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windows 8

choucove

New Member
I downloaded the first developer's preview of Windows 8 a while back and installed it on a couple computers to try out. Honestly... not impressed. While yes it pretty much has everything of a Windows 7 desktop, there's so much functionality that they ruined incorporating their Metro UI. The Metro UI menu will work great for tablets and simple touch devices but will the an absolute headache for normal desktop environments. It's like they sacrificed functionality on the greater 90% of their operating system platforms (which are your normal desktops and laptop computers) to try and add a little flashy tools to accommodate that 10% of the market that will be tablets and simple touch devices running Windows 8.

We worked with Windows 8 on a few of our computers for a couple weeks and that was about all I could stand of it. Yes, it's the developers preview so some of the bugs will get worked out, but who in their right mind at Microsoft would design their Metro UI desktop "apps" to not have a QUIT or EXIT function? Once you start it, it runs forever in the background using up resources until you shut down or use task manager to close out of them. There are a lot of other issues we had with Windows 8, but I'm trying to reserve judgement too much as no, we don't have a touch input computer that we could also use to compare this functionality with.
 

TyrantDesigner

Art! Hot and fresh.
Couple tech buddies told me they could get me the dev pack ... opted out of it when they said pretty much the same as choucove.
 

Techman

New Member
For me it is way too early to make any judgements or decisions to win 8. Just as win 7 it will change so much in the next few months.
but,,,
I look forward to the touch screen ability. ala smart phones etc.
I look forward to the faster file management.
The wifi and mobile integration could be a big plus,

The new kitchen counter tops with built in flat screens (ala smart phone and tablets) integration is in the works.. I think this will redefine the usage of computers in ways we cannot imagine.

All this new hardware not yet released or not mainstream will need a good OS to perform the magic. So win 8 will be on phones, tablets etc all in one touch screen devices. So they say..

Instant on pc's and tablets using OS chips in stead of software on hard drives.

Mile stone 2 was leaked and with it a few new cool things showed up.
 

visual800

Active Member
people are still having high blood pressure over windows 7 having to replace all their old crap cause it wont work with it lol and now we have windows 8...Ill stay back here on windows XP sp2 and sit and watch!
 

choucove

New Member
Don't get me wrong, I think Windows 8 will do great things in helping the coming touch technologies, like Techman stated above, but I fear that Microsoft has done so in a way that greatly hinders the normal desktop environment and normal desktop and laptop computers in terms of performance and functionality. Again, this may greatly change by the time that the final release is ready. While many programmers and developers out there are really happy for Windows 8 and being able to program apps like they do for smartphones, but this difference in functionality for the majority of computer systems out there has been the concern of many people out there.

Now while there are several features that for some reason they removed from Windows 8 (like having a Start menu and the ability to actually quit running apps in the Metro UI) there are other features that I really like that they are including with Windows 8. This includes Storage Spaces for flexible "simple" redundant storage arrays, and a revolutionized task manager interface.
 

Tony Teveris

New Member
Windows 8 does not offer anything of great software technology in terms of Desktop computers. Where they hope it will shine is in the mobil world. As for the developer we now have to select a feature "path" to develope for, desktop or mobil. Since we only do desktop I'm not worried and think it will run fine. We do have a number of the early releases running but not really do much with them at the moment. We have bigger fish to fry.
 

Techman

New Member
The desktop as we know it just about done. I attended a marketing seminar in LV last summer. The systems I saw on display using android type OS's foretold the very near future of computing and it will be nothing like we know it today.

The new hardware on display had nothing to do with desktop hardware. Every thing was integrated into a central cpu via wifi with NO central OS and everything had a display screen attached to that cpu via wifi. Think star trek hand carried touch screen systems.

Imagine sitting on your sofa with a tablet programming your tv like display for online streaming of your favorite show. Then a skype call comes in and you see your caller live on your hand held screen. All at the same times you are designing a new sign panel and sending it to the remote printer.

There was a crew walking around the venue using touch screen tablets to do every thing for our group. Ordering lunch, taking orders for supplies, arranging a bus ride to the airport, paying the hotel bill etc.

I had no mental vision or any connection to all this until I started working with win 8. I think any one thinking lap top or desktop for operating win8 is way behind the curve.

One module of this seminar said we all need to have smart phones and a ipad/tablet now.

Last month my wife got a galaxy. Now I see why the speakers at this seminar insisted we get those devices. That advice was given to us so we will be familiar with them when all these computing changes hit within the near future.

Is it time for an epiphany over computing as we know and win 8, and android and iphone and tablets? I think it is.
 

choucove

New Member
In a lot of ways I agree with what Techman has said. Yes, the computer industry as we have grown to know it is making a huge change. For the first time, the most prolific desktop operating system, Windows, will have touch as is primary input method with mouse and keyboard being a "compatible addition" option. That is because technology is making a big shift away from the normal desktop environment.

Look at the monumental number of smart phones in the market. Look at the number of tablets (though it is expected this year tablet growth is going to start diminishing for several reasons.) However, the path of technology is slowly but surely moving away from the "wintel" box desktop and to integrated technology.

This was incredibly evident this year at CES looking at the amount of power and technology that is integrated into the next generation of TV. Your TV will have more connectivity features and integrated software than many may have on their computers. Voice control and motion detection control (think XBox Kinect) with access to all of your web browsing needs, video streaming, and even quad core processors for handling multiple tasks all at once!

All in all, it cannot be denied that Windows 8 progressed in the path that it did, which is to help usher in this new form of technology. However, for several of us tech people it also is kind of the sign of the end of an era. As a computer business owner myself, and a system builder, it's going to be a tremendously different market for me soon. This is the point where we have to evaluate the products we offer and how we present technology options to customers from here on.

That being said, though, the business environment is still very much dominated by the desktop environment. The corporate segment is an area proven to be behind the others when it comes to utilizing some of the latest technology, which is where the frustration of Windows 8 enters. I mean, a great number of places that we work on that have to connect in some way to a state government system still requires Windows XP and Internet Explorer 7 or earlier! Just this week while setting up a CNC router at our office I was told that I would have to run the system on a Windows 98 computer! It's to a point where corporate business trying to upgrade will have to completely revolutionize how they use technology which many are not ready or capable of doing.
 
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