Close Topic Options

For those of you that don't already know, Windows 8 is now on sale. From now until January 31 of next year, you can download a copy of the Windows 8 pro upgrade for $39.99 ($69.99 if you want Microsoft to ship a copy to you).

Here's the dilemma. There's been a lot of criticism and controversy over the "formerly known as metro," tablet based user interface. People are also already labeling Windows 8 as "the second coming of Vista." The app store is another area that creates some doubt as well. As desktop users, will we be forced to only be able to buy apps from the app store or will we still be able to install our own programs at will? At this point, I'm a little hesitant to download a copy of Windows 8 because of these two potential issues.

In terms of performance, I've already read that Windows 8 actually offers a fairly decent performance boost in some applications and games and a minor boost in other applications and games over Windows 7. Anything else that isn't faster more or less runs on par with Windows 7.

So the bottom line is, while you get a somewhat decent performance boost over Windows 7, the user interface might and app store could very well be a deal breaker.

What am I going to do? Not sure at this point. I may go ahead and download the upgrade and copy the ISO to disc or flash drive and hang on to it until Microsoft fixes some of the early bugs and addresses some user complaints. Plus, if I do install Windows 8, I'm probably going to wait until I build a new system to install it, at which point Microsoft should have begun fixing bugs and addressing complaints.

What is everyone's thoughts on Windows 8? Are you going to take advantage of this deal? If you are interested in the deal, visit Microsoft's website at http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows...hopHP_FPP_Light

Let me help some more :
Do you NEED to upgrade to Windows 8?
Do you like the Metro interface enough?
Are you okay without a start menu?
Are you okay in dealing with going back and forth between the classic desktop and metro?
Are you okay in going through Metro with a keyboard and mouse unless you have a touch screen?

If Yes > No, then go ahead. If No > Yes, stay on Windows 7. For myself, I answer No to every single question. I hate Windows 8. Pull out that touchscreen BS MS, then I'll consider upgrading.

See, that's the thing though. If users complain enough, Microsoft may implement a more permanent switch to the classic desktop interface in a future update. Odds are though, by the time they do that, January 31st will have long passed, and I'm not so sure I'd want to spend the $100+ to purchase the upgrade then. I mean, there are performance improvements to be had over Windows 7. If there were no performance improvements over Windows 7 along with Microsoft is trying to shove their BS tablet interface down our throats, my answer would be a resounding no, $39.99 upgrade or not. The only thing that's keeping me on the fence right now is the performance improvements and the possibility that if enough people complain, a permanent desktop switch solution will be implemented in a future update.

This post has been edited by AzNMaVbOi on Oct 25 2012, 10:24 AM

I understand. What you can do is grab the upgrade for 40$, keep it and don't install. If you don't hear any news regarding a more solid switch the the classic UI, then don't upgrade. Afterward, you can always sell it. It's better spending 40$ than 100$+, right? Personally, I feel the exact same way than you. It's the fact that they throw us that BS tablet interface and the lack of Start Menu that keeps me off Windows 8. Otherwise, I like things like the new Task Manager, the Ribbon interface in Window Explorer, etc. Things like that. Without Metro, the lost of the Start Menu and the stupid "flat" theme, Windows 8 is simply a Service Pack or a small upgrade to Windows 7.

Some people will say "Oh, you don't like change so you don't upgrade"! There is a difference between adapting to change and completely disliking what you see. I personally upgraded from XP to Vista. Fact. And that, friend, was one HECK of a change! People will also call us "Old School". Yes, that is true. The thing is that there is a difference between mobile computing and desktop computing. Mobile computing is minimal computing : low-spec machine for browing and light software use which will be more appropriate for a touch screen and metro environment. Don't get me wrong : Metro works very well... when used with a touch screen. With a keyboard and mouse, you have more precision and is more fit for desktop computing and more specific uses such as gaming and more precise work like picture, music and video editing.

Some people will say "there are alternative to this and this". Maybe. Can it effectively replace something that was once embedded as a main feature? Only to a certain extent. Adding a start menu to Windows 8 is possible and there are possible solutions such as Classic Shell but... it's more prone to bugs and glitches while being embedded within the system, while glitching and bugs may still happen. It's much much MUCH less prone to them. Personally, I never seen glitches in the Start Menu... ever. Even with Windows Me, the buggiest of all. In other words, 3rd party reliability doesn't replace 1st party reliability.

Anyway, I've I think I talked too much... we're going in circle.

