Microsoft Windows 8 user reviews

Pros None. Unless you want to run tablet apps on a desktop computer.

Cons No visual pizzaz. Removes aero glass. Takes desktop computing back to 1991. Where everything was two dimensional and people didn't know how to make attractive user interfaces.

Summary This product is just a ploy by MS to leverage Windows popularity vis-a-vis persuading developers to write apps for Windows phones and tablets. Consumers are made to suffer in the short term as a result, via being forced to use an OS that was designed for tablets on a desktop computer.

Pros Great for a Media Center PC on a large television. The application that starts Windows with the tiles is great for a large screen application in your living room.

Cons No need for this upgrade if you are using an Office Computer.

Summary No need to upgrade. Save your $$$$ for something revolutionary.

Pros the install disks make nice drink coasters for your desk

Cons too many to mention with only 5000 characters

Summary Windows 8 is the worst scam perpetrated by Micro$oft on its customers since the release of Windows ME. Let me first say I actually DO like MS products. Since the early days of MSDOS I have used MS products. The latest being XP Pro(sp3). Fast, reliable, solid - I was able to do all my work fast and efficiently. Then because XP will lose support in 2014 I decided to go to Windows 7, but 7 was nowhere to be found at the local retail stores. (I was told they were recently ordered by MS to pull all remaining copies of 7 and restock with 8 instead - so I missed the bandwagon by about a week). OK. Whatever. My PC well exceeds the sysreq, so I went with 8 Pro. Yesterday afternoon as a matter of fact. The first thing that dissappointed me was the fact that I would have to REinstall ALL my apps (even though this was an 'upgrade' and using the same BIT version.) This made me think - What's the point of an 'upgrade' if you just have to reinstall everything all over again? I may as well have gotten a Full Install disk (which oddly enough no one seemed to have by the way). This now forced me to spend the next 2 days reinstalling drivers, all my software, all the updates to them. Yes I said 2 days. Doing video, audio, graphics, animation and web development I have a-> LOT < of stuff (over 2,200 fonts alone). The first thing I noticed was the really awful layout of the entire 'scheme'. Not at all intuitive by any means. A completely convoluted system to say the least, turning even the simplest of tasks into a time consuming, logistical nightmarish maze to be navigated everytime you wanted to do something (that took no time at all to do in XP). XP was layed out just fine, but I guess the guys at Redmond (smoking that 'Dy-No-Mite' stuff) never heard of the saying 'If it ain't broke don't fix it', so they had to do something - even if it was wrong. On top of that it quickly got to the point where it was asking my permission every time I inhaled, exhaled or even thought about passing gas. It was WAY beyond being 'ridiculous'. By now I began to think 'What have I gotten myself into?' and was starting to get a 'bad feeling' about the whole thing. Then, as luck would have it after getting only about 6 apps reinstalled (with MANY more still to go) the OS decided it was now time to take a dump. After much useless cursing and swearing and then some troubleshooting (which proved equally useless) I decided to reformat and go BACK to XP (which was working perfectly before this nonsense). It seems this OS is really only geared for people who:
A) need a computer that's protected from themselves,
B) want to play videos, mp3s, and games,
C) be on Facebook 23 hours a day
because Windows 8 SURE isn't meant to be a platform for getting serious work accomplished. And the sad thing is - I can't get a refund on it even though I just bought it yesterday afternoon. I guess I now have a 32-bit drink coaster and a 64-bit drink coaster for my desk now. eh?

Updated on Nov 7, 2012

I would have given this only 1/2 a star (like I see some are), but I don't know how you do that. And will you look at the 'drippy', 'goo-goo eyed' reviews! It's almost like girls going ga-ga over seeing Elvis or the Beatles for cryin' out loud.

Pros It's less expensive than Windows 7.

Cons It's clunky, non-intuitive for mouse-users, and not nearly as productive as Windows 7 straight out of the box. I want much finer control of my computer than I get with 8 Metro! I feel very restricted when using 8.

Summary Long story short, for me Windows 7 is superior in almost every way to Windows 8 as far as getting work done. If this is the direction of Windows, I'm glad I own some Windows 7 boxes already. I develop software all day long. I cannot afford to fight with an operating system when I'm working. I have to move fast and have total control of the computer, and Windows 8 Metro just doesn't do it for me.