[omniusovermind]

I use a lot of Metro apps, such as games etc, as well as Metro Skype, Metro IE, Metro WP app, etc. So the Metro apps are a boon to me, and they aren't desktop. I love using Metro apps even without touch-screen, so your point could collapse there. Most people will struggle to get used to it though.

I think the point stands fine though because it was directed towards those who don't like using it ;)

[Cleavitt76]

I don't really like w8, it looks really good, but it is confusing that there are 2 homescreens and some programs open in one homescreen and other programs open in the other one. It looks way to chaotic. I have to be honest, I haven't used it for long yet, but there is indeed a (sometimes frustrating) learning curve, and I'm wondering if the learning curve is worth all the trouble.

There are things you can do to prevent what you are describing. There are two types of apps on Win8; touch optimized and keyboard/mouse optimized. You need to configure your default programs and start screen with apps that are appropriate for the system you are using. By default, Win8 leans more towards touch optimized apps. For example, if you double click on a JPEG image it will open in the full screen touch optimized "Photos" app. On a tablet this would probably be fine, on a laptop/desktop with one or more large screens it's usually not. However, the default program for images can easily be changed to "Windows Photo Viewer" (or your favorite third party program) so that it stays in desktop mode. Try some of these things and see if they help...

1)
Install the desktop programs that you actually plan to use on your system. This may sound silly, but a lot of people complaining about Win8 have just played with a fresh install or even just a store demo PC. It's easy to get the feeling that Win8 can't do much when all you have to play with is notepad, calculator, and some stock touch apps.

2)

• Open control panel (you can click the start button and just start typing "control panel") >> Programs >> Default Programs >> Set Default Programs.
• Select Windows Media Player (or your favorite installed third party media player) from the list and then click "set this program as default".
• Repeat this step for Windows Photo Viewer and any other programs that you want to use instead of the touch optimized versions. Some desktop programs may need to be installed first if they don't come with Windows (i.e. Adobe Reader for PDFs in desktop mode). Windows Media Player and Windows Photo Viewer are the two big ones though since in Win8 all media files (images, audio, video) have been defaulted to open with the Photos, Music, and Videos touch apps.

3)
On your Start Screen, right click on the touch optimized apps that come with Win8 and unpin them (or at least the ones you don't plan to use). You can also uninstall them if you are sure you have no use for them. Pin "My Computer", "Control Panel", and any other desktop programs you know you will use frequently. In other words, customize your start screen with programs you actually intend to use on that system.

When you are done doing these things you wont be jumping out of the desktop (except when you want to get your Angry Birds fix) and you will probably find that Win8 is just as productive as Win7 on a desktop computer.

[Laura Knotek]

3)
On your Start Screen, right click on the touch optimized apps that come with Win8 and unpin them (or at least the ones you don't plan to use). You can also uninstall them if you are sure you have no use for them. Pin "My Computer", "Control Panel", and any other desktop programs you know you will use frequently. In other words, customize your start screen with programs you actually intend to use on that system.

When you are done doing these things you wont be jumping out of the desktop (except when you want to get your Angry Birds fix) and you will probably find that Win8 is just as productive as Win7 on a desktop computer.

For Control Panel, etc, pressing the win key + x will bring up the power user menu that allow one to get to those settings quickly.

[spaulagain]

Control panel is super easy to get too. Move mouse to start corner (where start button used to be) when the Start Screen preview shows up, right mouse click.

[fatclue_98]

Yeah, go ahead you young whipper-snappers. Keep moaning about us older folks and our "resistance to change". Just remember, this ain't Logan's Run, you WILL pass 30 someday. When y'all get near 50 I'll be laughing my *** off when the next big thing comes. Again.

[Bearach]

Deleted.

[Daniel Ratcliffe]

I'm sorry but this is incorrect. Windows 7 Home Edition did in fact come with Media Center.

On topic... No it's not generally the "older" people whom hate Windows 8, and I think it's unfair to say such. I've seen and heard more young people, normally Google, or Android users slate the OS. So in my opinion it's more something that is being driven by a very vocal fan-base than some "old" guys.

I agree with this. Remember Windows 8 uses the Windows Phone tile paradigm. If you don't like the tile paradigm (and will therefore avoid WP like the bubonic plague) then you'll also despise Windows 8. Because the tiles are how people perceive Windows 8. First perceptions are very powerful, and just like first impressions, they are a royal pain in the butt to change.

