Windows 8 Discussion

[Meleti]

Actually, the most important question for me - is the Win8 command line still a piece of excrement? Using Win7's command line was physically painful at times; compared to OS X or any Linux distro known to man, it feels like I've been transported back to the 90s.

[Auralan]

No one said you had to buy Windows 8. Personally I think it looks great.

Thinking before one posts really is rare nowadays, eh?

Have fun playing the latest games properly when the next DirectX and .NET Framework are only supported by Windows 8. They've been forcing serious gamers into upgrading for years now. Please don't give us this "you don't have to" crap, because it's not true.

That, and considering that the many new Metro apps will be developed in HTML5, with completely new API's and with a different base UI in mind, you can pretty much kiss the idea of easily using them in Windows 7 goodbye.

Don't have to buy it, unless you actually want to use all the stuff that runs fully only on the latest Windows. If you want to drive a fancy sportscar, you're going to have to buy the engine too. (yeah, I really couldn't come up with a better comparison then that, sue me)

Having options within an OS is awesome aint it?

I can already hear the Linux fans laughing at Windows 8 users who think they have many options, lol.

Why does it matter if it's just an app? If it works great it works great, if it doesn't use W7, Microsoft wont care, they get your money either way.

Because people appearantly would like the option to have the classic desktop as the OS' shell, not having it run as an app on top of a shell that will never be used. It'll only use up the system's resources and sit there running in the background forever. That makes it useless to have when you're of the opinion that the classic style is better, and people (generally) don't seem to like to pay for stuff that's useless to them.

I am one of those people, if that wasn't clear yet.

Come back after you have used it. Crying about something after seeing one screenshot is a waste of everyone's time. It has significant flaws, like not being able to tap and drag with the mouse in the apps, but nothing like what you are complaining about. Apparently this is going to be another PR disaster because people complain about something without

Your post holds little value when your title says "not good with computers".

But in all seriousness, it's not screenshots, man. You can already download and use it. That, and the basics of the OS are pretty much identical to what they've done for tablets now. It's not very hard to compare the two, so anyone who's ever used a tablet with a tile system can easily form an opinion on wether or not they'd like a similar system on their desktops.

Also: at the moment there's not even a way to properly have multiple apps open next to each other on your screen. Why do I have a 32" screen when it won't let me have a simple combo like word and excel next to each other? At least not when using the new UI, still doable with the desktop app it seems. What a weird way of having to do things. Open an app to be able to work with other apps. :s

[vesseblah]

Actually, the most important question for me - is the Win8 command line still a piece of excrement? Using Win7's command line was physically painful at times; compared to OS X or any Linux distro known to man, it feels like I've been transported back to the 90s.

PowerShell was added years ago... Current version 2.x fixes most of the problems for command line throwbacks and can even do some tricks not possible in *ix

[Deleted]

I only just got Windows 7, now I'm outdated all over again

[mafao]

As long as they can do it in a way that *doesn't* make me feel like I'm using a 3-year old's toy, I'll be happy.

(Hint: The newest version of internet explorer irritates the hell out of me because I hate the huge "friendly" icons, and I don't like chrome because it's too minimalistic. I'm not averse to innovation, and simpler is often better, but if starts to feel like it's a ported version of a tablet system or it starts to feel like it was designed for a chimpanzee, I'm not going to use it as long as possible.)

Well, you seem to be that old-school type of the power user who is confident and actually fond of navigating complex software. I like my software minimalistic. I don't need any "choice", I just want to be able to do my things effectively. I do like complex software like Emacs and Blender though, because it is minimalistic in its own sense ^^ This is just a different taste, I guess.

[iceberg265]

Don't buy it if you don't like it. I'm still using vista /shrug

[Chowderman]

That funky blockie thing is just an the same way Windows Media Center is. Even though M$ marketed it as the actual operating system UI. The actual real windows desktop is there, its just marketing to show the blocks for some reason.

[mafao]

Actually, the most important question for me - is the Win8 command line still a piece of excrement? Using Win7's command line was physically painful at times; compared to OS X or any Linux distro known to man, it feels like I've been transported back to the 90s.

Windows actually has this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_PowerShell

Not Unix, but fairly similar to it, and easily extensible. I am puzzled myself why they don't include it as standart.

[Beasty]

It looks alright, I REALLY enjoy using Lion though so it's going to take a lot to stop me getting an imac with a trackpad as my main computer. Looks promising though.

[Auralan]

That funky blockie thing is just an the same way Windows Media Center is. Even though M$ marketed it as the actual operating system UI. The actual real windows desktop is there, its just marketing to show the blocks for some reason.

Actually, it isn't. As it is now, the desktop is the app, and the tiles are the actual operating UI, also knows as the shell.

[Cyanotical]

Actually, it isn't. As it is now, the desktop is the app, and the tiles are the actual operating UI, also knows as the shell.

technically the previous desktops are applets within explorer, this is nothing new, there are just two of them

although i doubt the tablet UI will ship with home versions, more then likely the only desktop version to have it will be ultimate

[Deleted]

Don't buy it if you don't like it. I'm still using vista /shrug

Thats the same as using Windows ME after XP came out. Not something you should be proud off.

