favorite apps than the largest disorganized list of pinned start menu apps on 7. allows you to organize the pinned apps as you see fit, increasing organization and efficiency.

In no way does 8 reduce efficiency and certainly not productivity. for the majority of users it will increase efficiency.

For pretty much EVERYONE it will have little practical effect as most people at work have 1 - 3 apps open depending on the job they do. So the launcher being better has absolutely NO practical effect on their efficiency or productivity at all.

To people saying they shouldn't bring the start button back...

At first I thought it was dumb that MS got rid of it, then looking at screenshots, I thought it looked stupid not being there.

After trying Win 8, it's absolutely retarded that it's gone, seeing is that to bring up the Start Panel, you move the mouse cursor down to the lower left corner, then a little box pops up and you click on it to go to Start Panel. Now how much sense does that make?!? Would have been faster to just have the Start Button there and click it to still bring up that Start Panel.

I think people that do like Win 8 like the Start Panel, and I ain't saying it's bad, but what does removing the actual Start Button have to do with it, when you gotta click down there anyways? Think about it. Der.

Actually the removal of the start button makes perfect sense if you look past the desktop.

for the desktop, it's still there in the corner. and because of the metro apps, the pop out button needs to be there since you need a way to call the start button when in full screen metro apps. this allows you to have full screen apps and quick access to start without the taskbar taking up a significant part of the bottom of your screen and disrupting the metro experience.

So if they had kept the button, you would have had to buttons on top of each other. and as I said, it's not gone anyway, just hidden.

The start screen doesn't make any sense for me, I don't need a tablet interface on my computer. But as I said earlier, I think Microsoft should stick to their original plan, given the number of start menu replacements out there for me to use.

But it's not a tablet interface, and in fact it works in general better with a mouse and keyboard anyway.

I hope they are good PCs. You probably just bought something that will have to last until they stop supporting it.

Microsoft needs to choose. Metro or desktop. Having those two paradigms at the same time doesn't work. and honestly it sucks when you have to fight against interface mechanisms intended for a touch screen when you only have a mouse or trackpad

I've been using Win8 for almost a year now without any form of touch and I really have no issues moving around.

  • Like 1

Google translate does a decent job for anyone who wants to read it.

I read it, could it be true? I mean they would really have a windows 9 started already!? win8 is just out.

Someone said in a later post "He is a Microsoft official. . ." Regarding to the OP I think

Of course. How soon after Windows 7 went RTM did Windows 8/Windows Server 2012 development kick off?

Also, Windows 9 will likely be a *tick* (to Windows 8's *tock*) - just as 7 was a *tick* to Vista's *tock*.

It does, on the start menu. You can view it as a menu or link. Not the end of the world but for people who used the Start menu this way, they will find some of Windows 8 less efficient.

That's right. I thought he meant a button on the taskbar.

To people saying they shouldn't bring the start button back...

At first I thought it was dumb that MS got rid of it, then looking at screenshots, I thought it looked stupid not being there.

After trying Win 8, it's absolutely retarded that it's gone, seeing is that to bring up the Start Panel, you move the mouse cursor down to the lower left corner, then a little box pops up and you click on it to go to Start Panel. Now how much sense does that make?!? Would have been faster to just have the Start Button there and click it to still bring up that Start Panel.

I think people that do like Win 8 like the Start Panel, and I ain't saying it's bad, but what does removing the actual Start Button have to do with it, when you gotta click down there anyways? Think about it. Der.

The start screen preview window isn't supposed to be clicked. The user actually uses the thing in the same way as start button: Move the mouse to the bottom left corner, and click. The image itself isn't really supposed to be a click target, evidenced by how the preview disappears the moment the mouse moves more than a few pixels away from the corner.

Actually I wasn't aware anyone actually regularly put in the effort to stop on the actual image of the button, and then clicked that. I always relied on the corner itself. That's a lot easier.

As for removing the button, I guess it gives more room for one more pinned icon...?

Demanding that they don't put back a feature that a lot of people clearly want judging by the sales of start menu replacements just to satisfy you, who is the clueless one here?

Start Button is still there, move mouse to bottom left corner, left click.. same as it always was.

Of course. How soon after Windows 7 went RTM did Windows 8/Windows Server 2012 development kick off?

Also, Windows 9 will likely be a *tick* (to Windows 8's *tock*) - just as 7 was a *tick* to Vista's *tock*.

