Systems Administrator Reacts to Windows 8


Recommended Posts

imma wait till late feb and fire it up in vmware again.... can't wait.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Like they say "For Some people it's a job for others it's a passion." Some people when they leave their job the last thing on their mind is computers. Others live it even when they get home.

I wouldn't be surprised if my competition even knew what windows 8 was. When Windows 7 was in the RC stage I went to his office to just talk to a tech in person, kind of chit chat. So I brought up the subject of "Windows 7" He looked at me with a "Just tasted pigs **** " look on his face and said' it's just vista. That was about as far as the conversation got.

I also remember a time I went into his office and he was messing with a Vista machine. It was acting weird. I asked him if it had the latest service pack. So he goes to the system properties. He says it's all up to date. ... I said.. umm... I don't see "Service pack 1" in the name. He said.. well I did all the updates for it. So then he decides to install service pack 1.

So he "Double clicks" internet explorer and goes to MSN.com. Then does a search for "Vista Service pack 1"

My first thought was ....."He doesn't have a copy of Service pack 1 just laying around?

IMHO if you're hiring someone who has no passion for what they do then quite frankly you deserve all the issues that come with the territory. Sorry but people like the above scenario remind me of a person who are virtually at a 'racers start' at the end of the day just waiting to make a quick dash for the exit at the end of the day - the kind of people I want are those who go the extra mile, as passionate about their job and what they do in their job because quite frankly I would never have hired the above person (in the scenario given) if I was in charge. Reminds me when I was an admin at at school I was doing part time and the kids were amazed that I was the first admin that knew more than them - showing them how to transcode videos using VLC that the previous admin knew nothing about for starters.

The video was uploaded a few days after the DP was released.

And that's exactly what I thought when I first ran it virtually. In that form, it's made for tablets. I don't see a use for desktops. I'm hoping that will change, but if not, no big loss. Win7 is still pretty nice. And working at a public school, we're always a little further behind in upgrading than most, but that's because of economics.

That shoudn't be the case if your school has an education contract with Microsoft which automatically gives you the latest version - very similar to the old Microsoft government select scheme.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That shoudn't be the case if your school has an education contract with Microsoft which automatically gives you the latest version - very similar to the old Microsoft government select scheme.

You have to have the hardware to run the software. And we have no upgrade cycle. Even with EES pricing, we would pay. Just last year, we finally replaced machines that were 10-11 years old. We now get donated machines were possible. They are generally 2.8Ghz P4 with 1GB of RAM. It will run Win7, but not well.

As for the EES, if we purchased Office 2010 outright with Win7, it would run us about $20,000. With EES, we would spend about $3000 per year. Remember the 10 year-old computers? That would be $30,000 over that time period. I also don't like "subscription" based licensing. You ALWAYS end up paying more. If you don't pay, you don't have a license. We are a small school district with 230 kids, but we have a lot of other technology available including smartboards and such. Bulbs for projectors are $300/ea.. We also require several subscriptions for online learning, etc..

Feel free to donate some money or software.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

lol their reactions were the same as when I showed my boss and one of the other software devs where I work the DP. They played around with it, and like myself hated the derp a durr start screen. Just because you don't like touching squares and want a real desktop doesn't make you a poor it person. Im still holding onto hope I can get rid of metro, tiles, blocky graphics, and have it look like W7 just with the underlying W8 updates.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Exactly the same reaction as me! The metro UI makes no sense on a keyboard and mouse system. It's very focussed on touch which is nice but I wouldn't want to see it everyday.

I'm sorry, but that's utter nonsense. How is clicking on a square tile to launch an app any different to clicking on an icon on the desktop? Or how is clicking on a menu option in a metro app any different to clicking on the menus in a classic app? In fact, the metro design language probably makes it easier as these elements (tiles+menus) are slightly larger, making them easier to click on.

This is a silly silly comment.

Actually not so much. It's a fairly widely accepted generalisation that the older you get, the more set in your ways you become, and the less accepting you are of change. There are exceptions of course, as with any generalisation.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm sorry, but that's utter nonsense. How is clicking on a square tile to launch an app any different to clicking on an icon on the desktop?

Because if you actually want to be efficient, a square wastes far more real estate than an fracken icon!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Because if you actually want to be efficient, a square wastes far more real estate than an fracken icon!

