How has Windows 8 Improved your workflow/computing

[Wyn6]

This comes from an idea thrown out by another member. It is both to gauge Windows 8's positive effects on workflow as well as positive effects on overall computing.

As the word, "Improved" appears in the title I would like to keep this thread on-topic. So, let's try to refrain from telling people how it sucks/blows, that this is the worst OS in the history of computing, and how evil ninjas at the behest of their daimyo, Steve Ballmer, abducted the Start Button and so on.

That being said, I'm not na?ve enough to forget that this is an internet forum full of computer geeks. Why I started this topic right as I need to run out for a bit, I don't know. But, I'll drop my list when I get back.

Happy hunting.

[neufuse Veteran]

For me and the other people I work with testing out the current build, it has made what we do a lot slower.. and the people that work in this company that aren't dev's so far have told us they hate it because it is making what they do day to day a lot harder on them... for the people that are going to complain about this comment, remember no real company employs only 30yr olds and younger... we have at least 100 people here 50 or older, and they have to use what we give them too)

[Lachlan]

i really like the fact that you can pin websites right on the start screen really easily.. I find in windows 7 I cannot pin all the sites I want because I really really really hate a cluttered launch bar for some reason and I can only have 5-6 websites there.. Where as in windows 8 I can group my sites into different categories such as work or news and launch them and get back to the start menu and launch the next within seconds and not even needing my mouse at all..

[BoyBoppins]

I dont know if I can say its made anything faster or better for me.

Really the benefits of Windows 8 come with the new WinRT API that integrates nicely with the OS which will lead to better programs that run in an optimized manner for the future of computing and enabling that while at the same time keeping the traditional methods relevant until they are replaced.

I do like the apps and live tiles that give me weather info, give me an OS wide chat client with notifications that come up wherever, skydrive integration/app, etc. That part is nice.

The majority of Windows 8's benefits rely on the developers creating great apps that use WinRT and its OS integration to the fullest.

[bogas04]

To be honest :

• The speedy bootup helps me to do tasks a lil faster even after starting from a shut down the pc
  
• I use AeroBasic (Lite) theme now and to be it is better than the aero theme , which thus by killing dwm takes even lesser ram
  
• Using search for finding apps , dictionary etc takes away the load of opening a browser , going to dictionary site and then finding the word
  
• I have no worries of anti virus etc (anyways i never used them since xp) Also it does take lesser ram. Simply saying , its win7 even more lightweight/secure with fancy start screen.
  
• Live tiles sometimes saves time as , as soon as i boot up i can see if i got new chat message or email (only things which work, People app is fake and just rolls old and new notifications :p )
  

That's all , till now no other app/feature has helped me in any way... I am waiting for All In One chat clients , social apps which give notifications etc to come soon...

[Wyn6]

I actually decided to run out later.

Uh... Neufuse, I think you may have missed the topic and/or not read the original post. But, as I said, "I'm not na?ve enough to forget that this is an internet forum full of computer geeks." ;)

Anyway, the Start Screen for me is a vast improvement over what I was using in 7. I rarely used the Start Menu in 7 unless I was actually searching for something. In 8 I use the Start Screen a lot. It's where I launch all my games from, all being 2 (Dragon Age: Origins and Mass Effect), pinned sites, productivity apps email and such..

There was a limitation before in 7 on the number of things that could be pinned to the Taskbar before it rolled over to the next taskbar causing you to hit the arrow to see it. At this point, everything is/was no longer on my taskbar. I had to flop back and forth if I needed to get to programs on one side or the other.

Having everything I need on ONE screen is a huge time saver.

Universal Search: This is the bees knees. I can type anything from anywhere on the Start Screen and it allows me to search my apps, files, settings, and any Metro app. Example, I type Ghost... it'll give me any app, file, or setting with that in the name. In addition to that, if I click Dictionary.com it gives me a definition, Flixster gives me movies with Ghost in the title, MSNBC gives me news stories with the word Ghost in the headline or article.

I can also do this from inside any Metro app.

System wide Spell Check: I'm a prity good spieler if I say so myself. But, every now and again, ya gotta check a word. The system gives you the red squiggly line if you spell a word incorrectly, regardless of what you're doing. It also will capitalize some proper nouns and auto-correct certain words as well. Fantastic.