Windows 8 was in developement quote some time before Win7 was finished in fact.

Start Button is still there, move mouse to bottom left corner, left click.. same as it always was.

not really. it's been replaced with a hot corner.. a purely 'touch' concept..

and also you're missing the fact that it's not the button that we're missing. It's the damn menu that goes with it. It's the fact that the start screen takes up your whole desktop.

not really. it's been replaced with a hot corner.. a purely 'touch' concept..

and also you're missing the fact that it's not the button that we're missing. It's the damn menu that goes with it. It's the fact that the start screen takes up your whole desktop.

u

mm actually, the hot corner is PURELY a mouse concept. the hot corner doesn't work at all with touch, only the side bar slide ins work on touch.

and OMG, a faster, more organized more efficient launcher that you see a handful of times a day takes up your whole screen :rolleyes:

u

mm actually, the hot corner is PURELY a mouse concept. the hot corner doesn't work at all with touch, only the side bar slide ins work on touch.

and OMG, a faster, more organized more efficient launcher that you see a handful of times a day takes up your whole screen :rolleyes:

why would you explain something to people that obviously have no clue. You can tell by reading the stuff they put that they don't know how something works. Its the generic W8 comments that you see in all forums just copy and pasted by someone else. Go on facebook and go to the Microsoft and windows page, you see it in the comments to everything there as well. Ignorance is easier then experimentation.

I would like to see some changes to the colour palettes used for both Modern UI and especially the Desktop as no matter how hard I try, it still looks a bit like pastel hell.

Other than that, I like where they are going with things. I would imaging that at this stage they are just starting to build things on top of a Windows 8 fork, just as they did for Windows 7.

damage control ?

failure ?

Okay, PANICKED damage control and MASSIVE failure. No need to get so pickayune about it. :)

why would you explain something to people that obviously have no clue. You can tell by reading the stuff they put that they don't know how something works. Its the generic W8 comments that you see in all forums just copy and pasted by someone else. Go on facebook and go to the Microsoft and windows page, you see it in the comments to everything there as well. Ignorance is easier then experimentation.

And kneejerk responses like yours are easier than actually trying to address the specific points being raised. Saying "Deal with it" and (my personal favorite from the Metrotard camp) "You're being left behind" doesn't say anything of substance at all.

Okay, PANICKED damage control and MASSIVE failure. No need to get so pickayune about it. :)

Damage control for what ?

and what failure. there is no failure. Windows 8 is selling well and everyone I've shown it to novice or advanced users takes to it immediately and once I show them how it works no one picks 7 over 8, even if they come in with their minds set on 7 because the media told them 8 is horrible.

I wish I could fail the way MS does if you think this is a failure.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Posts

