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Windows 8 Pro upgrade to jump from $40 to $200 on Feb. 1

venturebeat.com

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Re: Windows 8 Pro upgrade to jump from $40 to $200 on Feb. 1

#41

Post by brudgers »

porter wrote: post #21

I set up Windows 8 for our grandma's new computer 2 nights ago. I run Ubuntu and OSX but also use Windows 7 on occasion. I've read all the bad reviews, but I was interested in actually trying it out for myself. The new UI is horrible. Some problems I encountered: - IE hides the URL bar by default and makes you right click near the bottom of the browser to show it (this took me 5 min to figure out). - We backed up all…

Don't blame Windows 8 for breaking your grandma's computer. She ain't the one who installed it without knowing how it works.

Re: Windows 8 Pro upgrade to jump from $40 to $200 on Feb. 1

#42

Post by leviathant »

porter wrote: post #21

I set up Windows 8 for our grandma's new computer 2 nights ago. I run Ubuntu and OSX but also use Windows 7 on occasion. I've read all the bad reviews, but I was interested in actually trying it out for myself. The new UI is horrible. Some problems I encountered: - IE hides the URL bar by default and makes you right click near the bottom of the browser to show it (this took me 5 min to figure out). - We backed up all…

I only use "the old desktop" in Windows 8, and the "new UI" is basically a full-screen start button with status crap in it. The only time I see the Metro side of things is when I check the weather, or use Trackage.

If you're approaching Windows 8 on a desktop or (non-touch) laptop with the intent to stay strictly within this new interface, you're misunderstanding how the operating system works.

Re: Windows 8 Pro upgrade to jump from $40 to $200 on Feb. 1

#43

Post by chadzawistowski »

jwoah12 wrote: post #26
orionblastar wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I did a Windows 8 Beta Test and Windows 8 Developer test and had Windows 8 Enterprise RTM for a 90 day demo. It didn't seem to want to run half the software that worked with Windows 7, and the Windows Store didn't seem to have a lot of apps worth the purchase price. I've tried Windows 8 and I have family and friends who bought a Windows 8 Machine and now regret it. I think the youtube videos are based on that. Window…

Anyone else had problems running Windows 7 apps on Windows 8? I thought it was supposed to be almost completely backwards compatible?

Nope. I've had no problem running anything that worked on Windows 7. Even older apps which need Windows XP compatibility mode work fine.

Re: Windows 8 Pro upgrade to jump from $40 to $200 on Feb. 1

#44

Post by leviathant »

jwoah12 wrote: post #26
orionblastar wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I did a Windows 8 Beta Test and Windows 8 Developer test and had Windows 8 Enterprise RTM for a 90 day demo. It didn't seem to want to run half the software that worked with Windows 7, and the Windows Store didn't seem to have a lot of apps worth the purchase price. I've tried Windows 8 and I have family and friends who bought a Windows 8 Machine and now regret it. I think the youtube videos are based on that. Window…

Anyone else had problems running Windows 7 apps on Windows 8? I thought it was supposed to be almost completely backwards compatible?

I upgraded to Windows 8 pro about a month ago, despite my concerns that some of my more eclectic software & hardware might not make the jump (given prior experience with major Windows revisions).

Specifically, I'm running an M-Audio ProjectMix I/O multichannel soundcard/mixing desk through a PCI-e Firewire card, for which I record multitrack audio and produce video. I'm running two monitors and a 1080p HDTV off a single ATI Eyefinity card. I've also got a pile of more common software - an old version of Photoshop, some webdev crap I test with for building out my hobby sites.

The installation couldn't possibly have gone smoother. I downloaded the upgrade, which ran and had me on Win8 Pro in about a half hour, probably less. I remember it going very quickly. I was upgrading from Win7 home.