Improved Task Manager: Need I say more.

Live Tiles: While this isn't fully fleshed out yet, I've already made frequent use of this feature. Just a second ago I glanced at an email that I'm in no hurry to look at, so I didn't need to open the mail app to check it. But, I did see a news story on MSNBC that I wanted to read, so I snapped it and it's up while I'm typing this. Oh yeah... one of my stocks is down .06% another is up 2.01%.

Overall, I'd say that Windows 8 has made many things quicker and I haven't found much I can't do that I was doing before. Let me correct that... I haven't found anything that I can't do in 8 that I could do in 7. And, as I use it more (it's been my primary since day 1) and as it gets better, I'm sure that productivity and speed will increase.

[Wyn6]

I dont know if I can say its made anything faster or better for me.

Really the benefits of Windows 8 come with the new WinRT API language that integrates nicely with the OS which will lead to better programs that run in an optimized manner for the future of computing and enabling that while at the same time keeping the traditional methods relevant until they are replaced.

I do like the apps and live tiles that give me weather info, give me an OS wide chat client with notifications that come up wherever, skydrive integration/app, etc. That part is nice.

The majority of Windows 8's benefits rely on the developers creating great apps that use WinRT and its OS integration to the fullest.

Agreed. And, that will surely come. The robustness of the system is not to be underestimated.

[V23]

Right now it's probably on par with Windows 7. When more apps are released down the line which support live tiles, it should increase significantly.

[Woelfel]

Off the top of my head, the mail app. Since I have my wp7 next to me, I usually get the email notification sound, I hit Windows key, look at part of the email and decide if I want to go in or not (twss). No longer do I have to go into a browser nor have to use outlook on my comp. And I like the messaging app. The OS itself, universal search (which really gets getting used to, I'm looking all over apps for searching and then it hits me, OH YEA search charm...hopefully other apps do the same), share (even though it's only email...it did come in handy yesterday).

EDIT:

I hope Microsoft can use Bluetooth connection to my WP7 from comp to send text messages with the messaging app (after they flesh it out)...that would be SO BOSS!

[Xerax]

To be honest :

• The speedy bootup helps me to do tasks a lil faster even after starting from a shut down the pc
  
• I use AeroBasic (Lite) theme now and to be it is better than the aero theme , which thus by killing dwm takes even lesser ram
  
• Using search for finding apps , dictionary etc takes away the load of opening a browser , going to dictionary site and then finding the word
  
• I have no worries of anti virus etc (anyways i never used them since xp) Also it does take lesser ram. Simply saying , its win7 even more lightweight/secure with fancy start screen.
  
• Live tiles sometimes saves time as , as soon as i boot up i can see if i got new chat message or email (only things which work, People app is fake and just rolls old and new notifications :p )
  

That's all , till now no other app/feature has helped me in any way... I am waiting for All In One chat clients , social apps which give notifications etc to come soon...

Exactly the same for me. Win8CP has speed up my workflow if anything..

[.Neo]

For me and the other people I work with testing out the current build, it has made what we do a lot slower..

I see a brand new shipment of another metric ton of lemons just came in because you always seem so sour. There just isn't a company that can do right by your book is there? If you're not out bashing Apple for whatever random reason, you're complaining about Windows 8.

[George P Global Moderator]

I agree that once more apps and stuff take advantage of WinRT and the tiles it'll really start to show. But I'd also like to see more OS/System level tiles, like, a live tile for task manager info for cpu and ram etc. Once you can get the info you want with a glance and not having to open/start apps like you have been it'd speed up things I'd say.

And if you really want to stick to managing multiple windows then you can still do that on the desktop. I honestly don't see how (if you pin what you need to the taskbar or as a shortcut on the desktop) using the start screen for 2-3 seconds, if you have to, breaks workflow because it takes up the screen. This is on the level of nitpicking the way I see it.

[Mazhar]

I am not sure about other things but Windows 8 is productive because of its speed. Fast boot and shut down times, the response of apps, desktop programs is pretty much fast and smooth.

As I continue testing it at home (where I am not at mostly), I am getting used to it everyday.

