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Windows 8
- Thread starter SfB_AkA._DeLiCiOuS
- Start date
Didn't want to start a new thread, but apologies for being slightly off topic....
I have an older machine at home with quad core, 4 gigs of RAM and a pretty reasonable graphics card that I've been considering upgrading from Windows XP so that I can add a little more out of it, especially with the addition of some more useable RAM.
Best guesses whether it would be worth it and whether I go Windows 7 or 8 ??
I have an older machine at home with quad core, 4 gigs of RAM and a pretty reasonable graphics card that I've been considering upgrading from Windows XP so that I can add a little more out of it, especially with the addition of some more useable RAM.
Best guesses whether it would be worth it and whether I go Windows 7 or 8 ??
I dropped windows 8 onto the first home machine. A 5yo laptop. Highly pecked at the the but a dual core with 4gb ram. Runs ok. It's basically the kids machine so it doesn't need to be a power house.
Not enamoured by the whole tiles thing. Much prefer to get to the desktop,and do what I ant. First thing I installed was a tiling to re-enable the start button.
Not enamoured by the whole tiles thing. Much prefer to get to the desktop,and do what I ant. First thing I installed was a tiling to re-enable the start button.
Haven't used it yet, but have read/heard enough gripes not to risk the upgrade just yet.
Most are saying it doesn't work well on large monitors. PC sales dropped this year while tablet sales apparently took off. Suspect iPad sales are eating into Microsoft's market share, so they're trying to wean people on to mobile computing. Sorry MS, doesn't work for me.
smasha said:
Most are saying it doesn't work well on large monitors. PC sales dropped this year while tablet sales apparently took off. Suspect iPad sales are eating into Microsoft's market share, so they're trying to wean people on to mobile computing. Sorry MS, doesn't work for me.
I think Windows 8 will suffer the same fate as Vista. Like XP, Windows 7 is too stable and usable to really be tempted off.
So far I just get annoyed with the windows 8 tiles. I've bought upgrades for my machines, while the discont period is on, but. Haven't installed on an bar one laptop.
So far I just get annoyed with the windows 8 tiles. I've bought upgrades for my machines, while the discont period is on, but. Haven't installed on an bar one laptop.
I'm about to buy a new laptop and it seems they all come with Windows 8. It looks very confusing to me. Considering these posts are several months old now I thought I'd bump this in hopes we might get some updates on the pros and cons of the program from people who have had time to experience and adjust to it.
Bought a new laptop myself about 2 months ago with Windows 8 on it. Initially found it pretty confusing as it's a fair change from XP that I've been using for what seems forever.
Pretty soon I realised that there's an icon for a traditional desk top. I put shortcuts to everything I use there and away i went happy as a proverbial. Probably not getting the most out of it this way, but it works fine, is very fast and seems very stable. Can't say I've had one problem.
Pretty soon I realised that there's an icon for a traditional desk top. I put shortcuts to everything I use there and away i went happy as a proverbial. Probably not getting the most out of it this way, but it works fine, is very fast and seems very stable. Can't say I've had one problem.
I've tinkered with it on virtual machines at work. Aesthetically it's all square edges and very "2D", as they've done away with Aero. It also doesn't provide a ready way to change the system fonts. Have installed an app (Start8) which restores the Windows 7 'Start' button and has a 'boot to desktop' option, so can't say I've explored much of the tile functionality as yet. Am rebuilding my HTPC at the moment and will put W8 on it; just not game to put it on my desktop.
At ~$50 it's a cheap upgrade, but only if you really consider it an "upgrade". I'd suggest if you're the type who enjoys innovation and trying new things, you'll appreciate W8, but if like me you prefer established paradigms, you might struggle. Personally I'm torn - I really want to like it, but the removal of the Start button has proved difficult to accept.
At ~$50 it's a cheap upgrade, but only if you really consider it an "upgrade". I'd suggest if you're the type who enjoys innovation and trying new things, you'll appreciate W8, but if like me you prefer established paradigms, you might struggle. Personally I'm torn - I really want to like it, but the removal of the Start button has proved difficult to accept.
