windows 8 Do you like or hate Windows 8?

[MarkusDarkus]

I don't hate it but I don't like it and therefore I cannot see myself willingly spending any money on it.

[derkim]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmqcFEnbaWM&feature=related

:laugh:

[Pikey]

In the real world its going to be a lot more hated. If you think Vista flopped just wait until Windows 8 shows up on the market.

Sorry , but I disagree with you on this ... it may not go down too well with power-users who multitask a lot , but I think the general public will get on just fine!

[bbfc_uk]

I've installed it on my MBP using Boot Camp and it runs like a dream! I'm really enjoying using it. I find myself missing some of the features when I log back into OS X Lion. The social features are really cool.

[MelFranks]

I'm all in, absolutely love it.

I tried the DP, didn't seem polished enough, but since the CP and now RP I have zero inclination to ever run Windows 7 again.

I really like moving forward, Windows 7 just seems boring now.

[PGHammer]

The problem is that people aren't given the choice to adapt. They are forced to adapt. What you said would be true if there was an option to turn Metro off; but there isn't.

Windows has always been about freedom and control of the OS, but 8 has completely taken that away by forcing this alien interface on everybody. The Windows UI has been generally the same since Win 95, and most people still barely have learned to navigate around it since then. Throwing that all away and making people start fresh isn't going to go over well. People generally don't like change, especially when it is forced on them.

That is usually because, given their druthers, folks won't change.

That five year lag between XP and Vista was not Microsoft-driven; it was driven by three different sets of forces, all of which would have rather not changed anything.

1. OEMs/IHVs - seriously, how much did the hardware/peripheral community (with the surprising exceptions of ATI and Microsoft's own Hardware and Devices Group) do in terms of initial Vista driver development? (While I had no issues with my Sound Blaster X-Fi, from the posts on Creative's own forums, I was the exception - not the rule.)

2. Enterprise/corporate/government customers - they were afraid of upgrading due to scarcity of training dollars - and this was during an economic boom. Now the economy is still poor; how willing would they be to spend training dollars on a far bigger change than Vista was over XP?

3. Despite the initial derision over XP's "toy" UI (Luna), underneath the skin, it actually differed little from Windows 2000 Professional - once folks realized that (which should not have been news to anyone), the love-fest with XP took off in earnest. However, once it went on, it has practically taken a jackhammer to get it off corporate PCs - how many PCs scattered over IT Planet are, in fact, still running it?

Waiting for users to demand change is like waiting for Godot - Godot never shows.

[subcld]

I love it

[SongHyeonDeok]

I don't 'hate' it, I just think it's terrible.

[Aergan]

Works out of the box for me with the current correct drivers for Dell L702X's Nvidia Optimus solution - something Dell can't even do with their OEM Windows 7 SP1 WIM.

Speed is fantastic with a SSD - power button is Off and On, not On -> to the kettle for a brew!

Zune's WiFi sync is still broken but that's to be expected.

[cropcircles]

I don't like the fact that it appears to be more oriented towards touch devices, with the desktop user experience seemingly tacked on at the last minute.

Do I hate it? No. Do I like it? Certainly not. Would I use it with various tweaks put in? If the tweaks made it more of a desktop experience that I've become used to, probably.

My thoughts exactly.

[contextfree]

My answer: Both love and hate

[stockwiz]

I don't particularly like it, but I can understand why they did it... the standalone desktop PC is dying, it's all about tablets and push button small screens now. I can adapt to it, once they flesh out the freezing, the lackluster internet explorer 10, among other things.

[Detection]

the standalone desktop PC is dying,

No, it really is not.

Tablets and Mobile devices will never replace the PC, they will just coexist

[Dot Matrix]

the standalone desktop PC is dying evolving.

Before

Now

[The Rev]

I voted "It doesn't bother me".... because the other choices didn't really make sense. I am ok with the metro interface, although I'm kind of annoyed that it's not "metro only"....

