Even Windows 8 early adopters prefer Windows 7 by two to one • Hacker News Board

Re: Even Windows 8 early adopters prefer Windows 7 by two to one

#11

Post by pragmatic » Fri, Sep 28, 2012, 2:48 PM UTC

JimmaDaRustla wrote: post #2

My take on Windows 8 is simple, as a desktop OS - you can't take core features and remove them without a viable alternative. My biggest beef is the removal of the start menu and the search bar on it - I could do/find anything from there. My other beef is that the Metro UI gives you all these "fullscreen" applications, but no way to window them. Windows provided me with a train of thought, but when you make everything…

One million times yes.

Do yourself a favor, download and install classic shell: http://classicshell.sourceforge.net/

With classic shell you get a Windows 7.1.

You'll boot right to the desktop (with a quick flash of the Metro start menu).

Re: Even Windows 8 early adopters prefer Windows 7 by two to one

#12

Post by pyre » Fri, Sep 28, 2012, 2:48 PM UTC

markshepard wrote: post #4

Poor windows. It is damned if you do and damned if you don't. First they aren't radical enough. Now they are too radical. sigh.

Apple didn't remove core features from OSX to create iOS on the iPad. I think that is one of the issues here. The idea that Microsoft's tablet OS will run the same "Windows" that the PCs run. If anything, Microsoft probably should have left the regular mode alone, and done all of the radical stuff in 'Metro-mode' so that people on a desktop PC could ignore it if it got in the way of their workflow.

If Microsoft thought that they could remove some of these things without any blow-back, then they are idiots. If understood the risks, and assume that things will work out for the better in the end? Then good on them, and good luck.

Re: Even Windows 8 early adopters prefer Windows 7 by two to one

#13

Post by bitdiffusion » Fri, Sep 28, 2012, 2:49 PM UTC

Has there ever been an OS release where (at first) people prefer the new one? Windows 7 might be the exception only because the previous incarnation was so awful.

Ubuntu with Unity? we want the old desktop! IOS6? we want IOS5 and our maps! OSX Mountain Lion? We want Lion!

Change is always hard and almost never goes down well - this is not a new phenomenon and occurs naturally at the beginning of most major software versions. People will get used to it and move on with their lives...

Re: Even Windows 8 early adopters prefer Windows 7 by two to one

#14

Post by pragmatic » Fri, Sep 28, 2012, 2:49 PM UTC

josteink wrote: post #8

JimmaDaRustla wrote: post #2

My take on Windows 8 is simple, as a desktop OS - you can't take core features and remove them without a viable alternative. My biggest beef is the removal of the start menu and the search bar on it - I could do/find anything from there. My other beef is that the Metro UI gives you all these "fullscreen" applications, but no way to window them. Windows provided me with a train of thought, but when you make everything…

Search is still there. Just press the windows key and start typing. It's all there, sans the textbox which tells you it's there. Probably not the pinnacle of intuitive design, but it is there ;)

The search is broken, unless you remember to do Windows + W, the search by default won't search files or system settings, just apps.

I don't get that, even though there is room on that full paged search screen, they only show a couple of apps.

You have to click on options at the right to have it search settings or files. What a stupid, stupid oversight.

Re: Even Windows 8 early adopters prefer Windows 7 by two to one

#15

Post by bloaf » Fri, Sep 28, 2012, 2:50 PM UTC

JimmaDaRustla wrote: post #2

My take on Windows 8 is simple, as a desktop OS - you can't take core features and remove them without a viable alternative. My biggest beef is the removal of the start menu and the search bar on it - I could do/find anything from there. My other beef is that the Metro UI gives you all these "fullscreen" applications, but no way to window them. Windows provided me with a train of thought, but when you make everything…

I think the full screen start menu is fine, Windows isn't the only OS to use it, look at Gnome and Unity on Linux.

My biggest complaints are that system settings are difficult to find and navigate. It took me quite some time to figure out how to even shut down the computer the first time.

