Manage updates with the Download App
-
"You will hate 8 wait for 9"
on by gorealaPros Its pretty and colorful. Its also finally got touch working the way it should have on Vista. 8 looks great. Its "faster" lol because its new.
Cons Flipping from metro to desktop is to chaotic. Its like living in America you are under a dual citizen ship. You have to obey the laws of Metro and the laws of Windows like state and federal laws. It destroys legacy apps and forces you into metro.
Summary Its 7 under a touch UI. Dont get me wrong for a tablet or touch screen desktop it works well. As in the review look at the guy hes "touching" the monitor. Problem is I dont have a touch monitor, and for a desktop constantly touching a screen 2-3 feet away is more work then most people would care to do constantly. Its not ergonomically correct for the desktop user. The mouse and keyboard is the best UI for interactions with the computer interface.
With a mouse and keyboard configuration windows8 is a let down. I would willfully give Microsoft a 5 star review if they would just allow us to turn Metro off.
Me being a IT professional with all types of degrees and certs could care less about the new touch interface. I know this is just a play by Microsoft to stay relevant and I cant fault them for trying but forcing your new UI on the entire tech community will do nothing but drive users further into the arms of Mac, Android and their bigger brothers Unix and Linux.
I know this is their last gasp for breath, but this will be just like Vista. Most consumers will not know what RT is and why if it looks so much like 8 it cant do what 8 does. This is just a fail on so many fronts.
Why would they get rid of the start menu? The start menu is the fastest way to get to applications. Even vs a Touch screen pc the Start menu is just more robust.
Merging desktop and mobile is a great idea, but not for most people. Just like living at work might fit some people, but not all of us.
I would accept Windows8/RT/Pro if I could cut Metro UI off and default to the classic UI. I would forget Metro exists until I got a touch screen.
Microsoft never even considered that for most people with desktop computers there are not even any USB touch screen monitors on the market. That is at-least 80 percent of the desktop population that is alienated and forced to use a Touch interface with a mouse. This makes the UI feel very clunky.
Swipe up to get to the unlock screen is not easily translated into a mouse gesture. Stupid! Yes trolls I know there are other ways to do it, but after using smartphones for so long the swipe gesture is the common reflex for opening this type of start screen.
In conclusion stay away from 8 unless you just feel like forcing yourself to learn something new. Buttons dont even stay put on this thing 8 is a guessing game. You can easily get lost in an app and say dang how do I get out of this? Buttons will be hidden and you will never know they exist. Just look up some of the videos of people using 8 for the first time and trying to simply send an Email.
Metro is great for a touch computer I give it a 10, but for people who plan to upgrade from 7 to 8 on a current desktop that does not have touch do yourself a favor and don't. There are other reasons I hate 8, but they also revolve around primary desktop applications like MS trying to corner the market on all software going on and off the PC like Apple and IOS.
In time this new nature of trying to close and own the entire software end is another fail on MSs part. It will downgrade your pc and not upgrade it. In light of this I have a 7 install disc in the mail. There is no reason to get the 8 downgrade if you have a perfectly good 7 computer. MS is also killing media center :( not a biggie, but it still sux. -
"Upgrade only if you need to, otherwise wait for Win9"
on by decadrePros Really awesome system tools and background OS features. Quick boot, unbelievably improved task manager, most productivity apps run noticeably quicker.
Cons Metro.
Win8 is supposed to be intuitive, but it isn't.
Users will learn it and adapt.
What else is there to say when some of the best advice given to people is to down Start8, or Classic Shell which returns UI elements removed from Win7?Summary Unless you've tried to RTM and like it, I'd suggest that most people stay with Win7 until they have to upgrade. If you haven't tried Win8 yet, head on out to a electronics store and give a display model a trial run before purchasing a new PC Win8.
Additionally, I may be wrong on this but I think you will still be able to get a new PC with Win7 until sometime in the summer of 2013. So you have sometime to research this still. -
"An unnecessary, unintuitive, pointless upgrade."
on by AJG69Pros Tiles look cool for the first couple days
Live Updates
Interface lacks typical Windows clutterCons The hidden controls on the edges are confusing
The 'formerly Metro' interface is completely unnecessary for the desktop
Not intuitive
Does not work well with mouse
System Apps Icons are uglySummary I can see no reason any business would upgrade from XP or Windows 7 for this. Windows 8 only make sense on a tablet - and even then, it is not intuitive.
-
"Bold step backwards 30 years just to force upgrades."
on by wessonjoePros snazzy and quick
Cons oppressive dashboard full of 2-dimensional news-flash-centered pictures
even more of the OS is hidden and useless
other than a redesigned interface, what's new and needed??Summary When the first beta came out i was hoping for a great OS since Win7 was so hot. Then i saw it and decided i didn't want a giant phone on my desk. This bold step backwards 30 years just to lock newcomers into a new Microsoft ecosystem and force others to upgrade is not acceptable. My time is spent mostly with multimedia creation and media file manipulation. So this new tiled interface and completely new way of doing things doesn't appeal to me at all. The word from Microsoft for us programmers to rewrite our code to work with the new OS made me gag. So this new OS is a dead duck for me. Nothing more to see, move along, move along.
:)
. -
"Poor Attempt to Save a Dying Mobile Platform"
on by netlord80Pros It does boot fast and any serious options are deeply hidden from first time computer users. There are no technical errors or data to confuse the novice.
Cons 1) The pros listed above for anyone other than a first time user
2) Lack of organization in the Metro interface
3) Very steep learning curve
4) Interface is challenging if not using a touch screen
5) Simple tasks have become cumberbersomeSummary Overall I feel that this OS is horrible. In my view this is just a poor attempt to save their failing mobile platform. They are trying to be Apple without the style. Even their new blue screen error no longer has any value since it is just a frowny face with some text that says "there was an error, we will reboot your computer". As someone that supports computers, I actually cringed when I saw that.
To me this looks like that kid back in school that tried way too hard to be cool and failed miserably. Unless you want to learn an OS from scratch with limited support and buy all new touch compatible hardware, don't bother with this. Win7 works and is stable. You're better off not switching.
Write a Review
Sponsored Premier Brands on CNET
