The "Windows 8 is drastically different and what we can do about it" thread

[SAG]

What does a start menu replacement have to do with the child not liking to touch the screen? Why not just teach the child to use the trackpad or a mouse? Why does that warrant a start menu replacement? That doesn't make any sense.....

He had Windows 7 on his previous laptop (Linux on his desktop) and was comfortable with finding his way around the start menu. With all the games and stuff he has installed, and the laptop scren being only 14", he had to scroll horizontally to find all the apps. I ruined his laptop (fell out of my jeep) so I bought him a new one to "replace" it. The new one was different, so I got start8 to make it as close to what I destroyed as possible.

I didn't get him the laptop so he could learn a new interface that may or may not be around in another year. I got it to replace the one I destroyed. If I broke his baseball bat, I wouldn't get him a tennis racket and then tell him to just learn to play tennis instead.

 

[SAG]

Speaking of children and Windows 8. A few weeks ago my 4 year old watched me turn on his new (to him) PC (which btw he has only briefly used my PC before,) login to Windows 8, find the desktop tile, open Chrome from the taskbar, and head to abcmouse.com for him.

Two nights ago the computer was off I forget why. So he asked me if he could play abcmouse.com and I said sure. At first he tripped up on not knowing how to turn on the PC (he just did the monitor) so I showed him the power button on the tower. Next all by himself my son turned on the PC, monitor, waited patiently for Windows to load, logged in, FOUND THE DESKTOP TILE, opened Chrome, and then finally turned to me asking how to get to abcmouse.com from there. I was amazed!

It just blows my mind sometimes about all the people having such a hard time with Windows 8. My 4 year old can use it... no start menu replacement required.

Now THOSE are proud moments! I remember when my boy first amazed me with the knowledge he has learned just by watching me when I was younger.
Makes a dad feel proud.

 

[RocklandCompRepair]

Am I the only one who is seeing people that are everyday users freaking out when they buy new computers because of the total interface change between Windows 7 and 8?

 

[SAG]

Am I the only one who is seeing people that are everyday users freaking out when they buy new computers because of the total interface change between Windows 7 and 8?

People freak out over the most ignorant of things though.
As mentioned before, Windows didn't originally have a start menu. Then it did. Now it has something else.

I remember when Ubuntu started using Unity and all the linux folks freaked the hell out over that. No one really thinking that they could apt-get-install "wtf ever they wanted" - they just freaked out because they could and having something to complain about made them feel special or important or part of the in-croud or something.

I have windows 8 in a VM and use it daily. Meta-X and Meta-Q give me quick access to all the menu stuff I need. Sure, I could install Start8 like I did on my son's computer, but i'm not 8 years old, I'm a big boy who can easily figure something out. Not because of any greater intelligence, but rather because I learned complaining about something is a waste of time and energy, especially when that something I can change if I wanted.

The fact is, people like to complain. And windows8 gives them something new to complain about. Next year, it'll be something else, and then the year after, and so on and so forth 'till trumpets sound and angels come and all that.

 

[FoolishTech]

Now THOSE are proud moments! I remember when my boy first amazed me with the knowledge he has learned just by watching me when I was younger.
Makes a dad feel proud.

definitely!

Am I the only one who is seeing people that are everyday users freaking out when they buy new computers because of the total interface change between Windows 7 and 8?

most people I see react with a "wow, that's different" and move on, some need a little help but 5 minutes of my time usually does the trick. majority of them use MS Office, internet/email, and that's it - some still using desktop shortcuts because they never got used to the pinned taskbar introduced with windows 7. I would venture to say many of them never used the start menu to begin with. I guess it depends on your client base and demographic. Your freaking out clients are obviously the ones who had the blinking 12:00 on their VCR back in the day.

 

[FoolishTech]

The fact is, people like to complain. And windows8 gives them something new to complain about. Next year, it'll be something else, and then the year after, and so on and so forth 'till trumpets sound and angels come and all that.

That is so true. I'm victim to being a complainer myself. I just try to focus on things that matter.

 

[nlinecomputers]

Is it not permissible to DISLIKE a feature? I'm perfectly capable of using the Start Screen on Windows 8. I just dislike it. Enough to not buy it. The Metro Start menu requires too much scrolling and thus is too awkward to use. Metro apps are very simplistic and watered down in features. I've had lots of calls with people that have bought it and disliked it enough to ask me how to get a traditional start menu back. Some even wanted to return the computer or downgrade to Windows 7.

How many of your clients run Windows 7 or Xp using the classic Windows 2K style desktop? Microsoft until now has always provided a theme that emulates the older versions of Windows. Why is suddenly such a freaking crime to provide end users with that same ability?

Windows 8 is badly designed. My android phone always has it's home icon at the bottom of the screen. An iPhone has a physical home button. There is a visual clue on what to do next. In Win 8 if you are in a metro app or even the desktop is it not apparent what to do next. The hot spots where the charms menu and start menu hide are not evident. And the charms menu is badly executed. A menu that comes in from the sides yet can only be activated by hitting the corners? EVERY other side menu in EVERY OTHER OS is revealed by hitting any point on the side, not this one. How intuitive is that? Even the notification bar on my phone is active along any point of it.

I find the start menu hot spot hard to activate. So have others. It took me awhile to figure out why. When I go to it and it appears I tend to slightly move my mouse to try and click on the center of it. This makes it disappear. If it would stay in place for a second or two this wouldn't be an issue. Again bad design. Hopefully Windows Blue will fix some this but so far what I've seen of the leaked version doesn't address any of this.