Here's why: bouncing between the old classic windows desktop style with the taskbar, widgets, and such... It's stupid. They need to figure out a way for windows to automatically "metro-tize" any running application, so that it essentially makes the need for "old windows" to go away. The transition from "new" back to "old" when a non-metro app is running looks..... Moronic. It's like windows is saying "oh ****, this doesn't run in metro... Time to start "fake desktop gui app" and run it in there"..... Really Microsoft? That's your best solution?

They can do better to maintain the metro interface regardless of what program is running.

[Calum Veteran]

There doesn't appear to be an option for me, in the poll, because I would say it does bother me (in both a positive and negative way), yet I don't love or hate it. I definitely like Windows 8 (which answers the poll's question), but I'm not yet sure whether I love it or whether I will end up preferring it to OS X.

I love certain features (e.g. the app contracts and the charms?I think both of those ideas are brilliant and they work really well in the Release Preview), but I'm not entirely sure whether I enjoy how apps that follow the Metro design philosophy look, especially considering very few websites seem to follow that design philosophy. When using a Facebook app in Windows 8, I'd be enjoying the consistent, unified experience Microsoft are attempting to provide; however, if I use the Facebook website in the WinRT version of Internet Explorer, I won't be enjoying that consistent, unified experience. That idea turns me off, slightly. For some reason, using the Facebook website on OS X is an idea that doesn't bother me. Perhaps this is because the design of OS X and its apps don't follow one particular philosophy; I don't mind using websites that look completely different because not as much is the same in OS X as it is in Windows 8. My view regarding that could change, and I hope it does, because Windows 8 is great. In fact, I hope that enough decent apps will be created to the point where I don't ever have to use Internet Explorer to access features I'm after. I should be able to use an app for everything nowadays, and WinRT makes that possible; developers just have to care.

Another similar gripe of mine is that we are still directed to the Desktop for too many things. I'd rather never have to visit the Desktop, but I'm aware that Microsoft can't yet make that possible; however, considering how often I use pornography, having to switch to the desktop just because the WinRT version of Internet Explorer can't play those videos, daily, is going to be very irritating.

[Dashel]

the standalone desktop PC is dying evolving.

Evolving is a pretty strong word, as it still assumes the death of the old and and its total replacement by the 'new'. While the market at large (and the dumber and dumber end users that purchase them) may be trending in this direction, that won't remove the need for high performance workstations. My niche is safe and we will continue to laugh at your decision to put mobility ahead of usability, for generally no good reason.

[Dot Matrix]

Evolving is a pretty strong word, as it still assumes the death of the old and and its total replacement by the 'new'. While the market at large (and the dumber and dumber end users that purchase them) may be trending in this direction, that won't remove the need for high performance workstations. My niche is safe and we will continue to laugh at your decision to put mobility ahead of usability, for generally no good reason.

No, it doesn't. Just as in nature, two different evolutionary paths can exist at the same time. However, historically the one that doesn't adapt to change, eventually dies out. The consumer market wants mobility, but that does not have to mean usability dies, but it will change. That's a given.

Users of the future will be looking back on us and go, "What is a mouse?"

[Dashel]

You didn't say that though. You said the desktop was evolving into something else, not that the mobility/slate/smartphone segment has evolved to the point that its finally a blip on the radar compared to desktop/laptop level sales/installation. They can't be the same species and competing species at the same time.

Did you just say that there is no trade-off between mobility and usability too? Whats next, security doesn't invoke a penalty on usability either? Teh funny.

Back to the mouse is dead argument huh, even though MS has been clear even in their crazy touch-future world that at best, touch will augment the mouse, not replace it when both are available. The death of the mouse may accompany the death of the desktop but not a second sooner. Which still leads back to the question, does Metro2 have the DNA to kill the desktop. For the foreseeable future, the answer is no.

[Dot Matrix]

You didn't say that though. You said the desktop was evolving into something else, not that the mobility/slate/smartphone segment has evolved to the point that its finally a blip on the radar compared to desktop/laptop level sales/installation. They can't be the same species and competing species at the same time.

Did you just say that there is no trade-off between mobility and usability too? Whats next, security doesn't invoke a penalty on usability either? Teh funny.

