[Si_Crewe]

Originally Posted by cnbcwatcher

My dad reckons every second version of Windows is decent. According to him XP was good, Vista he won't talk about and W7 is good. He doesn't think much of W8 so far either.

It is as it always was.

DOS 6: Yay!
W95: Boo!
W98: Yay!
WME: Boo!
XP: Yay!
Vista: Boo!
W7: Yay!
W8: ???

[Daedroth]

Originally Posted by Si_Crewe

It is as it always was.

DOS 6: Yay!
W95: Boo!
W98: Yay!
WME: Boo!
XP: Yay!
Vista: Boo!
W7: Yay!
W8: ???

I think you're missing a few which would mess up that nice list

[noise747]

windows 95 was my first MS operating system, that was when I came into the PC zone. i admit stability compared to my Amiga was awful, but speed wise as the CPU was faster than my Amiga it was fine.

Windows 8SE was pretty stable, but ME was awful, but I know someone who used it for a few years and had no problem with it.

Xp was ok, but had problems lots of them to start with which is why I took so long to go for XP and stayed with Windows 98se.

Windows vista, problem was more to do with the hardware and the user account protection what ever it was called the name escape me at the moment.

windows 7 is what vista should have been, simple as that really.

windows 8? yes, if it did not have the metro it would be okish, it is slightly faster in use than 7, and while i am not that fond of the ribbon, I would get used to it, but the Metro start screen have certainly put me off as it makes doing the simplest task a pain in the neck.

Microsoft have forced me to look at another OS to be honest.

[Si_Crewe]

Originally Posted by Daedroth

I think you're missing a few which would mess up that nice list

Alright, there's NT and Server for businesses but they're kinda like the equivalent of the TNG movies so the whole Star trek movie comparison still works.

In my head, anyway.

[DotNetWill]

Originally Posted by cnbcwatcher

Everyone I know who uses Vista hates it. I also know someone running a computer repair store and he told me they've had more people coming in about problems with Vista than any other version of Windows. It's banned in our house. The computer setup in our house currently consists of one Mac , 2 Windows 7 laptops, a Windows XP desktop from 2003, an XP laptop from 2004 with a broken screen, another XP laptop from the same year about to be used as a Linux box (my old one), an iPad and an old Windows 2000 box. There's also a 1987 DOS laptop lying around somewhere which no longer works but is kept purely for nostalgia reasons

I used Vista and don't hate it.

[cnbcwatcher]

Apologies for the essay, but here's my take on Windows 3.1-8 (bearing in mind that the last Windows version I used as my main OS was XP):

Windows 98 was the first Windows I ever used, I thought it was wonderful at the time. I was only 8 and my friend had got it. I remember playing games on it and thinking it was the best thing since sliced bread

I had a Windows 95 box for playing old games and stuff and it was ok. It certainly changed Windows forever though. I got rid of that PC two years ago as the monitor wasn't working.

A friend of mine had Windows 3.1 and it was alright but I hated Program Manager. The interface was really clunky.

Windows NT4 was good (I had it on a computer once that came with it, but I removed it after a while) and it was only very stable because nothing ever worked with it

Windows 2000 was good but took forever to boot up. My dad had it at work from 2002-2005 and he complained that it was really slow and he could go in, switch it on and get a cup of tea and by the time that was done it would have been ready. Apart from that it was basically XP without the fancy bits.

Windows ME... well I don't know why that version was ever released. There's a reason it's called Mistake Edition. Basically a collection of bugs.

Windows XP was a very good OS and we still have three computers running it. I'm currently typing this on our old Windows XP desktop from 2003, which is slow but still working. My dad's old laptop with the broken screen from 2004 also runs it and my old laptop still runs it, but that machine is about to become a Linux box.

Windows Vista... well it's not talked about much and it's banned in our house. It's dire. The less said about it the better.

Windows 7 seems ok. Both my parents use it and they have no complaints about it.

Not sure what to make of Windows 8 yet, but it seems to me like it'll be Vista II so far. It'll probably do well on tablets but not desktops and laptops.

[omeletpercy]

Originally Posted by cnbcwatcher

Not sure what to make of Windows 8 yet, but it seems to me like it'll be Vista II so far. It'll probably do well on tablets but not desktops and laptops.

question is..

do we all need a tablet with a full blown Windows OS?

iPad and Android Tabs are popular and work well because they are simple and very effective to use.

[noise747]

Originally Posted by omeletpercy

question is..

do we all need a tablet with a full blown Windows OS?

iPad and Android Tabs are popular and work well because they are simple and very effective to use.

if i was getting a tablet, I want a Linux one, not a Android, but a pure linux one.

[cnbcwatcher]

Originally Posted by omeletpercy

question is..

do we all need a tablet with a full blown Windows OS?

iPad and Android Tabs are popular and work well because they are simple and very effective to use.

