Windows 8 = Fail

Yesh! I can't come up with enough foul words to describe this nightmare operating system.

Friend bought a new machine with it as the OS, and it's been a nightmare or comical farce getting through it and making the machine vaguely useable.

At least the 8.1 preview update has helped. That and half a dozen or so code hacks I was able to find.

I've been running it for almost a year (including betas). No complaints.

I think anyone who complains about Windows 8 should go back to using DOS or Windows 3.1.

I think everyone who values privacy, usability and money should be using free and open source operating systems and those with the chops should be helping improve them. People who feel trapped by a vendor only feel that way because they are unaware or afraid of the alternatives.

My 68 year old mother who is barely computer literate has a linux desktop she manages to use for web/email, office, paying bills, printing stuff... why are people still paying Microsoft and Apple to tell them how they can use their own hardware?

Get off my lawn.

GPS, I agree with you.

Even Android can be run on desktop level for computer neophytes

I like win7 definity a step up from win xp. The couple times I tried 8 it just was irritating. I understand that Microsoft is trying to merg the touch screen tablet os with the PC but so far it makes both suck.

For those that care there is a program that takes the Win8 interface and turns it in to something similar to the Win 7 one.

dean1484 wrote: For those that care there is a program that takes the Win8 interface and turns it in to something similar to the Win 7 one.

You know, if you just use the desktop in Win 8 it behaves a lot like 7. Mine stays on teh Desktop mode all teh time, and I only switch to the app screen when I want to (by hovering the cursor over teh bottom corner). No hacks or codes or third party software solutions. Built right in. How it looks on my machine:

The easiest concept to get someone used to Windows 8 is that start menu now takes up the full screen, and can additionally do some tablet stuff. 8 is pretty easy once that clicks.

I've posted it before, but Start8 from Stardock is very much worth the $5 to alleviate the pain of the Metro UI.

I still hate windows 8 with a passion. You can learn it's tricks, but it is NOT intuitive. I find very clunky to use, even on the desktop screen. Hate it, hate it, hate it, hate it, hate it. There's not enough hate it's in the world to describe it!

Chris_V wrote:

dean1484 wrote: For those that care there is a program that takes the Win8 interface and turns it in to something similar to the Win 7 one.

You know, if you just use the desktop in Win 8 it behaves a lot like 7. Mine stays on teh Desktop mode all teh time, and I only switch to the app screen when I want to (by hovering the cursor over teh bottom corner). No hacks or codes or third party software solutions. Built right in. How it looks on my machine:

This. I use Win8 like I used Win7 and it's fine. Better in a lot of ways, in fact. I don't get the hatred for it. As soon as I log in I click on "Desktop" and I never look at Metro again.

GPS, you make a good point about free/open-source OSs. I am running Ubuntu on one of my machines. It has become remarkably easy to use in the last few years. But it still doesn't have the breadth or depth of software available for it that OS X and (especially) Windows do. Then there's the fact that I've been using Windows for 20 years and I know it inside out. There's a comfort factor for me in that. Yes, there are a lot of annoying things about it, but I know how to get around them.

To change screen resolution or font size requires administrator rights and for the user to log out, and then log back in.

Say what you will about that being just fine. I'm going to say it sucks big time, and is not an improvement.

That's just one example, there are many others. Like default starting in a lock screen, not the menu; control functions outside the edges of the screen; two control panels; etc.

Complexity added for the sake of complexity IMHO

In reply to scardeal:

Why is that?

Win8 blows. I'll use Win7 until Microsoft stops trying to force that tablet interface down the user's throats.

Hard drive on the old computer died. Visited three stores begging folks to check NOS just in case there was one with Win 7 still in a box in the back. No dice, having to adjust. I'm not saying I hate 8 as much as the thing that has been most hated in the entire history of hate..but Tom_Spangler is right. There's ways to get around it.

OTOH..the first couple of days learning how to circumvent that crap got me pretty PO'd. I actually walked out of the store, only went back in after someone chased me out saying "..sir, if you don't want to buy the touch screen monitor, you can get by with a regular keyboard & mouse!". I feel so dirty for walking back in..but I was pretty tired of fooling around online on the damn xBox.