[King Lizzle]

I don't think I could say Windows 8 has improved my workflow, but then again I wouldn't say it has really negatively impacted it either once I set up everything the way I like it. The improvements to the desktop are nice such as the explorer ribbon and ability to pause file transfers. From an aesthetic point of view I think having the colour scheme change to match you wallpaper is a nice little feature. I've realised that I'll rarely have to visit the Start Screen at all as the applications I commonly use are pinned to the taskbar or in my Stardock ObjectDock (I have desktop icons hidden as its cleaner). As always I have Shutdown and Restart shortcuts in that dock too so the new location of those option in Windows 8 isn't going to adversely affect me either. I should point out that I primarily navigate via a trackball mouse - my keyboard sits on the floor and I only pick it when I need to type, so I'm not going to be using keyboard shortcuts to get around the OS.

Now there are a few ways I'd like to see Windows 8 improve in before RTM that would help my workflow. Some of these I've mentioned on their own in other threads so sorry for the duplication but I think they fit better in this thread.

1. Search - the way I use this has been nuked in Windows 8 and is probably the biggest single loss of functionality for me. I'd prefer it if I could search and see all apps/settings/files results appear on the left at once under separate headings instead of having to search separately within each category. But whatever, I could tolerate that. The thing is that often I am searching for a file (music, document, image) if I don't know where it is to go to it directly. Or perhaps I'm searching for text to find any documents containing it. Those files can be hidden under many layers of subfolders and I don't want to go drudging through files for them. In Windows 7 I'd do a search and I could right click on any file in the result and see its properties or open its location. In Windows 8 there are no such advanced search options. If I find a file all I can do is launch it which isn't always what I'm trying to do. I can't right-click and instantly find its location. That's a pretty big step back in functionality from me. My second gripe is that search no longer searches within Outlook emails or Outlook calendar appointments. That was really useful and easier than using native Outlook search but it's gone. Hopefully it'll be back in the RC or RTM but if not that's another backwards step.

2. Preview bar - not sure if that's the right name - the one that appears at the top left corner. I really like the idea of this for app switching. If properly implemented I'd use that instead of the taskbar to navigate between open applications and it'd be an improvement to my workflow. Unfortunately it's crippled at the moment by not having individual panes for each desktop app. Having to click desktop and then use the taskbar as well isn't productive and means the Preview bar is useless to me in its current incarnation. I'd love this to be altered as it could be a real step forward in multitasking and would make Metro and the Desktop feel like one cohesive UI as opposed to two feuding ones. Also it'd be easier to use if it was triggered in a similar way to the Charms bar. I find that when I go up there and just the one tile appears I have difficulty getting the full bar up - when I move the cursor down it often just makes that one tile disappear instead of bringing up the whole bar. It shouldn't take several attempts just to access the bar.

3. Start Screen - just a few minor changes could improve things here. First up have a button to access All apps. Having to right click then go down and click a button is awkward. An unobtrusive persistent button makes much more sense. Also the semantic zoom button ought to be bigger - when everything else in the Start Screen is so oversized that button is hard to see, let alone hit, particularly on a large screen as it doesn't scale! Secondly they really need to alter the default behaviour so that everything that you install doesn't turn up on the Start Screen. Newly installed things belong in the All apps section and shouldn't be pinned to the Start Screen by default. Imagine the amount of work it would take to de-clutter the Start Screen on a clean install! If you don't believe me install K-Lite codec pack and see how you like having to get rid of 20+ tiles from just that one installation! I don't want to have to waste so much time keeping my computer decluttered.

4. Metro - I'll be the first to admit I just don't "get" Metro as a style, as a concept or as a philosophy. Sorry, that's just personal preference. However, I would be willing to try some Metro apps IF they could be windowed as traditional applications are. I often having several overlapping Windows that I'm working on to copy and paste information. No way can I productively use apps which can only be full screen. I know there's snap functionality but the way that works is pointless from my experimentation. It needs to have a mature, windowed approach and then everything is good and there's no harm in trying Metro apps. I know lots of you will disagree with this one, but I'm not saying to get rid of Metro on desktops, I'm simply saying it needs to be adapted to make it a viable ecosystem on non-tablet devices.

