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alexroddie Reading "Pompomberry House" by Rosen Trevithick

25 Oct 2012, 04:53 PM | Post: #1

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Windows 8

Will anyone be upgrading?

I've been running the Release Preview version of Windows 8 for a couple of months now and am in the process of downloading my full version, which I got at a discount price due to the fact that my PC is only a few months old. I have a touchscreen monitor (and a Windows phone) so the upgrade is an obvious one for me, but for those who aren't used to the 'Metro' user interface I think it's going to be disorienting at first.

The Release Preview did have a few bugs, which I hope are now ironed out, and I believe the full version has access to the full app store so I'm curious to see what new software is available and whether or not any of it will be of benefit for writers.

Will anyone else be upgrading today?

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leep

27 Oct 2012, 08:28 AM | Post: #2

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RE: Windows 8

Not sure I'm going rush out and buy a copy immediately, I run Windows 7 and while 8 has some nice new features I'm going to need Pro plus an add-in pack to get Media Center for my HTPC (though it looks like the add-in will be free until Jan).

Mind you, at £25 (for a limited time) for the download version I may go for it anyway, even if I don't install it yet.

The versions break down like this from what I can see:

Windows RT - only runs on tablets, can't run normal Windows apps, you can only install apps from the MS store
Windows 8 - suitable for most home users, but no DVD playback without additional software
Windows 8 Pro - aimed at small businesses and power users, allows you to buy a 'Media Pack' (currently free) to get DVD playback and Media Center.

They did a nice 3-pack license when 7 was released, which was a nice cheap way to upgrade all my machines, but it doesn't look like they're doing the same for 8 though. Having said that, £25 is a bargain. I may have just convinced myself.

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alexroddie Reading "Pompomberry House" by Rosen Trevithick

27 Oct 2012, 08:31 AM | Post: #3

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RE: Windows 8

Although I had some trouble installing my copy, in the end it was worth it. I've got a thread running here over on UKC if anyone is interested on some wider views: http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?n=524840&v=1

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ElaineG Reading Standers by Dale Brumfield

27 Oct 2012, 10:53 AM | Post: #4

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RE: Windows 8

i love my windowsphone and am tempted ... but ... i need to know if my Olympus transcription kit would work with it first.

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George Hamilton

27 Oct 2012, 03:08 PM | Post: #5

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RE: Windows 8

(25 Oct 2012 04:53 PM)alexroddie Wrote: The Release Preview did have a few bugs, which I hope are now ironed out...

The day MS releases a Windows version without any bugs, I'll eat my unwashed sock. I have Windows 7, and I'm still having the problem where it does not always refresh if you open a folder from the library and attempt to add another folder or change its name. You have to click back a step and then forward to where you were for it to update.

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Bricorn

27 Oct 2012, 06:10 PM | Post: #6

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RE: Windows 8

I'm looking forward to replacing the - increasingly buggy - Vista on my laptop with 8, but I'll leave it a month or so to give them time to catch the nastier bugs.

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frogplate Reading Scar Night - Alan Campbell

28 Oct 2012, 04:59 PM | Post: #7

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RE: Windows 8

I've only had a 10 minute play with Windows 8 so far, but was immediately struck by the awkward integration between the Metro and Desktop environments. I guess I just don't get the point of Metro apps on a PC - what's a good UI metaphor for smartphones or tablets doesn't necessary make sense on a 24" monitor. Some of the Metro apps leave 80% of the screen unused but can't be windowed. I eventually found Snap mode (not sure how) but this is very limited and somewhat unintuitive. You can slide the dividing line between the Metro app and a second program to the middle of the screen but it always jumps back to either full screen or a vertical third as far as I could see.

Don't get me wrong - I'm perfectly happy using full screen apps under iOS and Android on both phone and tablet, and Windows 7 and Linux is where I spend my working day - typically with 10 to 20 windows and a couple of shell prompts open. But the integration of the two sets of concepts in Windows 8 just seems inelegant and awkward to me. I haven't used the latest version of Mac OS X and so don't know if that has a better solution.

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alexroddie Reading "Pompomberry House" by Rosen Trevithick

28 Oct 2012, 06:19 PM | Post: #8

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RE: Windows 8

(28 Oct 2012 04:59 PM)frogplate Wrote: I've only had a 10 minute play with Windows 8 so far, but was immediately struck by the awkward integration between the Metro and Desktop environments. I guess I just don't get the point of Metro apps on a PC - what's a good UI metaphor for smartphones or tablets doesn't necessary make sense on a 24" monitor. Some of the Metro apps leave 80% of the screen unused but can't be windowed. I eventually found Snap mode (not sure how) but this is very limited and somewhat unintuitive. You can slide the dividing line between the Metro app and a second program to the middle of the screen but it always jumps back to either full screen or a vertical third as far as I could see.

Don't get me wrong - I'm perfectly happy using full screen apps under iOS and Android on both phone and tablet, and Windows 7 and Linux is where I spend my working day - typically with 10 to 20 windows and a couple of shell prompts open. But the integration of the two sets of concepts in Windows 8 just seems inelegant and awkward to me. I haven't used the latest version of Mac OS X and so don't know if that has a better solution.

To be fair, I made the controversial switch from Mac to Windows (shock horror!) as I felt Mac OS 10.7 was downright dreadful. If you think Metro and desktop integration is aweful, wait until you see Apple's Launchpad--they've basically just bolted an iPad into the operating system for the hell of it!

I've actually found Windows 8 to be far *more* productive than 7, even on a large monitor. The combination of Metro apps and desktop apps works really well for me and actually makes a lot of sense. That said, I use a Windows phone so I guess I'm used to the interface.

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davidwailing Reading The Naked Sun by Isaac Asimov

28 Oct 2012, 06:44 PM | Post: #9

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RE: Windows 8

I'm still using Windows XP on my home desktop PC! Vista was so horrific that I avoided upgrading. I'm familiar with Windows 7, but my XP is stable and working fine so I am in no rush to spend money if I can avoid it.

It usually takes a year for Microsoft to iron out all the bugs, so when Windows 8 version 2 is released, I might be interested. By then my old PC might have died... clogged up with hamster fur.

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ElaineG Reading Standers by Dale Brumfield

28 Oct 2012, 06:57 PM | Post: #10

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RE: Windows 8

(28 Oct 2012 06:44 PM)davidwailing Wrote: I'm still using Windows XP on my home desktop PC! Vista was so horrific that I avoided upgrading. I'm familiar with Windows 7, but my XP is stable and working fine so I am in no rush to spend money if I can avoid it.

It usually takes a year for Microsoft to iron out all the bugs, so when Windows 8 version 2 is released, I might be interested. By then my old PC might have died... clogged up with hamster fur.

we have Windows 7 on "my" pc and on the two laptops, a spare pc with XP on it (which we bought as a spare for £50 on ebay last year in an emergency situation and which is still going strong), then two ancient battered pcs which each have PClinuxOS on them - we are keeping those for son #1 to do what he wants with because he is doing GCSE computing and it seems a good idea for him to have something he can just mess about with to his hearts content.

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