Windows 8

[MotoSook]

Any new info on WIN 8, especially on a tablet?

[Scott R]

Originally Posted by MotoSook

Any new info on WIN 8, especially on a tablet?

Our test laptop pool is having problems with performance on machines with video cards with fewer than 2GB of video ram.

[MotoSook]

Originally Posted by Scott R

Our test laptop pool is having problems with performance on machines with video cards with fewer than 2GB of video ram.

Not good..thanks.

[azasadny]

I'm running Win8 on my main desktop (the PC I'm using right now) and it's fine. If a PC /laptop can run Vista or Win7, it can certainly run Win8...

[MysticLlama]

I really have to shake my head at some of this stuff. It's really no different than any of the conversations about the issues with Win2k drivers, the green XP start menu, Vista driver issues, etc. etc.

I run 8 on my 5 year old laptop, which I'm typing on now, and on my Surface, on my primary work PC, and so far have 7 or 8 users at the office moved over. All new deployed PCs are getting switched.

The big problem is in perspective and frame of mind when looking at new things. Instead of getting hung up in what you can't do the same old way, spend some time and see what you might possibly gain. The developers didn't spend a couple years of code just to get rid of the start menu and put in a screen of tiles.

A few examples:
Pin your most used items to the taskbar or make desktop shortcuts so that you don't have to go back and forth from desktop mode.

Learn that when on the metro start screen, it searches quickly by default, you don't have to pin everything. I can more quickly hit start->type c-o-n-t and hit enter and get to control panel faster than you can move the mouse around. (btw, has worked this way since Vista, but oddly hardly anyone uses start menu search)

To shut it down, just hit alt-f4, why mess with the charms menu?

The charms menu and app switching are slightly awkward until you get used to it on a desktop, but work awesome on a Surface.

All apps created specifically for Win8 now have their search button and options in the same place, this is a huge bonus.

We're rolling out video conferencing here and there and there was a lot of push to put iPads at all the sites and use Facetime. That's be great and all, but iPads suck for multiple users, they'd not be charged, etc. etc. Conversely, Skype was a bit of a pain to use on Win7 for the less technical people, involving calling, getting the other person to log in, making the call, etc. etc.

With Skype on Win8, it runs in the background, your MS account can be attached to your domain account for single log on, and when someone starts a call, it pops up on the screen and you click it. It also will run on the PCs we already have and will continue to have for business apps, the iPads we already have out there, some Surfaces we're about to buy, and several phones. Apple blew it here not making Facetime cross platform. I would have easily bought 10 iPads and 50 copies of Facetime at $20 each since that's what the boss originally wanted.

Hooking your MS account to your domain account will let you log on to your PC, see your OneNote notebooks that are synced to SkyDrive, then wander off and check them on your phone, or borrow one of the company Surfaces (that do multi-user very well) and head into a meeting or out of office somewhere.

It's not going to go away, it's not going to die off, can either learn to get the most out of it right away or wait until you're eventually forced. Some people may think XP and Office 2003 work just fine, but we use a ton of features in our environment that help us be productive that require at least Win7 and Office 2010, and we're basically immediately going to Win8 and Office 2013, seeking out the new features, and making use of them.

Sorry for the rant, but some of the focus on little stuff just gets super annoying. If you went and bought a new 911 you wouldn't ***** constantly that the windshield wiper stalk was on the other side, you'd just get used to it.

[stealthn]

Valid post Rob, but at a minimum MS should have made things easier and more intuitive. They did just the opposite. Learning 20-30 keyboard shortcuts for something you could do with a couple of clicks for the last 10 years is arrogant on their part thinking they know better than the end user.

What they should have done is let you customize every aspect of the interface for your own choices. I find that if you do not wish to have your PC interacting with Microsoft it looses about 50% of it's functionality.

Just my two cents

Bob

[MysticLlama]

I don't disagree with that, but I do understand where some of it was going.

I've read a lot of the building windows and building office blogs, and when you read the reasons, it starts to make more sense.

For PCs, hybrid sleep is the new thing, shutting it down isn't so common, for tablets, you pretty much never do a shutdown. So the fact that it's not quite as easy just isn't a big deal. Also, it's easy on a tablet, it's a PC it's awkward on.

I do think that the MS account nagging is a little over the top and should be less, but again, you need the same exact thing for an iPhone, Android, Windows Phone, iPad, etc. etc., that's just where things are going. I do greatly wish that it was easier to control a batch of those from an IT standpoint in an organization. I just hope to set some policies and get ahead of figuring it out before I find all of our files are all over personal account SkyDrives everywhere.

On a desktop, I don't see losing any functionality vs. Win7 by not having an MS account, but it's true that you're missing a bunch of the new features.

I don't mind some customization, but since I have to deal with a bunch of machines all the time, I don't like to see them all super different.

One huge thing that drove me crazy, and still gets me is that my way of opening a new IE window was always Windows Key > down arrow > enter, and now that doesn't work, so I have to actually use my mouse. Irritating as hell, but I'll get over it.

There are some clusters around the control panels, etc. I don't think it really would have taken more than a few extra UI people to port all of them to the new UI, the old stuff sucks with touchscreens.

