I use Windows 8 like a power user! Do you?


Recommended Posts

So please, why are you Metro lovers so against OPTIONS? Are you afraid they metro will fail unless they force it on us?

If you give people the option nobody will ever move on, people in general don't like change, because it costs them effort to learn something new. If nobody uses the new App platform then there whole strategy fails

Also, why do you need another start button? You can use the Win Key, there is the charmbar and you can still use the bottom left corner. How many options do you need.

Having a start button on the task bar would also not be universal available, only from the desktop, all other ways you can use from anywhere. So It also has to do with consistency

If you give people the option nobody will ever move on, people in general don't like change, because it costs them effort to learn something new. If nobody uses the new App platform then there whole strategy fails

Also, why do you need another start button? You can use the Win Key, there is the charmbar and you can still use the bottom left corner. How many options do you need.

Having a start button on the task bar would also not be universal available, only from the desktop, all other ways you can use from anywhere. So It also has to do with consistency

Hmm I did not know just providing a UI button to launch these hidden menus is "never moving on". It will still launch the new start screen and new stuff, I just think people would feel better about the OS if they were not hidden.

Oh come on, the entire OS is inconsistent already. The fact that we have two UI designs at the same time is already inconsistent. If you want pure consistent, it would be 100% metro with NO ability to go into the desktop.

Lol, so much hate. Time to abandon thread before someone gets killed.

I do not hate the OS, but the responses that are "things change: deal with it" are driving me crazy. We are consumers aren't we? People will deal with it by not buying it. Then the sales will be much lower and it will affect the people that did buy it. I am just saying if they simply brought back the START button or Windows orb to launch the start SCREEN (note again NOT start MENU) and a button to activate the charms bar, most of the complaints would go away.

I find the OS okay. I do not like the metro start screen at all, so as long as the desktop will remain, I will be happy.

Would people stop saying things change and everybody just needs to deal with it? We are consumers. Fine, we will not buy Windows 8, which will make Windows 8 sales much lower, which will hurt you guys indirectly because if 8 has horrible sales, what developer will make dedicated metro versions?

Geez, all we are asking for is a couple of UI elements for the desktop version of the OS. Not these hidden menus and charms bar crap.

If they just had a UI button that started the Start Screen (NOTE: not start MENU), most of the complaints will go away.

So as a consumer, I am not going put up with the change. I simply will never buy a MS product again when they completely remove the desktop interface (you know it is coming).

Apple is doing the right thing here. Launchpad is completely, 100% optional. We still have the dock and I can still use my computer the way I want to use it, not the way THEY want me to use it.

So please, why are you Metro lovers so against OPTIONS? Are you afraid they metro will fail unless they force it on us?

10 years later we might not be using mice, but we also might still be using them. You get more precision with mice than what can possibly replace it (especially very expensive gaming mice).

actually most of the complaints are about the presence of start screen itself and not for lack of a start button

What about the new way to turn off what is starting up with the PC. Now it's in the task manager and you can't use MSconfig (it says use the task manager)

. What I liked about Msconfig is that I could click at the top and use my arrow keys to navigate down the list and then press the space bar to turn off (uncheck) something starting with windows. Now I can't do that. Now I have to click disable next to each item. I like the old way better.

This. x1,000,000,000.

Things change guys. It's a fact of life, and computers change the most. There simply is no reason to be clinging to the Start Menu going forward. 10 years from now, computers will be wholly different, and it'll be nice to have an OS there waiting for us that will play nice with that hardware. Not a stinkin mouse driven Start Menu filled with tiny, misplaced 16x16 icons.

Back on topic: Once you sit down with Windows 8 for a while, and really focus on it - putting yourself outside your comfort zone - it really becomes a nice OS to use. I see people complaining about the little network "sidebar" that pops up on the desktop, and I wish I knew why, because I like it. IMO Windows needed something like that ages ago, not some weird pop up balloon or menu. Now if only Microsoft can take advantage of the "white space" there and show network stats and all that.

Also for those that go on about the Charms Bar, have you seen the MS Surface keyboard? It has keyboard shortcut keys right on it that you can press to trigger the menu, instead of working your mouse over to it. I find it funny that so-called "power users" are the ones complaining the loudest about keyboard shortcuts. You're the ones that should be using those more than the mouse. That is what being a power user is all about - taking advantage of what the OS is giving you. You're supposed to be working with the OS, not against it. If you want to do that, then yes, you are going to have trouble. It's the same thing with Windows 7.

The change argument is a weak argument. Many of us like changes, but we find the Metro change is not any better than the start menu for the various reasons floating around here. Anyways, regardless, this is what MS wants to do, and we'll just have to see how the market adopts it.

