Windows 8.1 is the best

[birgs]

Many people don't know about the desktop menu in windows 8.1. Most of them thinks that it's hard to use because only plain start screen lives styles. When they discover the desktop menu. They ask how to do that? Wow!!! It is completely beautiful.
Windows 8.1 can do everything like smartphones have more apps like Facebook app compare to windows 7.

 

[unstoppablekem]

I love Windows 8.1. People complain about Windows 8 having no start button, and I just show them they are wrong. If they want more options, they can right click the start button.

 

[ajst222]

I love Windows 8 to death. It mixes the convenience and simplicity of smartphones with a full computer OS. With the introduction of Windows 8, it's clear that apps are the future for computers and laptops and Apple has some catching up to do. Windows 8 is just what Windows (and the computer industry)needed...a fresh new OS that shook everything up. It's amazing that the same OS can work as beautifully on a tablet as it can on a desktop

 

[tgp]

I like Windows 8.1 much better than 8. To me it's a big improvement over even Windows 7. However, I virtually never use the Start UI. I find it pretty useless. It probably is at least partially because of the way I use a computer though. But like WP apps, I find the Windows Store apps are generally low quality, and the Live Tiles show old info. They show my emails & Facebook posts from months ago.

Besides my home use, which is pretty basic, I use Windows 8.1 it in the workplace environment. I am employed by a Microsoft partner, and with our workplace environment and support work everything is desktop based. The only time I ever go to the Start screen is to search. And most of the apps I search for are legacy apps, and the files open with legacy apps.

 

[chocolateyum]

I love 8.1 too. I don't get the hate. Besides the initial install, it's not buggy.

I have a touch screen so that might make a difference. Only thing I don't love is the expensive future upgrades.

 

[Pivotgeeks]

most of the like i have for win 8.1 has come from playing with my moms laptop, now my workstation computer still runs win 7.
I thought of upgrading, but currectly im on a big project and i don't wanna mess the workflow.
so after the project. i will upgrade to win 8.1 and clean my computer...

 

[Binoya Mathews]

Well, I would like to disagree. When windows 8 came out, there were some people who said that it was the best OS ever like some comments above ,but the sales speak for themselves. Its not good enough. Windows 8.1 improves upon windows 8,but it doesn`t solve any of the issues when it comes to the desktop/a non touch enabled laptop. I for one is not a fan of the touch environment being forced on anything and everything especially not on the desktop/laptop. Yes, you get apps now on your desktop, modern apps, a little extra functionality and a better looking UI. That doesn`t justify this awful decision.
What about the bifurcated UX? Why do you give me two experiences inside a single OS, its just BS. Give me one, either the desktop or if it is the modern UI you want to push for the future, give me that and ship the product ONLY after you are done with the transition(looking at you windows 8) and optimise it according to the hardware on which it is installed if it is touch enabled, modern/metro else desktop. One size doesn`t fit all, it simply doesn`t.Steve Jobs got that right long back, these guys are still trying and failing over and over again.
Its ok for the time being, because windows 7 is still around but once that period is over , if there is no product which will solve all these issues, Microsoft will be in deep trouble.Touch enabled laptops, really??Not a fan at all.
Even about modern UI, I get confused with all those tiles, especially when there is a whole lot of them on my start screen, I use my laptop presently with Apps view switched on by default. Good thing they introduced it with 8.1.Why can`t they get the simple fact that people need stuff which works not those which need to be tweaked in order to. Oh well, they realised quick settings, notification center had to be introduced 2 years later with WP 8.1, surprise,surprise..

 

[anony_mouse]

With the introduction of Windows 8, it's clear that apps are the future for computers and laptops and Apple has some catching up to do.

I have been running apps on computers for many years. I think even Windows XP supported the installation and running of applications. If Apple computers can't run apps, I'm not surprised their market share is so small!

 

[peachy001]

As someone that is using XP, I anticipate my opinion carries little weight. I use 7 at work and love it. One thing that confuses me are the comments about the number of windows I can have open. When using my PC I frequently have many windows open. One may be a web page with multiple tabs, there may be several different word docs and a few PDFs open. I may have completely misunderstood the situation, but does 8 restrict me doing things like that? I am holding off upgrading as I also have Office, which is an expensive upgrade in itself, and adds another ?90 or more to the price. I have tried Open Office too, but I just did not get on with it. Couple the price of Office and the new system cost, and I need to be putting ?650 aside. I therefore cannot afford to make a bad choice regarding the OS.

 

[yarvelling]

No Peachy, you shouldn't have any problem having all those windows/programmes running. Windows 8.1 allows the same thing, and it also has the separate apps from it's start screen which can stay open in the background, but don't appear to be active (consuming CPU/RAM) whilst dormant, or not in the foreground.

 

[peachy001]

But can I have them all open at the same time. I really did have 4 word docs open and displayed plus 3 different PDFs and 3 internet pages running. The screen was packed.

 

[Cleavitt76]

Yes, you open as many windows at once as you want. The desktop works the same way as Windows 7. I'm using it right now with 3 monitors, at least 50 windows running, and about 10 of those windows are visible. There are a few significant changes from Windows 7 to Windows 8.x...