    • Can you give an example of when you would want to use Rufus over the other or vice versa? Just wondering which is the "best".
    • Oh no...the wallet is already screaming. So many games and so little time. Being old and responsible is awful!
    • LibreWolf 152.0.2-1 by Razvan Serea LibreWolf is an independent “fork” of Firefox, with the primary goals of privacy security and user freedom. It is the community run successor to LibreFox. LibreWolf is designed to increase protection against tracking and fingerprinting techniques, while also including a few security improvements. This is achieved through our privacy and security oriented settings and patches. LibreWolf also aims to remove all the telemetry, data collection and annoyances, as well as disabling anti-freedom features like DRM. LibreWolf features: Latest Firefox — LibreWolf is compiled directly from the latest build of Firefox Stable. You will have the the latest features, and security updates. Independent Build — LibreWolf uses a build independent of Firefox and has its own settings, profile folder and installation path. As a result, it can be installed alongside Firefox or any other browser. No phoning home — Embedded server links and other calling home functions are removed. In other words, minimal background connections by default. User settings updates Extensions firewall: limit internet access for extensions. Multi-platform (Windows/Linux/Mac/and soon Android) Community-Driven Dark theme (classic and advanced) LibreWolf privacy features: Delete cookies and website data on close. Include only privacy respecting search engines like DuckDuckGo and Searx. Include uBlockOrigin with custom default filter lists, and Tracking Protection in strict mode, to block trackers and ads. Strip tracking elements from URLs, both natively and through uBO. Enable dFPI, also known as Total Cookie Protection. Enable RFP which is part of the Tor Uplift project. RFP is considered the best in class anti-fingerprinting solution, and its goal is to make users look the same and cover as many metrics as possible, in an effort to block fingerprinting techniques. Always display user language as en-US to websites, in order to protect the language used in the browser and in the OS. Disable WebGL, as it is a strong fingerprinting vector. Prevent access to the location services of the OS, and use Mozilla's location API instead of Google's API. Limit ICE candidates generation to a single interface when sharing video or audio during a videoconference. Force DNS and WebRTC inside the proxy, when one is being used. Trim cross-origin referrers, so that they don't include the full URI. Disable link prefetching and speculative connections. Disable disk cache and clear temporary files on close. Disable form autofill. Disable search and form history...and more. Download: LibreWolf 64-bit | Portable 64-bit | ~100.0 MB (Open Source) Download: ARM64 | Portable ARM64 Links: LibreWolf Home Page | Addons | Screenshot | Reddit Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
    • Hands on with iFlyTek AINote 2 E-Ink tablet: insanely thin and smart by Taras Buria During Amazon Prime Day 2026, iFlyTek is offering its E-Ink tablets with big discounts. The AINOTE 2 is now available at 20% off, allowing you to save quite a lot on one of the thinnest E-Ink tablets out there. I was offered a chance to look at the device, so here are my impressions. The AINOTE 2 is a large 10.65-inch E-Ink tablet that strikes you the moment you take it out of the box. It is extremely thin. At just 4.2 mm, this tablet is at the edge of what is possible for a device with a USB Type-C port. It is also very light, which makes it comfortable and enjoyable during long reading sessions. The tablet has a gold metal chassis with the front and back made of plastic. The back also features four rubber feet that prevent it from sliding around your desk when writing. Besides a USB Type-C port and an LED indicator, there are two buttons mounted on the top edge: a power button with a built-in fingerprint scanner and a dedicated AI button. I would say the fingerprint scanner is quite mid. Given that iFlyTek positions the device as a digital notebook, it makes sense to have a biometric scanner to protect sensitive information. However, it is not the fastest fingerprint reader, and sometimes it fails to recognize my finger. I assume that is due to the tablet's insane thinness. A dedicated AI button is an interesting choice, especially in the middle of the top edge. I can see this button being useful for those who heavily rely on AI and use it frequently, but I cannot help but think its placement is impractical. Having it on one of the longer sides would make so much more sense. The AINOTE 2 is a very pretty device. Gold finish with thin chassis and nearly symmetrical front bezels create a fantastic combination, and iFlyTek cleverly hides the front chin with a section that looks like an extension of the screen, housing two touch-capacitive buttons: one for AI and one for quick notes. This section can also scroll pages when you swipe from the middle to the left or right. It is a cool idea, and very handy when you need to scroll tens of pages at once. AINOTE 2's elegant look extends from its exterior to its software. The user interface is very clean and not cluttered with an abundance of buttons. The tablet prioritizes the note-taking experience, and when you unlock it, it defaults to the list of all notes and folders. Additionally, there is a separate "Schedule" section with your calendar, tasks, memos, and other productivity features. You can connect your Outlook or Google account or use a local calendar. The tablet has quite a lot of AI features powered by OpenAI's GPT-5 and Google's Gemini 3. Besides a standard app with all your chats, you can invoke AI by pressing its dedicated button and dictating your request. It is not limited to just chats. It works with the built-in calendar, and you can tell it to create events, tasks, notes, and more. Additionally, AI features are integrated into the built-in notepad, allowing you to summarize notes, ask questions about your notes, and more. The tablet can OCR handwritten text in different languages (about 120 languages, which is very impressive), and it surprised me with very good accuracy. Voice note transcription is also available, including a "multiplayer" mode where the tablet detects each speaker. Unfortunately, the AINOTE 2 has no built-in speakers (even though it somehow makes a tapping noise when you flip pages using the Quick Bar), so the only way to listen to something is to connect a Bluetooth speaker or headphones. However, there are four front-facing mics for dictation, voice notes, AI chats, and more. Unfortunately, certain features require a Pro subscription that costs $5.99/mo or $59.99/year. Those include offline voice transcription, access to better AI models, the ability to edit notes on a PC or mobile app, and extended service coverage similar to Apple Care. It is a bummer to see yet another app, especially in a device that costs $649, but at least they give a free 90-day trial so that you can see if the benefits justify the price. As for the reader, it supports PDF, EPUB, TXT, MOBI, AZW3, DOC(X), XLS(X), PPT(X), JPEG, JPG, and PNG. The app is quite customizable, with features like text contrast/boldness/size adjustments, margins and spacing customization, and the ability to load custom fonts. Plus, you can annotate books with the stylus, add text notes, and use AI to work with them. Just keep in mind that most AI features require an active internet connection. Like with other E-Ink tablets with Android inside, you can load any other reader you want from the Google Play Store or a third-party source. Despite its hefty price tag of $629 or $519 by the time of publishing this article during Prime Day 2026, the AINOTE 2 has quite modest hardware inside. There is only 4 GB of RAM and about 42GB of storage. It is powered by the RockChip RK3576 processor with 8 cores at 2.2 GHz. Given that the tablet runs Android 14 and has Google Play, you can install Android apps, but do not expect much from this thing performance-wise. As for the battery, there is a 4,000 Li-Ion battery, which, on full charge, lasted me for about one week of active daily use of reading and note-taking. The screen has a resolution of 1920x2560 pixels, which equals 300 PPI, a perfect spot for a sharp, nice-to-read display. It supports EMR styluses that do not require charging, and I have to say that the note-taking experience on this tablet is fantastic. Stylus lag is nearly imperceivable, creating a very natural, paper-like feel. The stylus comes in the box (including two extra nibs), and it features an extra button for various actions and an eraser on top. It magnetically attaches to the tablet and stays safely secured. The stylus has a very nice coarse texture, and thanks to using Wacom tech, you can swap it for any other EMR pen if you wish. The AINOTE 2 has no front light, and because of that, the display sits very close to the screen surface, reducing the distance between the stylus tip/your finger and the display to a minimum. No front light is certainly an inconvenience in certain scenarios, but the screen makes up for that with a seriously impressive paper-like feel and writing experience. In dark conditions, you will have to find a lamp, but the good thing is that the screen has a solid anti-glare surface that diffuses light. The display has two modes: Crisp and Fast. Crisp ensures the image stays, well, crisp and sharp, while Fast speeds up refresh rate and response by toning down display resolution and making everything a bit more jagged. In my testing, I only used Fast mode when browsing the web for a much faster render time. The iFlyTek AINOTE is an impressive device, but it's not flawless. A few things disappointed me during a week of using it. Software localization has a bunch of not necessarily broken, but certainly awkward, machine-translated English. System navigation is not good, as there is no universal "Home" gesture. To go to the main page, you have to swipe up and then press the Home button from the multi-tasking window. There are many gestures for various actions, such as display cleanup, screenshot, undo/redo, but no back/forward or Home gestures. I really hate that the tablet won't let me update its software without creating an iFlyTek account first. Finally, privacy could be a concern for some, as most tablets' features require an active internet connection, an iFlyTek account, and sharing data when using AI. If you can overlook its quirks, some of which could be addressed with software updates (I received two with massive changelogs over a single week), and accept a $519 price tag (with a discount), you will be happy with the AINOTE 2. However, if you do not need that many AI features in an E-Ink reader or you want something a bit more affordable, you'd better look at cheaper competitors from BOOX or Amazon, such as the BOOX Go 10.3 Gen 2 or the Kindle Scribe, which is currently 24% off during Prime Day sales. Buy iFlyTek AINOTE 2 on Amazon - $519 | 20% off with Prime What I liked What I disliked Very impressive hardware Beautiful design Fantastic display with an EMR stylus Supports offline voice transcription Easy-to-use software Clever, useful, and well-made AI features A fingerprint scanner Very expensive Some features require a subscription Poor system navigation Mandates a user account No speakers Privacy could be a concern Note: iFlyTek provided the review unit without any editorial input or review guidance. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
    • Look up "greed". If you are willing to buy that it's only inflation, I've got a bridge to sell you.
  • Recent Achievements

    • First Post
      kinowa earned a badge
      First Post
    • Rookie
      krychek57 went up a rank
      Rookie
    • Grand Master
      Jaybonaut went up a rank
      Grand Master
    • One Year In
      Philsl earned a badge
      One Year In
    • Dedicated
      Scoobystu earned a badge
      Dedicated
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      416
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      168
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      132
    4. 4
      Xenon
      73
    5. 5
      Michael Scrip
      73
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!