Also, I agree with the network side bar having too much empty space; it doesn't make sense, if they can fill it with something useful that would be great, but that's probably why the little balloon type pop-up was originally implemented, since you didn't need any more room to show anything other than networks and signal strengths.

If you give people the option nobody will ever move on, people in general don't like change, because it costs them effort to learn something new. If nobody uses the new App platform then there whole strategy fails

Also, why do you need another start button? You can use the Win Key, there is the charmbar and you can still use the bottom left corner. How many options do you need.

Having a start button on the task bar would also not be universal available, only from the desktop, all other ways you can use from anywhere. So It also has to do with consistency

That is a BS argument as well. If you give people a "good" option they will adopt it in a heartbeat. The Metro screen is nothing but a ploy to sell people apps from an app store similar to Google play or iTunes; that?s why it's being forced on us, not to mention it's obnoxious in its FULL SCREEN awesomeness!

What about the new way to turn off what is starting up with the PC. Now it's in the task manager and you can't use MSconfig (it says use the task manager)

. What I liked about Msconfig is that I could click at the top and use my arrow keys to navigate down the list and then press the space bar to turn off (uncheck) something starting with windows. Now I can't do that. Now I have to click disable next to each item. I like the old way better.

They actually removed a lot of view functionality from the task manager. For the most part I still think it's for the better, but it was nice having all the different views criteria there. And you still have resource manager for more in-depth process tracking.

That is a BS argument as well. If you give people a "good" option they will adopt it in a heartbeat. The Metro screen is nothing but a ploy to sell people apps from an app store similar to Google play or iTunes; that?s why it's being forced on us, not to mention it's obnoxious in its FULL SCREEN awesomeness!

Well I for one believe the Metro start screen is a good option.

But after reading loads of posts about Win 8 I'm pretty sure loads of people would still dislike the new windows just because it is different

People don't like learning new things, even the so called power users, they all are screaming their heads of for a menu that just got a little bit bigger

Well I for one believe the Metro start screen is a good option.

But after reading loads of posts about Win 8 I'm pretty sure loads of people would still dislike the new windows just because it is different

People don't like learning new things, even the so called power users, they all are screaming their heads of for a menu that just got a little bit bigger

You're right, there are those people who fear and avoid change (although it's a much smaller percentage, I think), but given time if the OS is genuinely an improvement over the old, they'll switch over.

Take the Win 7 super bar for example, it was a radical UI change (although it kept the legacy task bar option), yet now most people agree windows 7 super bar is the way to go, I rarely see people still using the old task bar style. You only have those poor XP bas**rds that refuse to migrate ;p I?m stuck on an XP computer at work right now :(

They actually removed a lot of view functionality from the task manager. For the most part I still think it's for the better, but it was nice having all the different views criteria there. And you still have resource manager for more in-depth process tracking.

What are you referring to exactly? The only things I notice missing from the new task manager is that it no longer has a button to elevate to full admin or to hide other user processes on the details tab (very annoying on RDS servers).

Otherwise I don't really see any functionality missing. All the different view options that existed before still exist under the Details tab, but the only way to add/remove view options now is to right click on a column name.

That is a BS argument as well. If you give people a "good" option they will adopt it in a heartbeat. The Metro screen is nothing but a ploy to sell people apps from an app store similar to Google play or iTunes; that?s why it's being forced on us, not to mention it's obnoxious in its FULL SCREEN awesomeness!

No one is forcing you to buy or use Metro apps. The desktop and all related apps still work perfectly fine in Win8.

No one is forcing you to buy or use Metro apps. The desktop and all related apps still work perfectly fine in Win8.

That's very naive of you to think that, in a way they are forcing you. If I choose to get windows 8, I will still be presented with the start screen, and I'm sure steered towards an app store somewhere, similar to how Google and iTunes do it. I don't want my OS to be a commercialized store front. Then again it they sell it for 49$ per license, and not as a promo, I may re-evaluate the situation.

What are you referring to exactly? The only things I notice missing from the new task manager is that it no longer has a button to elevate to full admin or to hide other user processes on the details tab (very annoying on RDS servers).

Otherwise I don't really see any functionality missing. All the different view options that existed before still exist under the Details tab, but the only way to add/remove view options now is to right click on a column name.

Actually I was wrong. I was looking at the Task Manager app, as opposed to the normal taskmgr "Windows Task Manager" app, which is still there. What was missing from the Task Manager app are the column view details and other options you get in the taskmgr app, but as long as their both there, I'm fine with that.

7552526724_de32c51dbe_b.jpg

As a power user, I didn't wine about the missing start menu or the existence of the metro UI. Rather, I used the new capabilities to make my computing more efficient than it was with Windows 7. Many others have done too and, as a result, love Windows 8. I will tell you, though, that many haters have never even learned to use Windows 8 efficiently before giving up. Windows 8 is very efficient with keyboard and mouse.