1) The start menu has been replaced with the start screen. The start screen is full screen and arranged as groups of tiles instead of the folder hierarchy that the old start menu used. People act like this is the end of the world for all kinds of made up reasons, but it really doesn't change the workflow at all. You open it, click the program or function you want, and continue working.

2) The more common configuration settings have been duplicated in a touch friendly (full screen) settings menu. Things like basic Wifi config, volume, screen brightness, etc. The new methods are intended for people using tablets which is why those menus only cover a subset of the full Control Panel. You can still access these things (and a lot more) through the traditional Control Panel, so again it really doesn't change the workflow if you are on a desktop/laptop.

3) Support for apps from the Windows Store (i.e. Modern UI apps). These are optional apps that run full screen and are touch optimized instead of running on the desktop. You can switch between them and the desktop very quickly. A lot of people are confused by this because they think MS is trying to replace the desktop with this UI model just because it's newer. However, that is not the case. The Modern UI apps are intended to supplement or compliment the traditional desktop and programs written for the desktop. Both will continue to exist although I'm sure over time the two UI environments will be more blended than they are now. You don't have to use Modern UI apps if you only need desktop apps. On my work computer, I only use the weather app live tile, but everything else is a desktop app. On my Surface Pro 2 I use quite a few Modern UI apps when I'm using the device as a tablet and I mostly use desktop apps when I'm using the device as a desktop or laptop. It's worth mentioning that there is a menu that allows you to set the default apps that will open Video, Music, and Picture files and you can choose either a desktop app or a modern UI app as appropriate for your device. A lot of people don't set this properly and then complain that "Windows is jumping out of the desktop all the time."

None of these changes are "bad" they are just different, but a lot of people don't deal well with change. In most cases though, these changes are optional additions that you don't have to use if they don't make sense for your workflow. The advantage is that you have the option of different workflows on different devices or just based on what you are doing (work/play) without changing operating systems. In some cases you can even have all your workflows supported on one device (hybrid tablet/laptop + desktop docking station would allow this for most people). With other OSs you can't just jump from one app type/workflow to another. Instead, you have to change devices/OSs/apps and you have to keep all of those things updated and in sync with each other.

 

[peachy001]

I sincerely appreciate the replies. So, I would be a traditional desktop guy, I think. Again, I must remind you that I have never used 8. So, can I not use new style apps and old school desktop programs at the same time? It sounds like the old dos/windows switching. I assume it is better than that and the two can display side by side? On 7, at work, at the bottom of my screen I have icons for Word Etc, that I can pin frequently used docs, spreadsheets to. Is that feature still there?

 

[Catalin Dan]

Yes the feature is still here, the desktop is exactly the way you know it. Also, u can use the new style apps and desktop together, like Skype/music app on half the screen and desktop/word on the other half.

 

[peachy001]

No custom minimise size I assume? Git to be honest, it does not sound as bad as I had heard.

 

[Cleavitt76]

It's not bad at all. Windows 8.1 is my favorite OS ever and I spend plenty of time using non-windows OSs so I'm not just comparing to other Windows versions. There is a bit of a learning curve compared to previous Windows versions, but it literally does everything that Windows 7 does plus new optional functionality. Everyone I know that has taken the time to understand it likes it. Everyone I know that complains about it has barely used it or not used it at all.

The "fullscreen" modern UI apps can actually be resized to take up part of the screen with the desktop or other modern UI apps taking up the rest. It's hard to explain. Here is a screen shot of my desktop. A picture is worth a thousand words. This is a dual monitor PC so the screen shot captures both the left and right monitor. The Modern UI "Mail" app has been "minimized" to about 30% of the right screen so that I can see and respond to incoming email. At work I use Outlook, but for my home PC the simple Mail app is all I really need.

 

[peachy001]

I have to be honest.... I am struggling to see the problem. Not seriously just the missing start button? Which I understand has returned anyway.

 

[peachy001]

As it happens, went to a training session with work today. The presentation laptop had 8 on. Looked nice.

 

[peachy001]

Is there not a little corner option like before?

 

[Cleavitt76]

Are you trying to help me prove my point about people that haven't used Windows 8 talking smack about it? :wink:

Outlook and lots of other desktop email clients have that "notification icon" functionality. They continue to work on Windows 8 the same as previous versions of windows.

The "Mail" app (and many other Modern UI apps) also has the option to show notifications...



And of course you also get the live tile update on your start screen...



I don't usually dock the mail app to my desktop unless I am actively emailing back and forth with someone while trying to do other things. I only did it in this case as an example of how Modern UI apps can be docked since that was specifically asked about. It could just have easily been Skype, Facebook, Twitter, Stocks, or any other Modern UI app and of course you always have the option to not use Modern UI apps if you only need the desktop.

Also, the docked Mail app doesn't just show "an ugly list of emails." It continues to function as it does when it's running full screen. If you click a message it will display the contents of the message and you can reply/forward/delete/whatever even from that narrow window. Of course you can drag the docked app larger or full screen if that makes more sense and you can make it go away by dragging its "panel" off the edge of the screen.

As far as Facebook messages, if you are using the Facebook app you can also get live tile updates, popup notifications (even when the app is closed), and you can dock the app along side the desktop or another app very much like the Mail app. I actually do this all the time when people are messaging me, but I didn't feel like sharing a screenshot of my Facebook messages with the whole world so I didn't use it in my example.