Search in Windows 8 sucks. Go to search and type in Windows Update. It doesn't show up. Unless you click the second item in the list on the right. THEN you can find it. On Windows 7 I can search for anything and it shows up on the main list. No clicking of sub menus that I might over look. Windows 7 does it better then 8.

So really just because Microsoft is pushing hard to move this pile of crap, I as a tech am supposed to LIKE it and embrace it? Supposed to recommend it and NOT provide tools and shortcuts to improve the end user experience? Because that is what the windows 8 fanboys are saying. (And they are Fanboys despite their denying it.)

 

[FoolishTech]

You're allowed to dislike it, sure!

Personally I agree with you about metro apps - don't use 'em - then again I don't have a touch screen or I probably would give them a chance, but as a kbd/mse user I enjoy more options.

Also I'm not fond of the start screen, it just doesn't annoy me any more than the start menu did. It's actually easier to arrange items and navigate it, though I miss the jumplists and pinned start menu items, I've just taken to pinning most of my apps to the taskbar instead.

On the other hand I actually like Windows 8 search, it's blazingly fast and accurate - contrary to you, I like how it groups the results into categories, I find it more organized and easier to actually find what you are looking for, even using your own example of Windows Update it is the first result under the appropriate category.

I also LOVE the right click when you highlight the pop-up start button. Unlike the start menu, the simple basic menu that pops up here has most everything I ever used the start menu for anyway (and still had to right click it.) Also never found it difficult to activate *shrug* (nor either of the side screen menus).

EDIT to add, I also love how I don't have to look at Microsoft's logo in the lower right corner of my screen all day. Yeah, it can be changed with various hacks, but it should have been entirely optional all along to even have nothing there. but that's just me.

 

[brandonkick]

It's an issue that is easily solved very quickly with free applications.

People just LOVE to complain!

I agree Microsoft should have provided a built in "WIN 7" theme. Why they didn't I'll never understand.

The touch screen hasn't (and IMO won't) become that prevalent in machines used for much more then casual experiences. At least not for a while to come.
So the need to better orient the UI for a mouse and keyboard was a no brainer.

Still no reason to hate/not use Windows 8

 

[ohio_grad_06]

Here is the thing. At what point say ok no more desktop ui. What does that mean for all of us also? I heard someone say they saw something maybe yesterday predicting Microsoft in 10 years may be gone.

 

[nlinecomputers]

Here is the thing. At what point say ok no more desktop ui. What does that mean for all of us also? I heard someone say they saw something maybe yesterday predicting Microsoft in 10 years may be gone.

That's only going to happen if LOB applications leap to some other system. I really don't see that happening unless Microsoft does fold. People still need such apps and still need to create content and that is best done on a PC. Even if that is a PC running from a cell phone via bluetooth to screens and kb mouse. Touch screens are not going to replace that form of input. Microsoft may end up leaving the consumer market. They might even break up into different companies,(doubtful IMO) but some version of it will survive. Unless some OS or device comes along that is so much superior that it pushes Windows aside. And I don't see that happening. Windows 8 isn't good enough for most to drop Windows 7. Something else will have to be or people will just cling on to it as they did with Xp. And Windows 8 CAN be worked with as is or hacked to work more like 7. So again Microsoft survives. Just not as big as it used to be.

 

[ohio_grad_06]

LOB? Sorry not familiar. I can deal with windows as long as I have a desktop ui. Call me old fashioned but not a big tablet guy and my laptop is ok. But if I want to work of game, desktop.

 

[nlinecomputers]

LOB=Line of Business app. Applications geared towards a particular industry.

 

[RocklandCompRepair]

Hmm... maybe he realized how terrible his new product was

"Windows 8 chief quits Microsoft"

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/378232/windows-8-chief-quits-microsoft/

 

[Vicenarian]

Two books I'm working through right now:

Windows 8: Inside Out
The HowToGeek Guide to Windows 8

 

[TechLady]

Two books I'm working through right now:

Windows 8: Inside Out
The HowToGeek Guide to Windows 8

Let us know how those are. I've often wished TN had a books section so we could post about technical books that have been really helpful!

 

[HFultzjr]

I can't speak for the start button you linked to I've not tried it. But a friend I helped with a new laptop purchase seems to love classic shell. Installed classic shell and picked the windows 7 style start menu, disable showing metro screen and disable all hot corners. Install a 3rd party photo viewer as well as acrobat reader. He says he almost can't tell it is the newer system. Also set user up as local and no password you don't even have to enter password if boots directly to desktop with start menu.

Kind of hoping Linux comes up in usage as I think Microsoft may try to kill the desktop interface in a few years.

+1 for classic shell.

I use it on the ones who refuse to learn Win 8 and they are .....well......comfortable, lets say.

 

[HFultzjr]

/me remembers when DOS didn't have Windows

/me remembers when there was no Dos.

 

[HFultzjr]

People freak out when Internet Explorer Changes.

People freak out when their e-mail changes....ie Hotmail to outlook.

People freak out when MS Office changes.

People freak out when they freak out.

We just need to get used to it, help those we can, look for alternatives/solutions and consider it a fact that it is going to continue

 

[HFultzjr]

definitely!



most people I see react with a "wow, that's different" and move on, some need a little help but 5 minutes of my time usually does the trick. majority of them use MS Office, internet/email, and that's it - some still using desktop shortcuts because they never got used to the pinned taskbar introduced with windows 7. I would venture to say many of them never used the start menu to begin with. I guess it depends on your client base and demographic. Your freaking out clients are obviously the ones who had the blinking 12:00 on their VCR back in the day.

Your freaking out clients are obviously the ones who had the blinking 12:00 on their VCR back in the day. Good one I remember those. At least they were right 2 times per day.