Editorial from June edition of the long-running APC magazine:
As we mention on the letters pages, we've never come across a more polarising operating system than Windows 8. People either hate it or love it, and several months after its release the divisions show no signs of easing. But you know what? It's all academic. Possibly prompted by user feedback and disappointing laptop and PC sales since Windows 8 launched, Microsoft is readying an upgrade nicknamed Windows Blue (or Windows 8.1), which addresses some of the annoyances that have caused the rift over Windows 8. The upgrade is likely to include a Windows 7-like 'Start' button and offer users the option of booting directly into the desktop, thereby giving those who want the traditional desktop experience the ability to mostly ignore the Modern UI, or as Microsoft calls it, the Windows 8 menu.
This is wonderful news because Windows 8 is actually a very good operating system, superior to Windows 7 performance-wise, both in speed, but also in the way it handles a variety of hardware, most notably SSD drives. But in forcing users to the modern UI, which is clearly made for touchscreens and isn't an elegant solution for people using traditional desktops and big displays, it has alienated a humongous number of buyers and no doubt partly depressed the sales of not just the OS, but the hardware it runs on.
However, with Windows 8.1, Microsoft can remove the irritations and finally give the new Windows the audience it deserves, on millions more PCs that will benefit from having a leaner and meaner OS. That's when those who've resisted Windows 8 may finally appreciate it for what it is: a brilliant OS that also incorporates a vision of the future, giving users consistent and advanced functionality across a pantheon of digital devices ranging from PCs and laptops to tablets and even phones.
<paragraph about new generation of CPUs>
In fact, I'm really excited about what's in store for all those PC users who stayed away from the new OS. Looks like we're finally getting a Windows without the pigheaded interface stupidities that plagued Windows 8, and hardware that's optimised to work with what's effectively a brilliant and (right now) less than widely appreciated operating system. And for those who have also accepted that tablets and smartphones are an important part of our daily computing, Windows 8 gives them a consistent experience across them all.
As we mention on the letters pages, we've never come across a more polarising operating system than Windows 8. People either hate it or love it, and several months after its release the divisions show no signs of easing. But you know what? It's all academic. Possibly prompted by user feedback and disappointing laptop and PC sales since Windows 8 launched, Microsoft is readying an upgrade nicknamed Windows Blue (or Windows 8.1), which addresses some of the annoyances that have caused the rift over Windows 8. The upgrade is likely to include a Windows 7-like 'Start' button and offer users the option of booting directly into the desktop, thereby giving those who want the traditional desktop experience the ability to mostly ignore the Modern UI, or as Microsoft calls it, the Windows 8 menu.
This is wonderful news because Windows 8 is actually a very good operating system, superior to Windows 7 performance-wise, both in speed, but also in the way it handles a variety of hardware, most notably SSD drives. But in forcing users to the modern UI, which is clearly made for touchscreens and isn't an elegant solution for people using traditional desktops and big displays, it has alienated a humongous number of buyers and no doubt partly depressed the sales of not just the OS, but the hardware it runs on.
However, with Windows 8.1, Microsoft can remove the irritations and finally give the new Windows the audience it deserves, on millions more PCs that will benefit from having a leaner and meaner OS. That's when those who've resisted Windows 8 may finally appreciate it for what it is: a brilliant OS that also incorporates a vision of the future, giving users consistent and advanced functionality across a pantheon of digital devices ranging from PCs and laptops to tablets and even phones.
<paragraph about new generation of CPUs>
In fact, I'm really excited about what's in store for all those PC users who stayed away from the new OS. Looks like we're finally getting a Windows without the pigheaded interface stupidities that plagued Windows 8, and hardware that's optimised to work with what's effectively a brilliant and (right now) less than widely appreciated operating system. And for those who have also accepted that tablets and smartphones are an important part of our daily computing, Windows 8 gives them a consistent experience across them all.
Baloo said:
I'm reading September/October, official title Windows 8.1. Apparently they're re-instating the Start button, but on paper the other mooted changes don't thrill me. They seem determined to move away from the paradigm we're familiar with.
They are struggling. While I would love to have the same OS on a deskto and Tablet, I'm not sure the same UI makes sense.
Give me a touch based UI for my tablet and a mouse/keyboard based ui for the PC. Keep everything under the skin the same. That would make me happy.
Give me a touch based UI for my tablet and a mouse/keyboard based ui for the PC. Keep everything under the skin the same. That would make me happy.
