Windows 8 Discussion

[Santaman]

I've got a few Linux machines around, the fastest is a Celeron 440 with a gig of RAM which runs Xubuntu, it has its flaws here and there but all in all it does everything you want except gaming, installation nowadays is easier than Windows, I've used several versions and varieties of Ubuntu, Fedora and OpenSuse on a whole bunch of Intel and AMD machines and they all installed the correct drivers and so on.

Also there are several lightweight distro's around which can turn an old Pentium II with 128 Mb RAM and a 2 Gb HDD into something useful.

The only hickup is when something isn't working, that will mean you'll have to dig for answers online and use the terminal to type in commands, some people could be a little intimidated by that.

 

[Charlie Kelly]

I'm still skeptical about removing the start menu completely, I really think Microsoft should include the option to turn it back on in the final release. But saying that I've been using Windows 8 on my netbook since the developer release last year and I haven't really missed it. I normally use the start menu to simply search for the program I'm looking for and you can still just type on the new start screen to search in the same way. Apart from that the Metro interface is mostly hidden.

I know I'm probably in the minority but I love the ribbon and I love how they've added it to explorer. Also the new task manager is a huge improvement, finally you can see which programs are using the hard disk!

What I am excited for is the hybrid machines, having a tablet and netbook in one would be fantastic. As long as the prices aren't too steep...

 

[Shaytan]

Is there enough of a Linux presence on the TrekBBS for a Linux thread -- a calm discussion one, vs a "Linux sux, Mac is better, Windows yadda yadda" flame-fest type?? Coincidentally, I've been toying with the idea of starting one in hopes of the former, following the release of Precise Pangolin...

We're a few Linux users, not a lot I think. There is certainly some space for a reasonable discussion about Linux.

I'm not interested in Windows 8 at all. I've switched to Linux in 2005 without regrets. I used to have a partition with XP but now I only have it installed on Virtual box but I very rarely use it.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

I pretty much only stick with Windows on the desktop because of games. If Steam was ported to Linux and made to support the vast majority of the games I have, then I would probably switch and not look back.

That said, I won't use anything but Linux on a server. I probably know a lot more about Linux server administration than using a Linux desktop.

 

[Shaytan]

I pretty much only stick with Windows on the desktop because of games. If Steam was ported to Linux and made to support the vast majority of the games I have, then I would probably switch and not look back.

Steam will be ported to Linux so maybe this will lead to a portage of a lot of games too.

I have Steam installed through Wine and I play Portal 2 without major problems. I haven't tried other games.

 

[Count Zero]

Is there enough of a Linux presence on the TrekBBS for a Linux thread -- a calm discussion one, vs a "Linux sux, Mac is better, Windows yadda yadda" flame-fest type?? Coincidentally, I've been toying with the idea of starting one in hopes of the former, following the release of Precise Pangolin...

Thoughts?

I'd be interested. I've been annoying the good TNZ folks with my rather uneventful foray into the world of Linux. I'm using Precise, too.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

I pretty much only stick with Windows on the desktop because of games. If Steam was ported to Linux and made to support the vast majority of the games I have, then I would probably switch and not look back.

Steam will be ported to Linux so maybe this will lead to a portage of a lot of games too.

I have Steam installed through Wine and I play Portal 2 without major problems. I haven't tried other games.

I've heard about the Steam port Valve is working on, I'll just believe it when I see it.

 

[PurpleBuddha]

* Came to conclusion Windows 8 Beta is Windows 7 with extra steps to do anything productive, and more restrictions than warranted.

This

* Uninstalled Windows 8 Beta.

and this


Microsoft is on the ropes here. Don't get me wrong they will be around for some time to come, but they certainly have been declining on the consumer side for a while now. They are risking a lot on this OS because they know they have to break into the tablet and phone market now if they want to stay relevant. And I would love to seem them succeed in the long run, but am worried they won't.