[randomone05]

Actually, it isn't. As it is now, the desktop is the app, and the tiles are the actual operating UI, also knows as the shell.

well then its one hell of an app. i think if they made an actual "desktop" version of windows 8 it would be better. it IS aimed at the tablet market and touchscreen PC market. but im ok with that. as long as there is a way to "use" the desktop without playing tile tick tack toe i think i can survive. and they have ample time to tweak the desktop "app" and the tile UI with the feedback they get in this preview and the beta.

side note: still runs WoW like a champ :P if it didn't i would have been worried..

[kekeoki]

I just hope they don't get lazy, i've looked at some of windows 7/vista code and they used floats where ints would have worked, declared things weird and have some pretty redundant code. I mean have you ever wondered why your quad core machine loads windows 7 as fast as your old single core machine used to load windows xp?

[Sackman]

apparently, the good old standard "desktop" is an app, a fucking after thought. That doesn't make me feel any better.

start - run - cmd - explorer.exe

...

dot dot dot.

"I already hate something new that possibly heightens my experience and provides the previous incarnation of the experience included".

---------- Post added 2011-09-14 at 02:52 PM ----------

lol... 450 billion..

65 copies per person on the earth, seems reasonable o_O

[Cyanotical]

start - run - cmd - explorer.exe

...

dot dot dot.

"I already hate something new that possibly heightens my experience and provides the previous incarnation of the experience included".

cant do that, no start, no run, have to use the "super+R" combo

[Sackman]

Well, you seem to be that old-school type of the power user who is confident and actually fond of navigating complex software. I like my software minimalistic. I don't need any "choice", I just want to be able to do my things effectively. I do like complex software like Emacs and Blender though, because it is minimalistic in its own sense ^^ This is just a different taste, I guess.

I noticed vivid changes in browser styles too because they seem to throw away what was working fine and make me learn it again lol.

Refresh buttons just decided to up and move and change icons, back and forward buttons pissing off and changing how they look, stop and refresh buttons joining together.

I don't really mind either way, but I can definitely empathise with the confusion.

[Cyanotical]

couple screenshots:

[Sackman]

cant do that, no start, no run, have to use the "super+R" combo

Ahh was just trying to explain that explorer.exe is also an application. (in current and previous iterations of Windows).

Also, how are people already so familiar that they know the other interface options are not running shell commands lol. Crazy talk, craaazy talk. I don't even know how it would be possible for it not be communicating with the kernel considering it is the UI but perhaps thats because im not a programmer....

You are saying that using the "optional" classic interface would involve classic ui -> win8 ui -> kernel ? instead of just classic,win8 ui -> kernel.

I swear throwing around terms that even knowledgeable computer users have limited understanding of is not a basis for arguing a shit OS... nor is saying things about an OS without providing a source or proof.

---------- Post added 2011-09-14 at 03:15 PM ----------

No its not fine. It relies on outdated elements while there are alternatives which are more convenient and productive for the user. Of course it works, and its useable. But it could be so much better: see for instance the Gnome desktop or OS X in comparison. I could let my granny on one of these systems and she will be able to find where to configure the network after few minutes. Everything is exactly where you expect it, you don't have to navigate complex menus or read hundreds of options to find the correct one. With Windows (I use Windows only for gaming nowadays), I am often at loss how to set up certain things, and I have been working with computers from the age I could walk.

You make it seem worse than it is. It is certainly dated but, as I have mentioned about browsers - changing something dramatically would have a negative effect for most users. Slow change, is the only way to change, successfully and profitably where it concerns user interface interaction.

Overhauling a design that has been used for 15 years or more, completely, is a bit radical and likely unfavourable for the ridiculous amount of computers in homes and offices running the OS.

But I do agree, it is nice to see them making steps towards modernising the UI.

---------- Post added 2011-09-14 at 03:21 PM ----------

technically the previous desktops are applets within explorer, this is nothing new, there are just two of them

although i doubt the tablet UI will ship with home versions, more then likely the only desktop version to have it will be ultimate

Isn't the shell just explorer.exe and the UI built on top of that - with any ui instruction just saying "oi explorer, need this pl0x"

Thats the way I saw it when my friend was showing off his ability to manipulate using simple programs and win api.

Perhaps I saw it wrong though. Completely possible, I am a programming nub.

[Deleted]

the ability to mount CD images without the third-party software (I am not even talking about OS-level support of PDF)

Uh-oh, Windows 8 does have it.

i have it installed and the "desktop app" IS windows 7 desktop with a few mods to it. and as it was stated before i DL'd it, this is PRE beta. so theres gonna be a ton of stuff to change between now and release.

Actually, it isn't. As it is now, the desktop is the app, and the tiles are the actual operating UI, also knows as the shell.

You can switch to Windows 8 7-like interface anytime you want and forget the metro UI for good. It's not an "app".

Jeez get your facts from serious tech websites, not USAToday T_T