5. Boot to desktop - hopefully the group policy for this will work in the RC or RTM. At the moment is seems that the "faster" boot time is a case of it quickly booting to the Start Screen which sits in the way whilst the desktop loads in the background. I've certainly found on my system that the time taken for all the desktop background items to load and the desktop to become usable is significantly increased. That is on an SSD where everything on the desktop was ready in an instant as soon as it appeared. Maybe this is a process priority issue where the OS prioritises loading the Start Screen and live tiles. But to have an efficient workflow I want to be able to boot directly to the desktop and I want the loading of all desktop processes to take priority so I have the same speed that I had in Windows 7. The current system is akin to Windows 7 booting with the Start Menu already open - it just doesn't make sense. Let the Start Menu load in the background once the desktop is usable.

Sort there are my thoughts anyway. I've found Windows 8 is far from being as bad as I expected it to be and by taking the time to adapt it to your way of doing things you can make it far more efficient than the default set up. However, MS still has a lot of work to do to actually improve workflow over Windows 7. As an evolution Windows 8 should make life even easier than its predecessor and it isn't there yet. If MS implemented the changes I've mentioned above I think my workflow would definitely be better in Windows 7 and I'd be a very happy, satisfied, productive Windows 8 user come RTM. I guess only time will tell how the finished product ends up.

[migo]

The main thing that I've benefitted from (using Metro apps), is that the default app to switch to is always the last one you used. Rather like the back button on Windows Phone and BlackBerry OS. Which is probably why I like it, I've gotten used to that method of task switching on mobiles.

[myxomatosis]

It hasn't

[Raa]

I'd have to be objective and say it hasn't improved it - there's a whole new raft of management issues that we have to deal with in networking. New policies, configuring, demonstrating to/training users, etc.

I'll be equally fair, on the flip side - the metro interface might be very useful for the new tablets we're getting in as well. Time will tell on that score though.

[lalalawawawa]

I can check for mail, messages, and the weather with just one click. It also made me remove a dozen applications I was using before. Now Windows has everything that those applications offered.

[migo]

I can check for mail, messages, and the weather with just one click. It also made me remove a dozen applications I was using before. Now Windows has everything that those applications offered.

Which applications do you now no longer use?

[Som]

I can check for mail, messages, and the weather with just one click. It also made me remove a dozen applications I was using before. Now Windows has everything that those applications offered.

Which applications do you now no longer use?

surely mail and messages is the same thing, i ever only used one and thats my web browser (and Outlook for email at work).

i will never understand the obsession mobile phone os manufactures (and now pc os manufactures it seems) have with the weather. its a nice pretty app on my phone but hardly ever used...

[ObiWanToby]

The OS is faster, that is about it. I really do not mind it too much. The performance is just splendid.

[lalalawawawa]

Which applications do you now no longer use?

Process Explorer, Virtual CloneDrive, Windows Live Messenger, Windows Live Mail, Windows Live Mesh, Firefox, Adobe Reader...

You could say I have "Metro applications" that replace them, but for some reason, I don't see Metro applications the same was as desktop applications, but just as simple extensions of the OS. Must be the Start screen that gives me that impression, but yea, I don't see them as applications. Call me weird. :D

[pack34]

I feel my workflow has improved and It'll be even better once the app previews are more fleshed out. Having tiles that display information I can hit the windows key once to check the weather, see if I have mail, my next appointment and my stocks. Then I can just hit the button again to return to what I was doing. In the desktop app I find everything to be more responsive, so that helps too.

[.Neo]

:| what? usually when someone is bashing to be bashing they dont include a valid/legit point or reason.

The topic of this thread is "How has Windows 8 improved your workflow". He manages to be the first in to tell everyone that it hasn't. Anyway, my point is (s)he rarely has something positive to say.

[neufuse Veteran]

I see a brand new shipment of another metric ton of lemons just came in because you always seem so sour. There just isn't a company that can do right by your book is there? If you're not out bashing Apple for whatever random reason, you're complaining about Windows 8.

That's odd, because everyone also calls me a Microsoft fan boy... kind of hard to be both isn't it? I've loved every version of windows, heck I love windows 8, I just hate the start screen, that is ONE, yes ONE single aspect of the entire OS... oh and if you look I've praised Apple for things too, I love the iPod touch and iOS (didn't like the streatching of the truth by Jobs for certain factors of it though), but if you just avoid those praises and focus on the things I don't like about something sure its easy to say someone bashes stuff all the time...