Well I guess not. I'd say W8 wouldn't be too bad though on hybrid tablet/laptop devices (those with a swivel screen that can be used as either a tablet or a laptop).

[whoever,hey]

Originally Posted by cnbcwatcher

Well I guess not. I'd say W8 wouldn't be too bad though on hybrid tablet/laptop devices (those with a swivel screen that can be used as either a tablet or a laptop).

Or perfect on a surface.

[cnbcwatcher]

Originally Posted by whoever,hey

Or perfect on a surface.

The Microsoft Surface? Oh how could I forget about that?

[joe-media]

If that's the case, then I feel sorry for those computers.

[cnbcwatcher]

Originally Posted by joe-media

If that's the case, then I feel sorry for those computers.

Why??

[TheBigM]

Originally Posted by Daedroth

I feel that Windows 8 will be a 'failure' on standard desktop machines, and in corporate environments. However it is going to pick up on touch devices, and like Vista, will be a good stepping stone for 'Windows 9'.

Lets get it right about Vista. The main problem with Vista is that when it was released, it was pushed out on hardware that simply couldn't hack it. Mostly Intel Celeron laptops with 1GB or less of RAM. The other factor that effected the perception of Vista was that it looked a lot different than XP. The actual operating system was very good, and with the implementation of SP1 and SP2, it was even better.

Hear hear about Vista, it was a good OS. The main problems were a) large changes in application compatibility and improvements to the security model needed developers to change their bad habits and on the hardware side, Intel insisted on Microsoft allowing the "Vista Capable" sticker system which meant hardware that should only have been allowed to run XP was given Vista. My laptop was a proper "Vista-ready" machine, a C2D T7300 and is still running strong.

Vista was a huge change from XP in many ways. Windows 8 is also a huge change but a far larger change not just in UI but also adding a new runtime etc. So, like Vista, it's very much a version 1 product and Windows 9 will bring much polish to Windows 8 but that is something that can only happen after people have used 8 for a while and there is enough feedback and telemetry from users, businesses and developers.

Originally Posted by noise747

No good going by pictures, I put it on my main computer for a while and used it as my main OS, I also put it as dual boot on my laptop and showed it to different people and let the have a go on it.

So they have a bit of a idea what it is like, only one said it is ok, not great, but ok.

Right now there's only a handful of Metro apps, one still mainly lives in the desktop system where there is an actual software ecosystem so it's hard to see the benefits a little, but just like Paul Thurrott, every time I boot into my Win7 partition, it just feels a little old, a little claustrophobic. I like that there are "two worlds" on my computer now, it feels more expansive. There is a "proper" side - the desktop - where I can get things done, and there's a more whimsical side when I want simpler computing like the very simple Mail app, or enjoying things like the Travel app.

Originally Posted by omeletpercy

Windows 7 is a great OS. To be fair Windows 8 just doesn't sit right on Laptops and Desktops. It's not a nice OS to use.
I have a feeling 8 will no be as popular as 7 .. Intact it could fail as people try it out and wonder where everything is and why it looks so awful.

Have you actually tried it out yourself, running natively on your PC or just basing this from screenshots and hearsay?

If you are struggling with 8 in a particular area, perhaps I can help you out.

[TheBigM]

I posted this in another thread, thought I'd post it here before people start decrying the lack of a start menu again.

To everyone who hasn't tried it, let me explain some things about Windows 8.
First, let's look at what one does in Windows 7 with the start menu:
a) open files/folders, b) open applications, c) access more advanced settings. And let's face it, you pretty much have to do any of the above using a mouse in Win7, it just isn't that keyboard friendly, let alone touch friendly.

In Windows 8 (so many alternatives, choose the method that suits you best):

C) Advanced settings

1) Power user menu
i) Mouse: mouse over to the start tip and right click on it to get access to all the most common advanced areas.
ii) Keyboard: Key combo: Win + X

2) Hit Windows key and start typing to search, change search focus from apps to settings and instantly find any windows setting you want - no navigation through control panel required.


A) Open files/folders
1) You have the libraries shortcut on your superbar in the desktop, click that to open windows explorer displaying your user libraries, easily and quickly navigate anywhere else.

2) Also right-click on this icon to quickly jump to frequently used folders and pinned folders.

3) Any folder can also be pinned to the new start screen.

4) Hit windows key and start typing to search, change the search focus from apps to files and instantly find the file you are looking for.


B) Open applications
1) Pin most frequently used apps to your superbar.
i) Mouse: just click on app icons on superbar or right-click for other options.
ii) Keyboard: Win + # (where # is the number position of the app icon along the superbar)

2) Pin apps to your start screen.
i) Mouse: mouse over the start tip, click on it to open the start screen, click on the tile for your application. Easily move across start screen by scrolling.

3) Any apps, pinned or not pinned
i) Keyboard: hit windows key, start typing first few letters of the application name, this searches for the app (is instantaneous) and hit enter to start the app.