I do agree that the distinction between the Metro programs and the desktop programs feels arbitrary and frustrating. You can "Dock" the metro apps on one side or the other, but unless you have a widescreen display, that's not really an alternative to windowing.

Re: Even Windows 8 early adopters prefer Windows 7 by two to one

#16

Post by pragmatic » Fri, Sep 28, 2012, 2:50 PM UTC

bitdiffusion wrote: post #13

Has there ever been an OS release where (at first) people prefer the new one? Windows 7 might be the exception only because the previous incarnation was so awful. Ubuntu with Unity? we want the old desktop! IOS6? we want IOS5 and our maps! OSX Mountain Lion? We want Lion! Change is always hard and almost never goes down well - this is not a new phenomenon and occurs naturally at the beginning of most major software v…

Yes. Windows XP and Windows 7.

If you don't recall the abortion that was Windows ME, then you are lucky. Windows 98 was so clunky compared to Windows XP. All the little improvements and features were fantastic.

Then came Vista and that was another train wreck. But Windows 7 was a dream. It magically found drivers, everything "just worked."

Re: Even Windows 8 early adopters prefer Windows 7 by two to one

#17

Post by josteink » Fri, Sep 28, 2012, 2:53 PM UTC

pragmatic wrote: post #14

josteink wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Search is still there. Just press the windows key and start typing. It's all there, sans the textbox which tells you it's there. Probably not the pinnacle of intuitive design, but it is there ;)

The search is broken, unless you remember to do Windows + W, the search by default won't search files or system settings, just apps. I don't get that, even though there is room on that full paged search screen, they only show a couple of apps. You have to click on options at the right to have it search settings or files. What a stupid, stupid oversight.

Agreed on this. And not having an "all" category in the UI and as the default choice, seems like a weird design decision to me.

Re: Even Windows 8 early adopters prefer Windows 7 by two to one

#18

Post by lini » Fri, Sep 28, 2012, 2:53 PM UTC

I have been using Win8 as a main OS for the past 4 months. I can't seem to find anything I need that was there in Win7 and missing in the new version. I love the new keyboard shortcuts (esp. Win+X, A). Metro is by no means a requirement - the old desktop is still there and all programs (even games) run the same.

I guess it's just easier to bash MS than to really see that Win8 is not just Metro/Modern, at least on the desktop. I haven't used it on an ARM device yet so I cannot comment on that.

Re: Even Windows 8 early adopters prefer Windows 7 by two to one

#19

Post by JimmaDaRustla » Fri, Sep 28, 2012, 2:56 PM UTC

josteink wrote: post #8

JimmaDaRustla wrote: post #2

My take on Windows 8 is simple, as a desktop OS - you can't take core features and remove them without a viable alternative. My biggest beef is the removal of the start menu and the search bar on it - I could do/find anything from there. My other beef is that the Metro UI gives you all these "fullscreen" applications, but no way to window them. Windows provided me with a train of thought, but when you make everything…

Search is still there. Just press the windows key and start typing. It's all there, sans the textbox which tells you it's there. Probably not the pinnacle of intuitive design, but it is there ;)

I may have to check it out again, thanks for the tip.

My fave thing about Win7 was pressing Win key, then typing "Change resolution", or "change password", etc. I practically didn't need to remember how to reach anything. Laziness I guess ;)

Re: Even Windows 8 early adopters prefer Windows 7 by two to one

#20

Post by rjv » Fri, Sep 28, 2012, 2:59 PM UTC

enraged_camel wrote: post #6

markshepard wrote: post #4

Poor windows. It is damned if you do and damned if you don't. First they aren't radical enough. Now they are too radical. sigh.

Windows 7 had the perfect balance. It made significant improvements in many areas that XP was insufficient at and Vista sucked at, while keeping the fundamentals the same. Windows 8 though... I haven't used it myself, but from what I'm hearing, it sounds like it's slated to be a bigger disaster than Vista.

I only had to read "I haven't used it myself" to understand why you have the sentiment you do. Try it. It's quite good and not all that different from Windows 7. Seriously.