Back to the mouse is dead argument huh, even though MS has been clear even in their crazy touch-future world that at best, touch will augment the mouse, not replace it when both are available. The death of the mouse may accompany the death of the desktop but not a second sooner. Which still leads back to the question, does Metro2 have the DNA to kill the desktop. For the foreseeable future, the answer is no.

The desktop is evolving, hence the pictures of old and new PCs.

[+Ryster Subscriber²]

I love how you only give Love and Hate options. This isn't a black and white argument you know.

That said, I find it interesting that despite all the "most people will hate it" arguments that have been flying around this and other forums, that 48.57% of people surveyed by this poll will be using Windows 8, with only 34.64% "hating" it, with a further 16.79% that aren't really bothered one way or another who will probably end up getting it anyway when they replace their PC next time around.

[Stoffel]

I really like Windows 8 and will be upgrading when I buy an new tablet/laptop by the end of the year.

The Metro side of windows has potential, but the apps at the moment are still lacking a lot of functionality, specially the ones from Ms themselves which is disappointing.

I hope we see a lot of updates on those apps between now and RTM.

[Order_66]

No, it doesn't. Just as in nature, two different evolutionary paths can exist at the same time. However, historically the one that doesn't adapt to change, eventually dies out. The consumer market wants mobility, but that does not have to mean usability dies, but it will change. That's a given.

Users of the future will be looking back on us and go, "What is a mouse?"

Your grand prophecies and crystal ball preaching of your deeply flawed gospel of windows 8 are quite humorous if not worthy of a strong belly laugh at times, the mouse will not be leaving us any time soon and the ones "that doesn't adapt to change" will not "eventually" die out as you have predicted, not at all, at least not until every last typical desktop pc is gone from the earth and replaced with touch screen devices which will be a very long time from now.

The average consumer who uses a typical pc will most likely just stay with 7 as their OS of choice, just as people stayed with XP when vista was released, or at the very least many people "upgraded" to XP when they bought a new pc with vista.

Regardless of the mass exodus to XP from vista (and rightfully so) microsoft still clung to their OEM sales numbers in a blatantly dishonest move to try and save face and show that vista was a success despite the proved fact that vista was a miserable failure from beginning to end.

Microsoft will do this again when "8" is released, we will see this a lot when the OS completely bombs on the desktop just as vista did, the real stats however will not lie, 7 and to a certain degree XP, will both dominate the desktop market for a long time to come, this much is certain.

I also predict that this time around microsoft will not allow an upgrade to 7 from "8" on new pc's that are sold with "8" pre-installed, they were embarrassed and humiliated the last time that happened, their grossly overblown egos in regards to "8" will try and avoid any egg on face this time around, even though the egg is already on their face and will prove difficult if not impossible to remove after all is said and done regarding "8".

You can have your crystal ball back Dot Matrix as I am finished with it, I cleaned it off really good and buffed it to a shine before I used it, that thing was filthy dirty, maybe this time when you use it your 'visions' will be a lot more clear and focused and not so cloudy and faltering as they once were.

[Order_66]

That said, I find it interesting that despite all the "most people will hate it" arguments that have been flying around this and other forums, that 48.57% of people surveyed by this poll will be using Windows 8, with only 34.64% "hating" it, with a further 16.79% that aren't really bothered one way or another who will probably end up getting it anyway when they replace their PC next time around.

This pretty much spells out the doom of "8" before it is even released, if you put up a poll like that in a Microsoft fanboy dominated forum such as this one and less than half of the users say they will be using "8" then something is terribly wrong with the product.

In a fanboy dominated forum the poll should show at MINIMUM an 80% of voters saying they will be using "8", or an absolute minimum of 75% to even have any hope for "8", 48.57% is really bad, "8" is completely doomed.

[srbeen]

IF windows 8 benefited me, I would upgrade. but since I am using a laptop and not a tablet, windows 7 will continue on!

I won't be getting OSX 10.8 either.. mainly because my 2006 macbook is EOL. iOS6 is the 2006 macbook killer anyway.