Seeing as it came out like a week ago, I'd like to know everyone's thoughts about Microsoft Windows 8. I personally hate it, but in the interests of science and community, I want to know what you girls think. Discuss.
I've gotta put a bootcamp partition on my new mac so I think I'll take the plunge with this and go back to 7 if I don't like it. I'm hoping that, since Metro is supposed to be touch friendly, drivers will be released which let the apple track pad do it's smooth scrolling and gesture thang under Windows 8. If I'm gonna be forced in to a touch friendly interface on a desktop machine then I should at least be able to utilise it as well as possible with my touch pad. My IT consultant at work has been running the developer preview for a while and he seem to have come round somewhat. Once you get past Metro it's apparently just a quicker, smoother version of Windows 7 which is pretty damn nice anyway. I'll be interested to see how much of a hurdle I find the UI shift to be. [br][/br]Edited by merge: So I put Windows 8 on today. Don't like Metro (or Windows UI/whatever they're calling it now), but I installed Start8 almost immediately and it's really nice. It's pretty damn smooth and quick as an OS, has native image mounting (finally!) and looks quite nice. I dislike how I need a $4.99 app to make it work as I want, but overall it's not bad so far.
Windows 8 is ****. I was going to upgrade my Vista desktop to Windows 8 because of how cheaply I could do it, but the more I read and learned about 8, the more I ended up hating it. I ended up going with Windows 7 for the upgrade instead because I already have that on my Laptop and have been extremely happy with it. And the more I continue to find out about 8, I find myself feeling more and more glad that I chose to go with 7 rather than 8. Hell, the fact that a 3rd-Party software is needed to make it run even close to how it used to (start menu, etc...) is just further evidence of how **** Windows 8 is. If a 3rd-Party software can re-implement the old Windows functionality so easily, Microsoft could have just as easily kept or re-implemented that functionality themselves, and I'll be damned if I going to pay more to get something back in Windows 8 that should have never been tampered with or removed from Windows 7 and prior in the first place. I even saw a Staples add in the newspaper offering to provide services from a certified expert to help teach people how to use Windows 8. Why the hell should I have to "re-learn" how to use Windows? Don't get me wrong, Windows 8 looks like it would be fine for a Tablet or primarily touch-screen device, but NOT for a desktop or laptop PC. If you have 7, stick with 7. And if you're upgrading from XP or Vista, upgrade to 7.
So let me get this straight supernova. You hate windows 8 because you don't want to be bothered to learn how to use it. Not just annoyed or disappointed it has a steeper learning curve but down right hate something you've only read about? FYI, it's a simple button shortcut to switch between the new ui and the desktop look. I have tried it out, I definitely think I will like the pro version capable of running win32 applications than the more closed off RT architecture. Having said that, the interface is pretty smooth once you learned how to move around in it. The live tiles thing is very convenient. Overall I think this interface is the right direction for Microsoft. Allowing to start from the desktop should be an option, I think Microsoft just forced people to go through the new UI so they would get used to seeing it.
And there's my biggest issue, Microsoft forcing it on us. If Microsoft wants to experiment with a new interface, fine, but allow the option to revert back to the tried-and-true Windows interface by default for those that prefer it. As for me hating Windows 8, yes, I do. I hate the idea of it and its interface (for laptops and desktops), and I hate that Microsoft is forcing it on us with no option to not use that interface. You can go on and on about being able to get the desktop "look" back all you want, but the "functionality" is gone unless I buy a separate 3rd Party program to put it back. I asked about that very thing at the Microsoft forums prior to making my decision, and was confirmed such by the Rep. that answered me, who proceeded to link me to said 3rd Party program.
Windows 8 works great for tables and touch. There's not a massive learning curve, at least when I had the beta a few months ago. However if your using a Desktop/Laptop then stick with 7 or if your upgrading from an older OS choose 7.