official Windows 8 Consumer Preview Discussion

[PGHammer]

How did you manage to get messages from the Message App from your facebook people?

I can only see the people online that I have in messenger

My Live ID (a passport.com account) is linked to WLM, Yahoo and Facebook - the link is of long standing, and predates even Windows 7. Result - a massage on any of the three services triggers an alert.

I have little overlap between the three services (and I still use separate clients for all three - I have added Facebook Messenger since installing the Connsumer Preview). I just have One Alerter to Warn From All...(and I'm not Sauron, so no sending Frodo after me).

How did you manage to get messages from the Message App from your facebook people?

I can only see the people online that I have in messenger

My Live ID (a passport.com account) is linked to WLM, Yahoo and Facebook - the link is of long standing, and predates even Windows 7. Result - a massage on any of the three services triggers an alert.

I have little overlap between the three services (and I still use separate clients for all three - I have added Facebook Messenger since installing the Connsumer Preview). I just have One Alerter to Warn From All...(and I'm not Sauron, so no sending Frodo after me).

[PGHammer]

But not everything is going Metro.

MS has stated they do not want to get rid of the Desktop.

For what you do, you can still use the desktop and have more than 2 apps open at the same time

So everything you used to do you still can now

Exactly. I have nine different applications currently running *and* resident - none of which are Metro/WinRT.

Desktop IE10 (three browser tabs)

Windows Explorer

uTorrent

Facebook Messenger

Skype

Yahoo Messenger

Origin

Kindle Desktop e-reader (pre-WCP version)

Mozilla Firefox (issues with one specific Facebook-based game - and it's not Farmville).

Same way I did things n Windows 7. Same hardware and applications. Change from Windows 7 - none.

[lightstar]

In its present state the Windows 8 Metro UI is useless to a desktop user. Great for tablets and cellphones, bad for a productivity desktop. I'll pass, hopefully they will improve it, but I am not holding my breath.

[Stoffel]

My Live ID (a passport.com account) is linked to WLM, Yahoo and Facebook - the link is of long standing, and predates even Windows 7. Result - a massage on any of the three services triggers an alert.

I have little overlap between the three services (and I still use separate clients for all three - I have added Facebook Messenger since installing the Connsumer Preview). I just have One Alerter to Warn From All...(and I'm not Sauron, so no sending Frodo after me).

My Live ID (a passport.com account) is linked to WLM, Yahoo and Facebook - the link is of long standing, and predates even Windows 7. Result - a massage on any of the three services triggers an alert.

I have little overlap between the three services (and I still use separate clients for all three - I have added Facebook Messenger since installing the Connsumer Preview). I just have One Alerter to Warn From All...(and I'm not Sauron, so no sending Frodo after me).

See, I've connected my Facebook account to my Live ID, it worked just fine in Win7

But in Win8 I only get the option to select people who are connected to my live id. Once and a while I can select a contact from Facebook.

Although it says on the bottom of the screen it's connected to Live and FB

I guess it's a bug

[PGHammer]

Also, here's a little something that may or may not have been mentioned in these 48 pages. Once you drag your mouse to the lower left and the Start "button" appears, right click and this will give you a Jump List with a number of items.

This is for all you Power Users out there. List is as follows:

Programs and Features

Network Connections

Power Options

Event Viewer

System

Device Manager

Disk Management

Computer Management

Command Prompt

Command Prompt (Admin)

------------------------------------

Task Manager

Control Panel

Windows Explorer

Search

Run

Desktop

Now to me, this Start Jump List along with the functionality of the Start Screen, is far superior to what any previous version of Windows has offered from a UI and accessibility standpoint.

If this hasn't come up, perhaps an admin can sticky this.

It has come up - I refer to it as QuickTask.

It's the same functionality that appeared when right-clicking the Windows 7 or Vista Start button or Start menu - and some functionality that both lacked. I'm expecting support for PowerShell to appear there at some point (PowerShell is included with Windows 8 Server CP, but not the Windows 8 Client CP - despite being compatible with both, and any version of Windows - client or server - back to XP)

[Wyn6]

A better default Start Screen Microsoft should look into.

When we first installed Windows 8, we were greeted with this:

A discombobulated mess of Metro looking tiles, that makes any user shriek in terror. It's as if a clown threw up on our screens.

I feel as if people would be less afraid if the Start Screen resembled the old Start Menu, after all, there is no reason for the old icons NOT to be there, and in some sort of organization.

I made this hoping Microsoft can realize that not everyone wants Metro on their desktop and quite simply there is no reason for those "classic" icons not to be there. It makes the Start Screen less scary, and improves productivity ten fold, as I no longer have to waste my own time re-organizing the gross mess shown above. If Microsoft still wishes to have clown barf on our screens, they can at least stick it behind the "classic" icons.

Also, I feel as if Metro tiles would look a lot nicer if they had a unifying color scheme just like on WP7.