So with my dad/boss' blessing, I went ahead and purchased a copy of Windows 8 and installed it on my work computer. To be completely honest, it really isn't as bad as people are saying it is. It's far from the "second coming of Vista" BS people have been spouting. I've been using it since Thursday and so far, it's faster, just as reliable as 7 was, and I only have one complaint so far. It's actually a fairly minor complain too. Yes, it is a little annoying switching between "Metro" and the classic UI to use non-Metro complaint programs, but since everything I use at work is non-Metro complaint, I'm in classic UI mode the whole time. As for the Metro UI itself, it took me all of 2 minutes to master. I will say this though; if Metro wasn't a part of the package, Lebon would be right in saying that Windows 8 would just be a service pack for Windows 7. Worth $40? Yea, sure. Worth the $100+ it's going to cost after January 31, 2013? Probably not.

Here are some pics of the Metro UI and the Classic UI:

Image size reduced, original size: 1024 x 819. Click here to view the image in its original dimension.

Image size reduced, original size: 1024 x 819. Click here to view the image in its original dimension.

This post has been edited by AzNMaVbOi on Oct 30 2012, 08:27 AM

Windows 8 is a tablet OS IMHO.




Casey

This.

Also, Staples (at least in my area) had a launch deal where Pro was $39.99 and included the installation media. Pretty cool if you're into the OS. My dad picked up a copy for testing purposes since it was cheap.

Here's an article my dad sent. Good read.

http://www.itproportal.com/2012/10/29/wind...sktop-disaster/

He and I were talking last night and I think he came up with the #1 killer app for Windows 8. Since those apps take up your whole screen and Metro discourages multitasking... how about DOS 1.0 for Metro!?

I'm just here to say that this whole "metro" interface and the removal of a start menu has got to be that most retarded thing Microsoft has ever done in its history. My brother just got a laptop with this on it and, Jesus Christ, words cannot accurately convey how infuriating it is.

This is an absolutely pathetic OS that I cannot even believe isn't some cruel joke. Why, Microsoft? Why?

Great article, Don, by the way.

This post has been edited by kyonpalm on Oct 30 2012, 12:16 PM

isnt win8 supposed to be built for arm compatibility now?

i haven't really kept up for the past year~ but i do remember reading that the layout will emphasize touch (or something like that)

Well, given the way the Shitro-- I mean, Metro interface looks, it does suggest a touch-screen style.

Tested it. At first I did not like it at all. I don't use the Metro unless I have no choice. I installed Start8 (http://www.stardock.com/products/start8/) before it became fully payware and use a keyboard launcher (Executor / Launchy).

Overall the resource management is great. Problems I had (consumer preview) included FF kept on crashing and IE stopped working completely (crashed on every launch) after a while. Also at the time there were compatibility issues as not a lot of things were compatible or available with Win8 support. At current there are more things available.

IMO Win8 is not bad for the price. Other than the metro it seems overall a better OS. If they had the option to CHOOSE between the two instead of force Metro then it would be even better.

Recently I also found this (http://lee-soft.com/vistart/windows-8-start-menu.html) and (https://www.pokki.com/windows-8-start-menu) which I'll probably test out.

Yes, Windows 8 has an ARM version called Windows RT. It will only be offered on ARM tbalets. You can't buy it separately.

Also, many people share my opinion on Windows 8. Respect!

You know, I find it hilarious when people try to defend an OS with a terrible interface by saying "yeah, well, it's like the most stable operating system out there." Stability isn't worth crap if you don't even want to use it in the first place, and a shitty GUI can take care of that real easy.

This isn't directed at anyone in this thread, it's just an observation I made today.

Agreed Kyon. Warning of post lenght on this one. Thing is that we could go into the history and stats and say that MS is a thief and a copycat while Apple is overpriced but better. We then would have to say that Windows is the most used OS worldwide for users. For power users it's between Windows and Linux and for gamers it's primarily Windows. Thanks to Valve/Steam for working on a Linux port.

Anyways - many persons don't like the way that MS operates and there are some workarounds to it - and I don't know what they're doing now. Let me try and elaborate to make some sense.

DOS/Win was ok back in the day with little complaining as there was no multitasking and the gaming was good - CD-Man - BioMenace - Commander Keen - Wolf 3D - etc - etc - etc. We had Lotus - better than Excel but MS does better marketing - and a host of other things but moving to the newer NTFS OSes posed some problems. MS had this b*tch of an activation thing which started in XP that required you to be online to get it done. Maybe fine for persons in first world countries or places with better nets but in places like Jamaica where the transition from Dialup to DSL was slow. Here's a scenario which was one legitimate cause for piracy - person buys XP Pro. Activates. Has to format. Activate. Hard drive crash. Call MS to Activate. Motherboard died. Reinstall. Call MS - "we're sorry but you've activated this serial multiple times and now you have new hardware. As a result you must buy another serial" utter bull IMO.