Their idea here sounds wonderful on paper.
It would be great to have an OS that unifies across desktop, tablet and phone, while looking very similar on all three and offering the best solution on the market to having a seamless experience between devices. The problem for me is my desktop is the most important and having to sacrifice some of that to Windows 8 is not worth the rest, assuming they can pull the rest off. Maybe they will figure it out by Windows 9, but a lot can happen in a few years and they may be too late by then, if they aren't already.

 

[Amaris]

* Came to conclusion Windows 8 Beta is Windows 7 with extra steps to do anything productive, and more restrictions than warranted.

This

* Uninstalled Windows 8 Beta.

and this


Microsoft is on the ropes here. Don't get me wrong they will be around for some time to come, but they certainly have been declining on the consumer side for a while now. They are risking a lot on this OS because they know they have to break into the tablet and phone market now if they want to stay relevant. And I would love to seem them succeed in the long run, but am worried they won't.

Their idea here sounds wonderful on paper.
It would be great to have an OS that unifies across desktop, tablet and phone, while looking very similar on all three and offering the best solution on the market to having a seamless experience between devices. The problem for me is my desktop is the most important and having to sacrifice some of that to Windows 8 is not worth the rest, assuming they can pull the rest off. Maybe they will figure it out by Windows 9, but a lot can happen in a few years and they may be too late by then, if they aren't already.

Exactly. I, too, want to see Microsoft succeed. I'm a Windows guy. I use Linux, and enjoy it, but the Windows OS is my domain. It's what I know, and I'd like it to continue. Windows 8 will just be on my skip list, and hopefully Microsoft will realize an OS can cater to more than one group of users. Until then, they're going to spin their wheels with Windows 8, and I have no desire to pay a significant amount of money for the privilege of going nowhere.

 

[Methos]

dunno... i might wait a few months after it's released and pick up a cheap copy... just to see if it does add anything for me...

since i'm using a touchscreen i guess i'd get more out of it than most people, but i'm not going to use it as my primary OS ever...

M

 

[Amaris]

dunno... i might wait a few months after it's released and pick up a cheap copy... just to see if it does add anything for me...

since i'm using a touchscreen i guess i'd get more out of it than most people, but i'm not going to use it as my primary OS ever...

M

That's the thing: For most PC users, touchscreens just aren't a part of the equation. It's like making Windows usable by keyboard commands only. Sure, you could do it, but why overcomplicate things when most people have mice?

 

[Methos]

yeah i can imagine without a touchscreen, i wouldn't want this OS anywhere near my PC either

M

 

[Robert Maxwell]

* Came to conclusion Windows 8 Beta is Windows 7 with extra steps to do anything productive, and more restrictions than warranted.

This

* Uninstalled Windows 8 Beta.

and this


Microsoft is on the ropes here. Don't get me wrong they will be around for some time to come, but they certainly have been declining on the consumer side for a while now. They are risking a lot on this OS because they know they have to break into the tablet and phone market now if they want to stay relevant. And I would love to seem them succeed in the long run, but am worried they won't.

Their idea here sounds wonderful on paper.
It would be great to have an OS that unifies across desktop, tablet and phone, while looking very similar on all three and offering the best solution on the market to having a seamless experience between devices. The problem for me is my desktop is the most important and having to sacrifice some of that to Windows 8 is not worth the rest, assuming they can pull the rest off. Maybe they will figure it out by Windows 9, but a lot can happen in a few years and they may be too late by then, if they aren't already.

Exactly. I, too, want to see Microsoft succeed. I'm a Windows guy. I use Linux, and enjoy it, but the Windows OS is my domain. It's what I know, and I'd like it to continue. Windows 8 will just be on my skip list, and hopefully Microsoft will realize an OS can cater to more than one group of users. Until then, they're going to spin their wheels with Windows 8, and I have no desire to pay a significant amount of money for the privilege of going nowhere.

