4 replies to this topic

[Fragile]

Does anyone on Batoto dislike Windows 8 for a reason that isn't...
 
BOO HOO! THE OLD START MENU IS GONE! HOWEVER WILL I FIND ANYTHING ON MY COMPUTER, NOW?!
 
If you guys can put NoScript and AdBlocker on your FireFox, install your favorite Dashboard on your shell, why can't you guys install a "Classic Shell" on your Windows 8?
 
Windows 8 boots and runs VISIBLY faster/smoother than Windows 7, even when it has inferior hardware. Windows 8 is literally Windows 7 with 2 or 3 service packs installed. It has virtually the same functions.
 
Nobody I know actually hates on Windows 8 for any reason other than "START MENU DEAD WOE IS ME".
 
There's no "Start Menu" because nobody needs one anymore. It's obsolete. Outdated. Trash. Slow. Crap.
 
Ever since Microsoft introduced Windows Vista, I've stopped using the Start menu. Before XP became obsolete, I started using the "Run" command.
 
Why? Because it's faster. It's simpler.
 
1. Hold down that button that looks like a flag
2. Press the "R" key, then let go of both buttons
3. A box comes up
4. In the box, type the name of the program you want to run
5. Press Enter/Return/the-button-you-press-after-you-type-facebook.com
 
NO MOUSE REQUIRED. I'm seriously convinced that nobody even knows what the flag button does (it's called the Windows Key).
 
You know why most people don't do this? Because to launch the Google Chrome web browser, you have to type:
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe"
 
Guess what? Microsoft made it even easier in Windows 7. Now you don't even have to deal with that stuffy little box. All you have to do is tap the Windows Key and start typing the name of the program you want to run. W7 automatically searches indexed files and brings the shortcut straight to you, instead of you having to take the time to click on All Programs>Riot Games>League of Legends>League of Legends Launcher.
 
GUESS WHAT? Windows 8 makes this process EVEN EASIER. Windows 8 has the START SCREEN.
 
W7 takes a shitload of time to find your program. Windows 8 automatically categorizes shortcuts that are most likely to be searched for, and if it makes a mistake, it remembers what you searched for so that the next time you type it in to the Start screen, it loads INSTANTLY.
 
Try it on a Windows 8. I challenge you. Push that Flag button, then immediately start typing the name of a program you installed on that computer.
 
League of Legends? Before you even get to the "g" the icon will be at the top left corner of the screen waiting for you to click on it (or press enter, if it's the only search result).
 
iTunes? You'll find it the moment you press "i".
 
FireFox? Get to the "e" and it starts automatically (that's a joke, it doesn't work that way).
 
I seriously don't see the big deal. I'm glad the Start Menu is gone. Good riddance. It was glorious while it lasted, but it's time for people to advance in the way they interface with technology. We're all gogo for the latest iPhone, but we're not even ready for the next step in User Interface design.
 
I honestly much prefer pressing Windows + "E" and navigating my files with the arrow keys, Enter, and Backspace.

Edited by Fragile, 03 October 2013 - 06:00 AM.

[DarkPrince]

Why is this in Potato Hell? .-.

[Viscoun]

well let's hear the opinion of a person who hasn't used a windows computer since 2008 and has recently bought a windows 8 touch screen pc. aka me.

 

i still remember bits and pieces from vista so the desktop and everything is a familiar concept, though i've had problems due to the fact that i used a mac for frigging ages and the keyboard feels all weird to me. but that's not really a w8 problem so moving on...

 

the start menu is actually fairly good, you type anything in the keyboard and it automatically goes to the search, which is incredibly handy. so no problems there. though everything i use nowadays, i put on the desktop taskbar. i'm just more used to it, as a pre-w8 user who's just made the transition and a mac user who's used to the "dock" system on my macbook pro snow leopard. it's also fun to use your finger on the touch screen to slide around the start screen and open apps with a single touch.

 

the old start menu did have a search function as well, but it wasn't instant. not that it really matters. i also felt that the old way of displaying apps in the "all programs" tab was easier to navigate than the new "all apps" screen, since in the new "all apps" screen the apps are sorted into categories and i still don't get how they're sorted. (haven't really had a good look at it so yeah...)

 

my only major grouch with windows 8 would be the inability to run default programs (i.e. programs not in the desktop) in the background. for example, skype has been integrated into windows 8 and has become a core program that you can use alongside the actual desktop. however, this means that whenever i log on, i have to put skype in the foreground until all my messages load, which is horrible since i'm in a few international chat groups and those take forever. when i switch to another program the messages just stop loading. reason why i use my mac if i have to use skype. also, chrome does the same, so whenever i listen to youtube song videos on chrome and try to go back to the desktop, the music stops. it's like everything in the background is put "on hold". (i solved this by turning chrome into a desktop app so that i could use it alongside my other desktop apps, e.g. microsoft office, games, and so on.)

 

all in all windows 8 is a nice, fresh change, though i disagree with a lot of its newer options. mainly because i'm a mac user.

[watsu]

There's no "Start Menu" because nobody needs one anymore. It's obsolete. Outdated. Trash. Slow. Crap.

 

as a society that's been running off of hierarchical menus rather than search-based navigation for the past decade now, I would say it being obsolete isn't the point. Sure, it's quickly becoming a thing of the past, with people wanting content faster and more accurately because of the mobile trend, but the jump Windows 8 made imo was too wide. We're talking several generations of technology utilizing a paradigm; a single system, no matter how prevalent it is, is not going to replace nor be accepted very easily over that kind of established hold.

 

Not to mention, it's trying to bridge together two very different technologies with lots of different needs and expectations. The desktop functionality is mainly there to try and appease users, but anyone can tell it's not the focus of the OS' audience anymore. If I play League of Legends enough that I use it regularly, it's going to be on my desktop. I don't have to search for it, it's right there and because it's much faster to recognize an image than type it in, I will definitely find that faster than a computer-based search query would ever do (which is capped by my typing speed). Again, sure they keep the desktop there, but what is the point of having a Start Screen then or a global search tool for those users? It's something they don't want or need to use (because they have everything on the desktop they need already), but they have to use it in some cases. That's ultimately what I think is wrong with Windows 8. It's forcing functions that some people want on those that don't want it. It's as much a hindrance as it is a step up in that case. Mobile users use mobile because they don't want to use a desktop, or a desktop doesn't fit their needs. Desktop people use desktop because they don't want to use mobile, or a mobile doesn't fit their needs. Most of the pros of each are gone by using this method of trying to force a fusion of these technologies.

 

Also, Windows 8 runs visibly smoother and faster because it works like a mobile in keeping applications out of the background. a nice optimization, but crippled by the fact that it's initiated and controlled by a full-screen options window (which might work on mobile with a smaller screen, but on a giant desktop resolution, just looks cluttered as hell).

Edited by watsu, 03 October 2013 - 10:12 AM.

[Khrazy_one]

The main reason I dislike Windows 8 and more specifically the Metro part of it because it is closed OS that requires Microsoft permission to run software on it. This just sucks!