EDIT: NOS="New, Old Stock", not NAWS. Y'all should go read CM more often. And suscribe.

if you hate the win8 start screen check out retroUI... completely bypasses all that, adds a start button... i'd prefer to have win7 on this laptop but it's been a good compromise

donalson wrote: if you hate the win8 start screen check out retroUI... completely bypasses all that, adds a start button... i'd prefer to have win7 on this laptop but it's been a good compromise

I've heard there are quite a few add-on programs that put a start button on the desktop and boot directly to the desktop interface. While that sounds great Win8 should've had this option out of the box. The only reason Microsoft didn't enable this is because they knew that the user's would disable the tablet interface permanently. Never to be seen again. Because of their obstinate attitude they are now forced into making a very public change. Much like the announcement of the Xbox and it's previous licensing restriction on rental, borrowed, or resold games. Microsoft has completely lost the plot when it comes to knowing their user's wants and needs. That or they just don't care.

Windows = Fail

Haven't tried 8, or 7. Been running XP for a very long time and still can barely use it. 3.1 was fine for me. Updated only because newer programs wouldn't work on it. Windows ME and 2000 are total disasters. Even though I'm supposed to be of the tech savvy generation, it's a real struggle for me to learn this stuff. Every time I have to deal with something new, it's obsolete and needs to be replaced by the time I've got it (sort of) figured out.

Xceler8x wrote: .....The only reason Microsoft didn't enable this is because they knew that the user's would disable the tablet interface permanently....

The rumor is that Win 8 SP1 will have the option to disable / bypass it. That should be out pretty soon.

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: I think everyone who values privacy, usability and money should be using free and open source operating systems and those with the chops should be helping improve them. People who feel trapped by a vendor only feel that way because they are unaware or afraid of the alternatives. My 68 year old mother who is barely computer literate has a linux desktop she manages to use for web/email, office, paying bills, printing stuff... why are people still paying Microsoft and Apple to tell them how they can use their own hardware? Get off my lawn.

Tell me more about these - I messed with Ubuntu a while back but never got past the basics. Do you still have media player issues from licensing and whatnot? What's the distro for the quick n' easy fix these days?

I have to redo the laptop 7 install as it's bogged down to complete uselessness and I have a 7 disc to do it with, just wondering if Linux is competitive.

Xceler8x wrote: I've heard there are quite a few add-on programs that put a start button on the desktop and boot directly to the desktop interface.

There are. There's also the pre-release of Windows 8.1 that I'm running, which has some of it.

All of which is beside the point. I shouldn't have to spend hours trying to unfutz a brand new "improved" operating system in order to make it useable.

aircooled wrote: The rumor is that Win 8 SP1 will have the option to disable / bypass it. That should be out pretty soon.

Thanks for telling me that Aircooled. When Win8 sp1 hits I'll check into it. I might actually install it on my laptop then.

foxtrapper wrote: To change screen resolution or font size requires administrator rights and for the user to log out, and then log back in. Say what you will about that being just fine. I'm going to say it sucks big time, and is *not* an improvement. That's just one example, there are many others. Like default starting in a lock screen, not the menu; control functions outside the edges of the screen; two control panels; etc.

I have all those thinkgs on my wiork computer and have had it since Win XP. So starting on a lock screen instead of a menu is normal for me, as it's required for us here. Having to be an admin to change screen resolution is normal, though I don't have my Win8 laptop set up that way (I can change resolution on the fly, and have). But, I'm always an admin on my machine and just do the normal right click, personalize, then set the resolution.

There have always been multiple ways of getting to things in Windows. For example the My Computer icon, the Computer link in the Start menu, or the folder icon on the task bar, all get you to the same place. I usually have the taks bar hidden on my work machine, tomaximize screen space, so I'm used to moving the cursor to the edge to unhide it to get to the task bar or start menu, so having it on the edge of the screen in 8 is no different to me.

Yeah, there are slight differences, but overall it's not onerous to find the new location for the same thing, and once you've found it, it's as fast as 7 or XP was to use.