Given how Microsoft behaved the last time they had runaway success, I'd much rather not have them succeed in a big way. They can be relegated to making (non-phone/tablet) computer operating systems and productivity software forever for all I care. The last thing I'd want to see is MS trounce Apple and take over the smartphone and tablet markets. I don't mind them bringing some healthy competition, though. I'm just very wary of Microsoft dominating any market, given their notoriously anticompetitive behavior.

 

[Marc]

Tech Republic is reporting MS are going to put out a new release in June. This one is being described as "release preview" which the writers belive indicates what will be included is pretty much a feature lock.

Given the appearant release date is October 12, I guess we're post beta but not quite release candidate.

http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/wi...to-take-another-leap-forward/6119?tag=nl.e064

 

[Cutter John]

Pretty good rundown of all the annoying new features in 8.

http://www.slate.com/articles/techn...m_redesign_will_aggravate_you_to_no_end_.html

 

[Sheep]

A dumbed-down Windows Media Center at an extra cost = no Windows 8 for me considering my primary PC use is as an HTPC/DVR with Xbox 360s as extenders in different rooms. Stupid, stupid decision on Microsoft's part to drop the one piece of software that gives them an advantage over literally everyone else in the market. Even if it's not used much now, it could potentially be big part of the whole "one device to rule the living room" movement going forward. Making it an add-on completely negates that factor.

I tried the Consumer Preview and thought it was completely useless on a laptop. I can see how the interface would be nice on a tablet, but my even then my default install without anything added by me was cluttered as all hell. Some parts were simplified but others seemed more complex and unwieldy as ever. I don't get it...

 

[banzaiduck]

I don't mind them bringing some healthy competition, though. I'm just very wary of Microsoft dominating any market, given their notoriously anticompetitive behavior.

That sort of mentality should generally be applied to any corporation who maintains a dominance in a given market. Anticompetitive behavior tends to go hand in hand with said dominance.

*cough* Intel *cough*

BANZAI!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[jefferiestubes8]

promo pricing and app store

The reason why the promo upgrade from Windows 7 to Window 8 for (6 months) is $14.99 is They want to get people away from Windows 7 ASAP so they can stop offering Windows 7 on new desktops probably in 2 years.
MS wants people to go with Windows 8 instead of Windows7 so they will visit the Windows Store and update their software apps. Subscription-based software is coming like the subscription pricing model Adobe started using with their software:
Adobe Creative Cloud membership provides users with access to download and install every new Adobe CS6 application and two new HTML5 products. ["$49.99 a month, with an annual subscription fee, or $79.99 for a month-to-month subscription with no fee."]
Photoshop, the most popular piece of software in the Adobe arsenal, will be available for a stand-alone subscription of ["$19.99 a month with an annual subscription fee, or $29.99 without the fee on a month-to-month basis."]
It's this kind of Amazon Prime membership subscription package that the Subscription-based software model is ramping up. MS already has Office 365 and will slowly convert away from the up-front software licensing fees.

Microsoft wants to get away from DVD-ROMs in boxes and physical media sales of their software.
All software must be installed via Windows Store for Windows 8. Only Enterprise IT groups can sideload software.
If they put out Windows 8 with their new Windows Store for Windows 8 [only] don't you think they will do their future OS upgrades as subscription-based? Surely they will start phasing out Window 7 as soon as they can (within 2-4 years)

MS will probably go with annual payment for an OS subscription. You stop paying then you no longer can upgrade and surely within a year you will have firmware conflicts...
They can update the OS whenever they want to.

could Microsoft move to a yearly update schedule for Windows 8? All the reason for a subscription-model for not just apps but for the OS too.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Recurring revenue is the holy grail of the software world. Corporate software has operated on this principle for decades. Now, it's trickled down into productivity software and even games.

 

[Starbreaker]

Windows 8 is terrible. I had to see for myself, but damn. All they did was add a bunch of "tiles" that are apps that are almost impossible to close.