The company that got activation right was Alcohol Soft. I have a lot of purchased software and I will say openly that for all purchased software that I have - I used pirated copies before. Why? Trials don't give me enough of an idea of what it does. The length of time is too short and the restrictions are too many for those that have longer times. Alcohol allows you to activate your serial and move your activation based on the machine ID which is stored on their server once you attempt to activate. So I buy a serial and have it on my laptop. Want to use it on my desktop? Log in to their site and move the activation to my desktop. Format one and have different hardware key? Go to their site after attempting to activate and delete the old key and set the new one for activation. This way you have one activation running at a time. You can also buy multiple activations so that you can use the same serial on multiple machines simultaneously at a reduced cost per additional activation.

Prior to purchasing Paragon Hard Disk Manager I would reinstall and crack Windows each time. Now with paragon I do a full system backup after activation and restore that instead of reinstalling. Faster. Better.

Linux is far more stable. FAR. Problem is that I'm slowly learning Debian - with Ubuntu my preferred distro which is Debian based - and some things still give me issues in Linux. For example I have problems with it automatically doing some things so I have to manually mount certain drives and do a bit of CLI work. Not an issue really as I like doing that but each time I run tests and maybe corrupt something and reinstall I have to do it all over again.

Anyways. In comparison to the prices of prior Windows releases this is cheap. CHEAP. For those who don't own a legit Windows this is a good chance to get it. For those who have older licenses (as far as XP) and want to step up this is a good buy. Options are there to bypass Metro completely just that you have to either buy or search for free ones.

On the interface. That's like moving to another country and refusing to drive because the steering wheel is on the other side. It's still a car. It's still Windows - better resource management but sux in a lot of core ways - but still an OS and still the one which is going to be used as the primary platform for games as things move forward.

Hopefully the Linux development will continue and I can abandon Windows for my gaming, but the video editing software I've purchased - and may upgrade - requires Windows. Can't get them to work with WINE unfortunately.

Anyways - enough of the rant. Metro sux. Desktop alternatives exist. The apps may soon support Win8 so going there ahead of time may be a pain till the apps catch up. Drink water. Play videogames. Go to church

I understand that you can get around the whole "Metro" BS, but my argument is that you shouldn't have to. This needs to go the way of Vista and be replaced with Windows 9 soon, or no one will have faith in Windows because they'll have to jump through hoops to get to an actually usable interface.

LOL. Vista. Worst thing next to ME?

I've never experienced ME firsthand, unfortunately (or fortunately?)

I just know that 98 was really wonderful. And so was XP until I stopped using it a couple years ago.

I know that most people here are not that interested in Windows 8, but in case you are, this is a reminder that today is the last day for the $40 upgrade before the price jumps back to the normal retail price of $200.

Didn't see this post until just now, so shut up IDW I know it's over 87 days old (but thank you for finally giving a warning to people doing this without reason). Point is, Vista wasn't terrible--it was a huge step in the right direction from XP. The problem Vista had was Microsoft's poor communication with third-party vendors (resulting in a swath of devices without drivers on launch) and poor PR. The OS itself was solid and after only a few months of third-party vendors playing catch-up it was great.

Its brilliance is made obvious by the fact that 7 is exactly the same OS. I used to love screwing with peoples' heads at work about that when customers would try to tell me how great 7 was and how crappy Vista was.

Agreed for the most part N1. The internals are far better done in 7 though - even if it is Vista with an overhaul - but I've had multiple driver issues and the fact that MS offered a downgrade to XP kinda shows how badly received it was.

I agree that it was a step in the right direction - and the reason we are where we are now - but being the mighty MS you'd have thought that the vendor support 7/8 has they'd actually have spent the time on that.

There's also the huge jump from the different OSes and the removal of things that people loved. Like XP mode is now gone from 7 - that Vista was more backward compatible (in some cases) than the newer OSes - etc, etc, etc.

Badly received, not badly engineered. The 'downgrade' was a political maneuver, not an engineering concession. It was all about PR and absolutely nothing about the technology involved. Again, 7 was much the same thing--a political maneuver to tout their 'new OS' which was just frilly lace on their old one that everyone hated so much. And what a brilliant political maneuver it was.

Marketing was always MS' strong point. At least with 7 they did the research first by using test subjects after Vista.