[TheBigM]

Originally Posted by noise747

windows 8? yes, if it did not have the metro it would be okish, it is slightly faster in use than 7, and while i am not that fond of the ribbon, I would get used to it, but the Metro start screen have certainly put me off as it makes doing the simplest task a pain in the neck.

Microsoft have forced me to look at another OS to be honest.

Please give an example

If you're going to say shutdown: you can make a shut down tile, you can mouse over to the charms bar, you can hit Win+I, you can simply hit the power button on your machine.

[emptybox]

Originally Posted by TheBigM

Please give an example

If you're going to say shutdown: you can make a shut down tile, you can mouse over to the charms bar, you can hit Win+I, you can simply hit the power button on your machine.

Just out of interest, how do you make a shut down tile?

[TheBigM]

Originally Posted by emptybox

Just out of interest, how do you make a shut down tile?

http://howto.cnet.com/8301-11310_39-...-in-windows-8/

[whoever,hey]

Originally Posted by TheBigM

http://howto.cnet.com/8301-11310_39-...-in-windows-8/

well i didn't know that.

[emptybox]

Originally Posted by whoever,hey

well i didn't know that.

Neither did I.
Works as well. Although you've got to change the icon yourself.

[TheBigM]

Originally Posted by emptybox

Neither did I.
Works as well. Although you've got to change the icon yourself.

At the moment, we have to do it manually, but I'm sure after launch people will make apps or pre-packaged downloadable shortcuts etc for the average person to use.

Who knows, we may even find OEMs including such tiles.

[Blackjack Davy]

Originally Posted by TheBigM

I posted this in another thread, thought I'd post it here before people start decrying the lack of a start menu again.

To everyone who hasn't tried it, let me explain some things about Windows 8.
First, let's look at what one does in Windows 7 with the start menu:
a) open files/folders, b) open applications, c) access more advanced settings. And let's face it, you pretty much have to do any of the above using a mouse in Win7, it just isn't that keyboard friendly, let alone touch friendly.

In Windows 8 (so many alternatives, choose the method that suits you best):

C) Advanced settings

1) Power user menu
i) Mouse: mouse over to the start tip and right click on it to get access to all the most common advanced areas.
ii) Keyboard: Key combo: Win + X

2) Hit Windows key and start typing to search, change search focus from apps to settings and instantly find any windows setting you want - no navigation through control panel required.


A) Open files/folders
1) You have the libraries shortcut on your superbar in the desktop, click that to open windows explorer displaying your user libraries, easily and quickly navigate anywhere else.

2) Also right-click on this icon to quickly jump to frequently used folders and pinned folders.

3) Any folder can also be pinned to the new start screen.

4) Hit windows key and start typing to search, change the search focus from apps to files and instantly find the file you are looking for.


B) Open applications
1) Pin most frequently used apps to your superbar.
i) Mouse: just click on app icons on superbar or right-click for other options.
ii) Keyboard: Win + # (where # is the number position of the app icon along the superbar)

2) Pin apps to your start screen.
i) Mouse: mouse over the start tip, click on it to open the start screen, click on the tile for your application. Easily move across start screen by scrolling.

3) Any apps, pinned or not pinned
i) Keyboard: hit windows key, start typing first few letters of the application name, this searches for the app (is instantaneous) and hit enter to start the app.

Heres an idea, how about if all that was replaced by a simple button in the left hand corner, we could label it say, "Start" and that would make another menu popup that we could simply select any of that with a single click.

Well, how about it, does that sound like a good idea or not?!

[psionic]

Originally Posted by TheBigM

At the moment, we have to do it manually, but I'm sure after launch people will make apps or pre-packaged downloadable shortcuts etc for the average person to use.

Who knows, we may even find OEMs including such tiles.

Indeed. However I hope the OEMs don't swamp the installation with all sorts of bloatware.

[rjb101]

Originally Posted by Blackjack Davy

Heres an idea, how about if all that was replaced by a simple button in the left hand corner, we could label it say, "Start" and that would make another menu popup that we could simply select any of that with a single click.

Well, how about it, does that sound like a good idea or not?!

Bloody Reactionary

[noise747]

Originally Posted by TheBigM

Please give an example

If you're going to say shutdown: you can make a shut down tile, you can mouse over to the charms bar, you can hit Win+I, you can simply hit the power button on your machine.

Yeah, but it is not there in the face like on windows 7. i thought we got past this using Keys thing.

i use keyboard short cuts with vegas, but to be honest I don't really want to memorise more short cuts.


the other problem is installing drivers, it can't be done via the metro screen, then what about the control panel? a lot of hassle to find what you want.


Just Microsoft being Microsoft and doing what they hell they want and not giving a crap about people.

they don't change, i thought they may have, but it seems like they have not.

I was thinking of jumping ship before I built this computer, now I wish I did.