Yeah, because everybody has an aneurysm over the size of their icons. Very few people care how much space their icons take up, I mean how long do you spend a day just staring at your icons? It's all about the apps, I only ever see my icons for a few seconds between apps or when my computer is idle.

Anyhow, I prefer to think of the Start Screen as a kind of dashboard/launchpad rather than a desktop or start menu. Live tiles showing me my unread mail, messages, facebook status updates etc, and tiles to launch my apps.

I really can't wait until the majority of the stuff I use becomes metro aware, and I can snap it around the screen, share data with the sharing charms and perform a unified search across everything on my system including all my apps. I'm also fully aware that there will always be apps for which metro is not suited, and that is why the classic desktop is there. Things like Photoshop, or web development tools for example. But so long as the transition between metro and classic apps is smooth (and from what I've seen so far, it is), that's fine by me.

But no, Win 8 Metro has absolutely nothing to offer, does it :rolleyes:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, because everybody has an aneurysm over the size of their icons. Very few people care how much space their icons take up, I mean how long do you spend a day just staring at your icons? It's all about the apps, I only ever see my icons for a few seconds between apps.

Anyhow, I prefer to think of the Start Screen as a kind of dashboard/launchpad rather than a desktop or start menu. Live tiles showing me my unread mail, messages, facebook status updates etc, and tiles to launch my apps.

I really can't wait until the majority of the stuff I use becomes metro aware, and I can snap it around the screen, share data with the sharing charms and perform a unified search across everything on my system including all my apps.

But no, it has absolutely nothing to offer, does it :rolleyes:

If I want to launch an application from an icon I don't want to have the entire fracking screen filled with tiles just to open one application. I might be special but I like to be efficient. For instance, a bunch of the applications I use a lot of I use with a program called folder menu.

80484819.jpg

when ever I center click on my desktop I get a list of folders one of which is programs.so I can choose the program I want to open. For applications I use all the time like word, I do a windows key + R and type winword and press enter. To think that when I click start I would get a screen full of HUGE worthless space consuming tiles, makes cringe.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

when ever I center click on my desktop I get a list of folders one of which is programs.so I can choose the program I want to open.

Not even Windows 7 does that natively. You're needs seem very specific and no version of Windows is ever going to suit you.

For applications I use all the time like word, I do a windows key + R and type winword and press enter. To think that when I click start I would get a screen full of HUGE worthless space consuming tiles, makes cringe.

To do that is actually one less keystroke in Win 8. Windows Key and type winword (or any part of the name of the program), press enter (programs is the default option for search on the start screen IIRC). Application then launches and you're at the classic desktop (or still in Metro if the app is metro aware). The start screen dashboard is only there for a split second. Get over it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

warwagon, not that i agree or disagree with you but you have to think, one persons definition of efficient may different than someone elses

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, because everybody has an aneurysm over the size of their icons. Very few people care how much space their icons take up, I mean how long do you spend a day just staring at your icons? It's all about the apps, I only ever see my icons for a few seconds between apps or when my computer is idle.

After I do an install the first thing I do is resize my icons. I also re-order my icons quite a bit, get them setup nice. So there are people out there that do it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

After I do an install the first thing I do is resize my icons. I also re-order my icons quite a bit, get them setup nice. So there are people out there that do it.

Ya win7 large icons are stupid big

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh sorry hitler, I didn't relise having an opinion made you a dumbass, I'll remember that one...

Ho hai churchill, having a non-constructive opinon about an unfinished product makes you a dumbass, yes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

Disabling UAC is my number 1, I've got a antivirus to bother me already with popups :p

But disabling system restore O.o, why?

Because UAC and system restore are useless and a power drain in large cluster room environments and system admins (like this guy) have no use at all for them? It's easy to think you know everything while sitting at your one PC in your bedroom. But you don't. Many services and features of Windows 8 are all but useless to system admins. It''s the first OS that MS have ever built that ignores the needs of business users, in preference to home users. In this sense it's already a huge mistake.

The Metro UI is also completely useless and irrelevant to many large cluster business environments. Touch interfaces were never intended for use in productivity environments. Yet the default Windows 8 install requires some level of interaction with it and does not allow it to be disabled. Not by admins, not by anyone.

Admins can't buy into this strange Frankenstein OS, that doesn't know if it's a tablet OS, or a desktop OS and ends up doing neither very well.

Sorry for digging up an old thread. I stumbled on it via Google when looking to read other admins views of Windows 8.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nevermind. This is too old.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This topic is now closed to further replies.