Bonneville America Forums Forums Off Topic Discussion Forums Lounge Windows 8?

So there are some pretty tech savvy folks here. What are your reviews of Windows 8? The tile thing leaves me lost. A local computer guy installed a patch that makes it look like 7, so I can navigate with familiarity.

Hey at least I left the dialup 13 year old cpu world and now have high-speed wireless w/laptop at home. Listening to my favourite radio stations streaming is cool.

jh

Windows 8 is ok on a semi-smart phone. On a real computer, windows 7 or even vista is considered an upgrade. If you don't mind a bit of a learning curve, Linux is a great OS.

Windows 8 is just another thing brought to you by the Department of New Crap.
It's not better, just different, but if they don't design new crap, the entire DONC gets fired.
Kinda like when they take a nicely styled bike or car & mess it up with a restyle.
W7 is better.

It works fine but I missed my desktop and start menu. There is a good little app called Start8 that puts it back. The app is $4.99 and well worth it for those who want the start back.

I installed Win8 on a box.

Funny, as a Mac user, I thought this version looked a bit easier on the eyes... and also harder to get at the settings if you need to tweak things around.

Both Mac and Windows are making systems that more and more are for the non-tinkerer and the person who doesn't want to dig in to get the best performance.

Remember the old axiom "If it ain't broke, don't fix it?" Well Microsoft believes the exact opposite. Anything that works, and that their customers have become used to and proficient with, must be completely changed. For some reason they have to completely modify the user interface every time they update the program. This is but the latest example of the contempt IT weenies have for those of us who simply want to use computers to accomplish work place tasks.

Thanks for the responses all. That's kind of what I picked up on. When I bought this HP laptop a month or so ago and asked for Windows 7, the salesman said it was no longer available or words to that effect. My IT brother said to avoid it if possible. Funny thing is my 20 something niece apparently adapted to it like a duck to water. Anyway I have the start button in the lower left again.

I yearn for the days when I had no telephone, actually wrote letters long hand and my Triumph had a kick start. Of course the world of ba.com is cool.

jh

My only experience with it is on my son's (he's 8) netbook we got him for Christmas. I am completely baffled by it. Apparently there is two ways to open Internet Explorer. (I found this out by asking a sales rep. in the store) The strange thing is that if you open it one way it will have problems with some flash videos but not if you open it the other way. He said it has something to do with flash and HTML5.

I run Linux (Ubuntu) on my computer at home but am no expert. I did a little tinkering and reading when I first installed it but lost interest. I still like Ubuntu but have no clue what to do when I run into a problem.

I have been looking at getting a new computer and Windows 8 has been the main thing stopping me. I'm actually looking more towards getting a Mac at the moment. I run a Mac Mini on the TV instead of paying for cable TV and am becoming more comfortable with it.

At first I HATED Win8; it came as the OS with a new desktop. It is the most unintuitive OS I've ever experienced. That said, after working with it for a few weeks, it's OK. That's from a WinXP person who still uses XP on 3 other PC's.

Smoke and mirrors thats all it is. Some bullshine to get people to drop coin.

I ruined my hotrod Digital Design PC usability by upgrading to Win 8. Lost bundled in programs in the transition, I'll be buying Mac/Apple or a Ubuntu system from now on.

I still have 7 old windows, but I'm hopin' to replace 'em all with some o' those high-efficiency Andersen units REAL soon, though they're not cheap ya know!!!

(...oh...wait...sorry...never mind)

I do make very good windows.

Blows

I think computer sales are tanking because of cell phones and tablets. The young folks have now matured with Ipad mini to big screen cells that surf the web.

They are so good with this stuff that they no longer need a big screen and big box sitting on the table with them.

Desktops and laptops are quickly becoming antiques. Windows 8 was made to attract the young with a cell phone type front end.

I am still on XP my daughter showed me how much better Google Chrome works with it, like a shot of Red Bull main line into the processor.

I liked FF much better than Chrome. I also liked 98 best but it isn't designed to handle the large memory we use now. I really liked the old Performa MAC I had as far as being user friendly but it wouldn't run a lot of programs. When I( replaced it I really wanted another MAC but I was getting 1/2 the computer for more money than if I bought a PC so I bought my first PC. I also liked XP better than 7 but would rather have 7 than 8 and hope I never have to go to 8 or anything like it.

Windows 8 is for touchscreens. If you don't have one you won't like it. I also used the tweek to make it function like 7 on my wife's new laptop. That way you get all the new stuff "under the hood" from 8 and it functions like 7. It IS the most efficient OS behind the scenes. Nothing else compares. Leaves the Mac OS using the same processor (as they most all do now) in the dust.

But, again, without a touchscreen it's not worth the bother. That's the whole point of the OS, to move to touchscreens.