Poll: Windows 8

[Fluffythepoo]

Hmm maybe this is actually a good spot to ask, wanting to upgrade my desktop to win 8 b4 i upgrade it, i wanna get the win8 pro student offer, but cant because im canadien (i got in on the 70 for an upgrade for anyone b4 feb offer on 2/3 of my comps). So i am a student at a uvi but edu accounts are only for us students.

Any american students mind lending me their .edu account?

 

[The Artificially Prolonged]

I don't like it very much from what I've used. The new metro thing is very unintuitive to use to me even when I kind of got used to it that doing anything feels like more work than it should. I have no problem to adjusting to new desktop layouts, I used Linux also for years now and I could have a different desktop environment every day of the week and still be able to use the computer effectively, however metro feels like a giant step back when I have to google how to find the shut down button. Granted it does get more flack than it deserves because people don't like change very much, Unity and Gnome 3 got similar reactions when they where released, however they did prove useful in the end unlike how I feel metro will.

The biggest thing for me is I find the apps useless on a desktop when generally opening a web browser to use the apps functions is quicker and runs better, eg. netflix. The snapping of apps along side your desktop sounds good until you find most don't scale well and you can't have the app and desktop take up an even amount of screen space, just one in large focus and one squished into the side, defeating the purpose of such a feature in the first place.

Aside from that I quite happy sticking to Win7/Linux and given that the performance of Win 8 is only slightly better than 7, plus the fact Win 8's secure boot thing doesn't like to play nice with Linux installs I see no reason to use it myself.

I haven't liked a Microsoft OS since Bill stopped running the place. (Screw you 7!)
I hate Apple, and I'm afraid to use Linux for fear of messing something up irreparably, so I guess I'm stuck waiting for the Google OS to come out and reach mainstream saturation.

Do not fear the Linux. Behold the mighty GNU. Embrace it. Become one with the it. And you will see a garden without walls or windows. A garden of clay to mold as you see fit.

Or try a burning a live cd to try a linux os without making any changes to your system. Also check out the Escapist's Linux Group for all your Linux talk and help /shameless plug.

 

[CrimsonBlaze]

I just have two gripes with Window 8.

The first is the following:
Windows, get your damn tablet OS out of my damn desktop and laptop computers.

Sure it might seem like a blast if you have a touch screen interface device (or nothing that resembles a sensible computer), but for all of us who just want a competent OS for our "giant machines" that are questionably portable, we like to have something that works, we're familiar with, and that we can jump right in without having a tutorial chained to our ankle.

The second is that this just wreaks of laziness. Yes, I get that Windows feels it needs to create a new OS every few years, despite people being happy with what they are currently using, but what happened here? They just ported the tablet OS and repackaged it as the new desktop and laptop OS. It's like the PSP interface being ported into the PS3; yeah, it functional, but it just seems silly and a bit unimaginative.

All I ask is that Windows 8 takes a lesson from Apple and allow us to have two modes to work with (i.e. regular Apple desktop and a PC desktop). The first mode will be the standard Windows 7 desktop for sensible PC users and the second can be the Windows 8 OS for douchy, pretentious "Look at me! I have the latest of something so that means I'm popular and relevant!" consumers.

 

[Tufty94]

All I ask is that Windows 8 takes a lesson from Apple and allow us to have two modes to work with (i.e. regular Apple desktop and a PC desktop). The first mode will be the standard Windows 7 desktop for sensible PC users and the second can be the Windows 8 OS for douchy, pretentious "Look at me! I have the latest of something so that means I'm popular and relevant!" consumers.

You can do that though

 

[McKitten]

MorganL4 is acutally right, to some extent.
Vista during its developtment phase was called Longhorn, which was ended prematurely (due to having spent too much time developing it) and you ended up with Vista and Win 7 is Longhorn in its full glory.

I'm not saying he's wrong, just pointing out that on release, Vista was a horrible mess on the order of ME. And the difference between release Vista and patched Vista is just about as large as that between Vista and 7.