[ImmortalWarrior]

I'm sorry but this is incorrect. Windows 7 Home Edition did in fact come with Media Center.

On topic... No it's not generally the "older" people whom hate Windows 8, and I think it's unfair to say such. I've seen and heard more young people, normally Google, or Android users slate the OS. So in my opinion it's more something that is being driven by a very vocal fan-base than some "old" guys.

Home premium had it, sure. But win 7 had way more iterations than needed. No confusion with win 8. Its win 8 or win 8 pro (not counting RT).

[ImmortalWarrior]

Besides. This guy complained about it costing him more than Win7... Even after I explained how Win8 pro is actually cheaper, even at full price. This is compared to the win 7 launch pricing

[dba415]

it doesn't matter what you think. Bottom line is Windows 8 was a poor decision and Microsoft is paying for it by the low adoption rate and overall negativity surrounding it. If your theory is true in that old people can't understand windows 8 well then Microsoft have failed in catering to that market and it's their fault not the old people's fault.

Have you ever heard the phrase the customer is always right? How can you even write this topic blaming the consumers when it's Microsoft's fault.

There wasn't any negativity surrounding Windows 7, in fact people embraced it. Put out a good product and people will like it, put out a poor product such as Windows 8 and people won't simple as that. Any type of software that has as steep a learning curve as the Windows 8 is not a good product for the masses.

[Phone Guy 4567]

I agree.

I think Windows 8 is actually a everything old is new again system. Full screen apps DOS had that, plain flat graphics any version of Windows prior to Vista had it. For an encore Blue is getting rid of multitasking to increase OS stability LOL :)

[mlm1950]

Touchscreen devices are only going to become more prevalent, so folks might as well get used to the idea of new ways of navigating their computers.

Of course, voice navigation will become more advanced as well.

[spaulagain]

Touchscreen devices are only going to become more prevalent, so folks might as well get used to the idea of new ways of navigating their computers.

Of course, voice navigation will become more advanced as well.

THIS

Its like when the mouse was introduced. It completely changes the dynamics of interacting with computers. So has touch.

[Honestabebread]

I think Windows 8 is awesome. Hating on Microsoft is just cool now. IE10 is a great browser but everyone makes fun of it still. Bing is a great search engine but for some reason people are stuck on Google. Windows Phone is very intuitive and fluid, but everyone assumes it will get viruses and be complicated because its Windows. Windows was always viewed as a necessary evil. You had to have it because of work or college or whatever. Then Microsoft releases Windows 8, which looks great, works great, and is future proofed for touch, and everyone hates on it because its what? Too functional? You mean I can own something the same size as my iPad but I can actually create with it? Oh man, that really sucks.

[ny_yankees]

Well not the news I wanted to read

Four months after being released into the wild, no one seems to care thatMicrosoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) Windows 8 has been desperately trying to reinvent the desktop PC experience. According to Net Applications, February was a downright awful month for Windows 8; it only gained 0.4% more of the desktop PC market. Since its debut, Windows 8 has only picked up an embarrassingly low 2.67% market share. For those keeping track at home, this pace is so awful that Microsoft Vista actually commanded more of the market after the same amount of time. Yikes. Considering that 65% of Windows-based PC sales are based on consumer spending, there's no possible way this development could be a good thing for Microsoft investors looking for share appreciation.
Nokia to the rescue?Working in Microsoft's favor is the fact that the majority of the next 2 billion Internet users coming online over the next three to five years will experience the Internet for the first time on a mobile device. Moreover, the majority of these users will come from emerging markets, which could potentially work to Microsoft's advantage because these markets are likely to have less mindshare. In other words, its nascent ecosystem may not prove to be much of an issue and instead, it may come down to a price versus value decision.
That said, partnering with a company like Nokia (NYSE: NOK) could become Microsoft's winning strategy in emerging markets.

Windows 8 Sales Grind to a Halt (MSFT)

[Laura Knotek]

Well not the news I wanted to read



Windows 8 Sales Grind to a Halt (MSFT)

Many people have no real reason to upgrade. The hardware they already have is "good enough". The average consumer tends to keep the same software until he/she gets new hardware. If that person's PC does what he/she needs, why bother buying a new PC? Why Moore's Law, not mobility, is killing the PC | PCWorld

[stmav]

I'm probably what you consider one of these "old" people. Yet I was running Windows 8 preview on my laptop in a virtual machine. I also have a Surface RT and Lumia 920. Am proficient and enjoy all of them. Yet I talk with friends in their 20's all the time and many of them whine about Windows 8. Sometimes blanket statements aren't necessarily true.