Here's a quick video of how I use windows 8 like a power user. Do you do the same?

P.S There are some neat Windows 8 tips and tricks shown in the video that you might have not known about.

I was gonna stay out of this one but the bleedin thread keeps popping up haha... i know its been said but your not using it like a power user, your using it like some who's had a few too many lattes. All your doing is opening and closing programs and not doing anything productive what so ever... of course when you see a thread title like that anyways you know what its gonna be like....

You're right, there are those people who fear and avoid change (although it's a much smaller percentage, I think), but given time if the OS is genuinely an improvement over the old, they'll switch over.

Take the Win 7 super bar for example, it was a radical UI change (although it kept the legacy task bar option), yet now most people agree windows 7 super bar is the way to go, I rarely see people still using the old task bar style. You only have those poor XP bas**rds that refuse to migrate ;p I?m stuck on an XP computer at work right now :(

only problem with your argument there is that the superbar was actually an improvement...

As a power user, I didn't wine about the missing start menu or the existence of the metro UI. Rather, I used the new capabilities to make my computing more efficient than it was with Windows 7. Many others have done too and, as a result, love Windows 8. I will tell you, though, that many haters have never even learned to use Windows 8 efficiently before giving up. Windows 8 is very efficient with keyboard and mouse.

Here's a quick video of how I use windows 8 like a power user. Do you do the same?

P.S There are some neat Windows 8 tips and tricks shown in the video that you might have not known about.

Funny how that Note application looks exactly like the one on the iPhone and the iPad. Way to go Microsoft.

only problem with your argument there is that the superbar was actually an improvement...

Yeah... I thought that's what I said... even though it (the super bar) was an improvement people still feared the change.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Posts

    • OpenAI is now rolling out Lockdown Mode to more ChatGPT users by Pradeep Viswanathan Back in February, OpenAI first announced Lockdown Mode for users who want the most comprehensive protection from potential attacks. At the time of the announcement, the company mentioned that this feature was available to a small set of highly security-conscious users, including executives or security teams at leading organizations. Today, OpenAI announced that Lockdown Mode is now rolling out to all personal ChatGPT accounts, including Free, Go, Plus, and Pro, and also self-serve ChatGPT Business accounts. Users can enable the feature from ChatGPT Settings > Security when it is available for their account. When Lockdown Mode is enabled, ChatGPT limits or disables several features that connect to the web or external services. These include live web browsing, Deep Research, Agent Mode, and more. Here is the complete list of services that will be disabled in Lockdown Mode: Live web browsing: Web browsing is limited to accessing only cached content. Search results may be limited, unavailable, or stale. Image support: ChatGPT may not display images in regular responses or retrieve images from the web. Users can still upload image files, and image generation remains available where it is otherwise available. Deep research: Deep research is disabled. Agent mode: Agent mode is disabled. Canvas networking: Users cannot approve Canvas-generated code to access the network. File downloads: ChatGPT cannot download files for data analysis. ChatGPT can still operate on your manually uploaded files. It is important to note that Lockdown Mode does not completely block prompt injections from appearing in content that ChatGPT processes. For example, a malicious instruction could still be present in an uploaded file or cached web content. However, the mode is designed to reduce the ways such an attack could send sensitive information outside the conversation. Along with Lockdown Mode, OpenAI today also announced that the Active sessions feature is now available across ChatGPT accounts and workspace types. This feature allows users to review where their account is signed in across devices and end sessions if required. A session will have the following information displayed: Device or browser information. First-party app context, such as ChatGPT, Codex, or API Platform. Approximate location. Sign-in date and time. Whether the device is a trusted device. Whether it is your current session. OpenAI highlighted that the Active sessions feature will not be available for accounts linked to an organization’s single sign-on setup, including SAML or OIDC.
    • with LSTC and ESU, moving to w11 or linux because w10 suddenly will not work when in reality it works and its a better choice, of course there are also developers that only test in 11 or force you to have TPM and Secure boot for the sake of "better security" in games. or most likely people is buying new PC that only ship with 11
    • with LTSC and ESU there are still viable as a stable platform not that they care and let people deal with w11 crashing and burning every month support mean shet if the platform is trash
    • Most boring game ever. Repetitive, empty, predictable, and full of cliches. Total waste of time and money, IMO.
  • Recent Achievements

    • Rookie
      moog19 went up a rank
      Rookie
    • Mentor
      grik went up a rank
      Mentor
    • Dedicated
      JKR earned a badge
      Dedicated
    • One Year In
      CHUNWEI earned a badge
      One Year In
    • Conversation Starter
      FBSPL earned a badge
      Conversation Starter
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      487
    2. 2
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      270
    3. 3
      Skyfrog
      75
    4. 4
      Steven P.
      68
    5. 5
      FloatingFatMan
      63
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!