Windows 8 Compatibility

[Delsus]

I've been running Win8 since the Consumer Preview came out and now doing the Release Preview. I've seen some good improvements in terms of performance over 7 and a lot lower memory footprint overall. Base install also only too about 15 minutes from a USB key to an SSD.

In regards to gaming performance, it's really less about the OS and much more about the hardware drivers. I had some pretty major issues with the AMD driver release for CP. Going to the RP drivers fixed a lot of issues I had, especially with Eyefinity.

In terms of day to day use, I most of my computers have Win8 now. I use it at work and on two of my machines at home. Metro does take getting used to, and I'll admit there are some issues with mouse control, but they're not huge. I've gotten used to the changes and really like the polish that has been put on the RP.

With that said, Microsoft's target for a new OS aren't really people with existing hardware. The vast majority of computers that get upgraded are on the business side and much less in the consumer market. Most of the people who wind up with Win8 are the ones who buy new computers with it preloaded. I wouldn't be surprised to see a lot more touch-based hardware coming out this fall. Only Apple users really consistently plunk down the $100 (or whatever it is) every 2 years to get a new release of OSX.

Finally, it's a bit unfair to blame the poor performance of FFXIV (especially when it comes to the UAC prompt) on the OS. To me, that's just a lack of testing and lazy coding. Maybe it's something unavoidable, but how do other games get around it? If you really understand how UAC works, it's easier to appreciate what the purpose is. The "secure desktop" is actually a different user session than the standard desktop. Therefore, anything in that user session is completely separate from your standard login and mostly unreachable by malware or code of any type.

This seems to cause problems for XIV since it doesn't know how to deal with DirectX suddenly getting paused. I don't see this as a Windows problem, since the feature existed long before XIV came into play.

I have a MSDNAA account so I will probably install Win8 on my laptop when it is released, I have no idea how long I wil stay on it for, what I am saying is Microsoft think they know what users want, which is why its metro or gtfo, where as Linux offers loads of customisation options, from the changes compiz config manager can do (wobbly windows, window blur, desktop cube etc) all the way to a completly new desktop environment (KDE or gnome) this is what microsoft need to look at, people will say metro sucks, people will say they cannot use a touch based interface with a mouse etc MS could easily make everyone happy by offering the option of desktop or metro but the worse thing they could do is force us to use one.

If I pay £600+ for something I want to use it as I want, not how some money grabbing accountants want me to use,

As I said before I can see Win8 becoming a ME style failure because they are forcing us on something that is sub par.

Also I am not against MS, I just don't like being told how to use something, I like being able to cusomise things to work as I want, hense why I love linux so much, and the only reason I don't switch perminantly is just compatibility.