[AngryNil]

I particularly love the people who complain about the lack of a start button and how Windows 8 isn't good for their productivity in the same breath. If you're reaching over from your keyboard to your mouse just to open the start menu, you're doing it wrong. You are your own biggest obstacle to being productive, stop blaming OS changes.

Seriously. If you care about getting the most out of technology and being productive, learn the tools you have and explore new ones. It recently became important for me to keep notes synced between multiple devices. I dumped my current workflow of 7 Sticky Notes on my PCs and Note+ on the phone, spent a few hours over two nights learning Evernote and OneNote, and I'm now set for the next three years. (Settled with OneNote, didn't see why I'd pay for Evernote Premium just to get local note storage.) In such a rapidly iterating industry, it's highly beneficial to relearn and rethink workflows.

[Laura Knotek]

I particularly love the people who complain about the lack of a start button and how Windows 8 isn't good for their productivity in the same breath. If you're reaching over from your keyboard to your mouse just to open the start menu, you're doing it wrong. You are your own biggest obstacle to being productive, stop blaming OS changes.

Power users would be familiar with keyboard shortcuts in Windows 7 (or earlier versions) too. They just need to become familiar with the new keyboard shortcuts. I can see where power users would miss pressing the win key to open the start menu, since that's been around for a long time (at least since Windows 98).

[AngryNil]

I can see where power users would miss pressing the win key to open the start menu, since that's been around for a long time (at least since Windows 98).

Doesn't the keyboard Windows key work for you in Windows 8?

[Daylife]

Running Windows 8 on my Asus G75 NONE Touch screen and I couldn't be happier.....i don't want smudge marks on my PC...ill leave that for the tablets and phones.
Sent from my Nokia Lumia 920 using Board Express

[iHuGi]

Im running Windows 8 and i LOVE IT!

its much more fast than Windows 7 and the interface is the same in desktop, plus you have the Metro Screen wich looks beautiful let me say!

Plenty of good apps aswell but i think apps are useless in a Full Windows 8 machine since you have everything on the internet. Still i love to play with some apps (Games), its pretty good and the Photo Apps is outstanding!

Also news apps are priceless, outstanding. love them.

Oh and Tune in is amazing, doing wonders for me... Too bad Microsoft doesnt let me use Xbox Music anymore since my account is from United Kingdom and im in Portugal but since i dont WANT to change my Region because Xbox Live in Portugal is pretty terrible, so i just use Spotify :3

[Laura Knotek]

Doesn't the keyboard Windows key work for you in Windows 8?

Yes. It's just that the various keyboard shortcuts are different.

[tgp]

Overall I'm pleased with the performance of Windows 8. It boots & runs faster than Win7. But here are a couple issues I've found in the few months I've used it:

1. In the Metro UI the split screen is either 25/75 or 75/25. I'm not sure why MS couldn't have at least included 50/50, if not infinitely adjustable.
2. Using the corners for bringing up menus requires precision if you have more than 1 screen. You can't just slam your cursor into an inside corner.
3. Since at this point it's not possible to work in the Metro UI 100% of the time, it requires jumping back and forth. Not a big deal, but because behavior is different, it is necessary to always be aware of which one you're in at the moment.

But still, at the end of the day I'll take Windows 8 over anything else.

[ImmortalWarrior]

Overall I'm pleased with the performance of Windows 8. It boots & runs faster than Win7. But here are a couple issues I've found in the few months I've used it:

1. In the Metro UI the split screen is either 25/75 or 75/25. I'm not sure why MS couldn't have at least included 50/50, if not infinitely adjustable.
2. Using the corners for bringing up menus requires precision if you have more than 1 screen. You can't just slam your cursor into an inside corner.
3. Since at this point it's not possible to work in the Metro UI 100% of the time, it requires jumping back and forth. Not a big deal, but because behavior is different, it is necessary to always be aware of which one you're in at the moment.

But still, at the end of the day I'll take Windows 8 over anything else.

I find the corners issue is less of a problem because they have hooks that you catch on near the corners. These hook spots are big enough to prevent you from accidentally slipping over to the other monitors (I run 3 individual, triple wide surround for gaming). The one problem I do have is keeping the mouse cursor in that narrow strip on the charms bar. Sometimes when navigating downward to shut down I slip too far to the side and it closes on me.

The workaround to this is to use windows key + C.