Wins:
Sharing / Search / App switching on tablets / Speed / Hidden things like storage spaces (which rocks)

Losses:
Control Panels / Trying to run in a full desktop mode / Commercials (Apple always wins because they show what you can actually DO with something) / MS account nagging

We should start a new thread on Office 2013, that somehow went backwards from even the preview version in a lot of ways, oops.

And people who are still on XP shouldn't even read this thread, their opinion doesn't count.

[slodave]

Microsoft just keeps F'ing up Office. Office 2010 ended up confusing a lot of end users. It's still frustrating to move around in Word and Excel. Adobe did something similar with PS CS6. Most of that interface is the same, but they did away with a few buttons and such.

[Joeaksa]

Originally Posted by slodave

Microsoft just keeps F'ing up Office. Office 2010 ended up confusing a lot of end users. It's still frustrating to move around in Word and Excel. Adobe did something similar with PS CS6. Most of that interface is the same, but they did away with a few buttons and such.

Am still using Office 2003 for that very same reason. MS keeps doing silly things trying to make the program look like its revamped and worth our $$ but IMHO its not, or at least not for me.

[Scott R]

Hybrid sleep is the main issue we have from a technical standpoint. We have 35k laptops and desktops here and something like 10% can support that feature, the rest have to be disabled in order to shut down correctly.

To many compromises.

[RANDY P]

I just dropped Win 8 on my old Desktop (1.83 core2) with 4Gig ram -

It's much, much faster and more stable than XP was. The interface is annoying as hell to use and it's catered to 9 year old girls with all the pretty customization, but I'm learning to use it.

MSFT does spam the **** out of you, trying to get you to subscribe (and pay them) forever and ever. Need the special MSFT account to do anything.

rjp

[Joeaksa]

XP????

Randy thats back from the dark ages!

[RANDY P]

Originally Posted by Joeaksa

XP????

Randy thats back from the dark ages!

I absolutely refused to go to Vista. I spent the money ($1K+) on a new Macbook Pro instead of a measly $100 on Vista. I have been a MSFT user for so long I just got used to thinking a computer is supposed to require OS reinstallation every 6 months and constant fiddling to keep working. Wasn't so with Apple.

Considering the amount of time I spend on a computer this Macbook is the best money I ever spent.

I feel like I was suffering from battered wife syndrome while on MSFT.

I just decided to do something with this old desktop-it's virtually unused (from my old office) so I spent $40 for Win 8, a more current video card and some ram and I can say, it works well.

I'm not into learning all kinds of new little movements and gyrations just to operate the OS- I suspect many who complain about Win 8 are in the same boat- however at least 8 is stable. Can't ask for much more from MSFT.

EDIT- yes, $40 was an acceptable risk. And Llama- I consider the UI interface on 8 to be the equivalent of MSFT moving the steering wheel to the rear deck where the fin should go

rjp

[Vipergrün]

Just received the Windows 8 DVD from my MSDN subscription.

Installed it on a decent system and it seems ok so far.

The whole tiled desktop looks like a bunch of post-it-notes from an OCD person

Biggest complaint, NO RDP service on this version. Looks like you have to have Pro or Ent. WTF.

I mean, that is just basic. Stupid move.

That's why I use a macbook for my day to day stuff. MS is and will be crap.

I almost prefer the days of windows 3.x and trumpet winsock.

[RANDY P]

Originally Posted by Vipergrün

Just received the Windows 8 DVD from my MSDN subscription.

Installed it on a decent system and it seems ok so far.

The whole tiled desktop looks like a bunch of post-it-notes from an OCD person

Biggest complaint, NO RDP service on this version. Looks like you have to have Pro or Ent. WTF.

I mean, that is just basic. Stupid move.

That's why I use a macbook for my day to day stuff. MS is and will be crap.

I almost prefer the days of windows 3.x and trumpet winsock.

LOL best description yet!

Mac is where it's at.

[azasadny]

I setup/rebuild/repair about 10 PC's a month and I almost always recommend Win7 on them. I'm getting familiar with Win8 and I would recommend that with the caveat "Do not expect this version of Windows to be anything like previous versions". If the person is "open" to learning and experimenting, then I think they will like Win8. Two friends got Win8 last week and they both really like it. I'm having a few small issues, but overall, I like Win8, but I also use "Classic Shell" as a crutch...

[gr8fl4porsche]

RDP comes on the standard pro version which is the only retail version I have seen for sale.

My understanding is that Win8 Pro ($68) is full featured except for Win Media Center. WMC is another $68.

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by Joeaksa

XP????

Randy thats back from the dark ages!

Gotta buy a new 'puter for the son this year, gonna get him windoze 7 so's he can talk to the other kids at school.
Guess who gets his ole XP puter which is lots faster than mine?

[azasadny]

There are a few little things that I don't like about Win8, but the sheer speed and responsiveness has me hooked!!

[Scott R]

Originally Posted by azasadny

There are a few little things that I don't like about Win8, but the sheer speed and responsiveness has me hooked!!

It's likely your imagination, between Futuremark and Tom's Windows 7x64 benches higher than 8 on most things.



That's when you can benchmark it of course, a lot of graphic intensive items are simply failing. The joys of a new OS.

Some boot times are a bit better, but nothing most people will notice.



And again, most times it bombs out on the higher end stuff.



Gentlemen, start your benches: Measuring Windows 8′s performance | Ars Technica

Kind of a mess when you include the downsides of Metro and the lackluster performance.