I assume you're being sarcastic?

[Salutary7]

A discombobulated mess of Metro looking tiles, that makes any user shriek in terror. It's as if a clown threw up on our screens.

[...]

Also, I feel as if Metro tiles would look a lot nicer if they had a unifying color scheme just like on WP7.

This is probably another reason Ballmer had in mind when stated that Win8 is risky. The visual styling is divisive. Some people will love it, some will hate it. For the latter group there's no alternative for the sake of a unified experience. The colors as well as sharp edges will put a bad taste in some people's mouths--just as not everyone feels good about de stijl. Obviously the UI can't satisfy *everyone*, yet it also seems like there are purposely no concessions for those who want to refine things to their tastes. It's still just a preview, but things unfortunately seem pretty locked in.

[Dot Matrix]

I assume you're being sarcastic?

Not at all. The default Start Screen.... sucks. I like the Metro, but there needs to be something there other than clown barf to ease users into it.

[fix-this!]

i uninstalled w8 within an hour of use. congrats to microsoft for totally screwing up the user experience and making it much worse. i hope w8 falls flat on it's rear. this crapware belongs no where near a desktop pc.

[Stoffel]

i uninstalled w8 within an hour of use. congrats to microsoft for totally screwing up the user experience and making it much worse. i hope w8 falls flat on it's rear. this crapware belongs no where near a desktop pc.

Well, at least you gave it a proper try /s

[fix-this!]

Well, at least you gave it a proper try /s

have you tried listening to an mp3 or viewing photos? i don't think ive ever swore soo much at my pc.

[Dot Matrix]

i uninstalled w8 within an hour of use. congrats to microsoft for totally screwing up the user experience and making it much worse. i hope w8 falls flat on it's rear. this crapware belongs no where near a desktop pc.

Congratulations for not really giving it a try!

[fix-this!]

Congratulations for not really giving it a try!

w8 is NOT a worthy upgrade from w7.

[Wyn6]

have you tried listening to an mp3 or viewing photos? i don't think ive ever swore soo much at my pc.

Hmm. I was running my music for a good two hours the other day and that was through the native music player (I also have Zune). In addition to that, I did some organization of my photos. Added some stuff from my phone and deleted some stuff from the computer. I didn't seem to have an issues.

[Anthonyd]

Don't bother with smooth3006, he's a famous troll on Neowin.

[Stoffel]

Don't bother with smooth3006, he's a famous troll on Neowin.

I really wish there could be just one thread here about Win8 where people who actually like Win 8 could come together and discuss it without having the usual Win8 haters joining in. But it seems impossible to do that

[Wyn6]

I really wish there could be just one thread here about Win8 where people who actually like Win 8 could come together and discuss it without having the usual Win8 haters joining in. But it seems impossible to do that

Stoffel, the Internet. The Internet, Stoffel. ;)

[Active.]

I really wish there could be just one thread here about Win8 where people who actually like Win 8 could come together and discuss it without having the usual Win8 haters joining in. But it seems impossible to do that

Why not just open a thread called something like 'In what ways has Windows 8 improved your workflow' ?

[Stoffel]

Why not just open a thread called something like 'In what ways has Windows 8 improved your workflow' ?

That would be cool, but within 5 minutes you will have the first one saying it didn't improve it at all, because metro has no place on a desktop .....

No point

[Active.]

That would be cool, but within 5 minutes you will have the first one saying it didn't improve it at all, because metro has no place on a desktop .....

No point

If you aren't willing to give it a try, you'll have to live with the complaints. Because, unlike in a thread of the kind I suggested, they are not at all off topic here.

[Stoffel]

If you aren't willing to give it a try, you'll have to live with the complaints. Because, unlike in a thread of the kind I suggested, they are not at all off topic here.

Let's see what this one brings

https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1062668-windows-8-my-list-of-improvements/page__fromsearch__1

The guy has some good ideas I think

[Active.]

Let's see what this one brings

http://www.neowin.ne...__fromsearch__1

The guy has some good ideas I think

I'd actually still be interested in a thread of the kind I suggested. Admittedly mainly because I personally can't think of very many ways in which Windows 8 improves one's workflow - but I'm willing to be educated on that.

[~Johnny]

have you tried listening to an mp3 or viewing photos? i don't think ive ever swore soo much at my pc.

Yes. Opening up in Windows Media Player and Windows Photo Gallery. This is still Windows, you can still set the default programs to whatever you want :p

[Wyn6]

I'd actually still be interested in a thread of the kind I suggested. Admittedly mainly because I personally can't think of very many ways in which Windows 8 improves one's workflow - but I'm willing to be educated on that.

https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1063212-how-has-windows-8-improved-your-workflowcomputing/

There ya go.

[Anthonyd]

Let's see what this one brings

http://www.neowin.ne...__fromsearch__1

The guy has some good ideas I think

The first answer is a troll, should I continue the reading ?