Thread: 2.0 in Windows 8

Originally Posted by Quesse

I've been using Windows 8 for almost a year and I absolutely hate it.

Every task is made more inefficient by long mouse drags (small start menu vs huge start screen) and extra clicks. Confusing moments abound (why are apps full screen only??? Is this WindowS or Window??)

On a tablet, I'm sure its grand - keyboard and mouse users beware.

The only thing that limits efficiency in Windows 8 is people's over-reliance on the mouse. Keyboard shortcuts, people. They've always been superior to unmitigated mouse use.

ALT+TAB
Windows Key
Windows Key+D
Windows Key+C
F3 to search
F2 to rename files/folders
etc., etc.

Learn 'em, love 'em. You've just made your Windows experience better, no matter what version you're using.

There's no need to navigate the Start Screen with a mouse. There's not even any reason to navigate the classic Start Menu with a mouse in Windows 7. Just type the name of the application you want to open and it'll appear. (Windows 8 functions better than Windows 7 in this regard.)

Also, Windows 8 has faster boot times, faster shut down times, a better task manager, better search features, better backup features, better file copying features, better security features, etc.

I'm not saying you need to upgrade. In fact, I only use Windows 8 on my laptop. I still run 7 on my desktop, and I don't plan on switching any time soon. But really, why is 8 getting such a bad rap?

Edit: Here's a great article outlining the wonders of the Windows Key: http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/200...ndows-key.html

Most, but not all, of these shortcuts still work in Windows 8.

Originally Posted by Shougun

If you have 7 and you dont smoke your money then I wouldnt upgrade - but mine was a free upgrade promotional so.. why not lol

Its faster then 7 and has some neat features (discounting the main screen which is useless to me and I scrapped right away lol)

The thing is, doing so requires third party software (unless microsoft released a patch restoring the old start menu as an option that I don't know about). Why should I have to buy/find some third party software to fix something that should never have been broken in the first place.

The start screen is fine if you're using a touch screen/tablet I guess, but I've never really understood this because most tablets run android or IOS, rather than a desktop operating system.

Windows 8 is terrible, not amazing. Behind the scenes there are some technical improvements, yes. the only reason it really perfoms any faster than 7 though is because they replaced Aero with a barfy flat boxy solid color window theme that looks worse than the windows did in Windows 3.11.

I cant imagine where anyone at microsoft got the idea that this fugly OS theme is anywhere near asthetically presentable.

Function: Fails unless using touch input. Performance for some applications is slightly better. No option for previous windows navigation for users more comfortable with that.

Form: Fails in all areas. Start screen and new UI theme are both hideous.

What's worse is MS seems to be paying a lot of PC manufacturers to not offer win7 on their systems.

Also, Windows 8 has faster boot times, faster shut down times,

I have a wonderful Samsung 840 Pro SSD and windows 7 boots up in about 7 seconds (starting from when POST ends)- Windows 8 won't change this much if at all, as my storage device is no longer a bottleneck. Most people I know don't even reboot or shut down if they don't have to, only using Sleep mode to reduce power use when not actively using it, so this isn't much of a perk.

There's not even any reason to navigate the classic Start Menu with a mouse in Windows 7. Just type the name of the application you want to open and it'll appear. (Windows 8 functions better than Windows 7 in this regard.)

In Win7, nearly every application I ever use is either pinned to my taskbar, or in the start menu's frequently used apps list. Its a LOT faster to click these with the mouse than to type in the name of an application (especially if it's not an easy to type name)- I only use the typing feature for "hidden" things like taskmgr, cmd, msconfig, dxdiag, etc.

also all of these methods are a LOT faster than visually scanning my eyeballs across my entire screen to find the right "Tile" in the Win8 Start screen.