Re: Windows 8 Pro upgrade to jump from $40 to $200 on Feb. 1

#45

Post by gnud »

desireco42 wrote: post #40

I really don't know where they clone you guys, but aside from a bunch of macs and some linux, I do have windows machine, on which I spent many happy hours (playing and working). I upgraded to win8 when it came out, I can't imagine anyone visiting HackerNews being confused by Win8 interface, even businessy lean startup types. Everything so far was good and while I switch to desktop mostly, Metro interface is fine and…

I'm sure I could get used to win8 quite quickly. I'll probably install it next time I upgrade my windows PC. But admit it - you had no idea how to shut down your computer in win8 until someone told you.

Re: Windows 8 Pro upgrade to jump from $40 to $200 on Feb. 1

#46

Post by leviathant »

yuhong wrote: post #17

There should also be a Home version that should be cheaper.

I was running Windows 7 Home edition (I'd bought a new computer in July) and the upgrade to Windows 8 pro was $15. That's about as cheap as a major operating system upgrade comes.

Re: Windows 8 Pro upgrade to jump from $40 to $200 on Feb. 1

#47

Post by gnud »

derefr wrote: post #39
porter wrote: post #21

I set up Windows 8 for our grandma's new computer 2 nights ago. I run Ubuntu and OSX but also use Windows 7 on occasion. I've read all the bad reviews, but I was interested in actually trying it out for myself. The new UI is horrible. Some problems I encountered: - IE hides the URL bar by default and makes you right click near the bottom of the browser to show it (this took me 5 min to figure out). - We backed up all…

> The old desktop mode was great at first, until I realized there wasn't a start button There's a start button, it just doesn't look like anything. Throw your cursor to the bottom-left corner and click. (And the little "show desktop" widget is still in the bottom-right corner as well.)

Invisible GUI elements seems to be all the rage these days.

I don't get it - why would you want it invisible, even if you're using touch?

(this goes for special "swipe-in" stuff too, not just for the start menu)

Re: Windows 8 Pro upgrade to jump from $40 to $200 on Feb. 1

#48

Post by robomartin »

I bought and upgrade and installed it in a VM. At this point I only use it to check for web development issues with ie10. In that context it works just fine. No issues whatsoever. I had criticized the UI at the time preview came out. Now I find that after become aware of a couple of keyboard commands it really isn't that bad. Again, keep in mind that my use case is very, very limited in scope.

Re: Windows 8 Pro upgrade to jump from $40 to $200 on Feb. 1

#49

Post by chadzawistowski »

jere wrote: post #28
iy56 wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Basing your movie opinions on random youtube videos would be equally foolish. The reviews of professional critics are somewhat different.

Ok. I wasn't sure if the original complaint was because they were random youtube videos or simply reviews. Several professionals have criticized Windows 8 harshly: http://www.nngroup.com/articles/windows-8-disappointing-usab...

Ugh, that review leaves plenty of room for FUD. This excerpt for example.

    One of the worst aspects of Windows 8 for power users is that the product's very
    name has become a misnomer. "Windows" no longer supports multiple windows on the
    screen. Win8 does have an option to temporarily show a second area in a small part
    of the screen, but none of our test users were able to make this work. Also, the
    main UI restricts users to a single window, so the product ought to be renamed
    " Microsoft Window ."
They make it sound as though I can't have multiple windows open even in desktop mode. Furthermore, the option to show a metro app side-by-side is neither temporary nor difficult. In my multi-monitor Windows 8 setup I leave the Mail app open most of the day.

Re: Windows 8 Pro upgrade to jump from $40 to $200 on Feb. 1

#50

Post by Havoc »

ghshephard wrote: post #11
diminoten wrote: post #3

Damn; to be fully honest, this may motivate me into upgrading, which I find to be an interesting reaction, given how I had, previously, no plans to upgrade. Obviously this is intentional, but I am just surprised by how effective it is on me.

Quick question, without searching - what's the driving "Must Have" feature in Windows 8 for you? My OS X Lion System finally (finally!) stabilized around 10.7.5, stopped kernel panicking, beach balling, and just outright hanging. I'm going to wait at least a year from now on before upgrading my OS, and then, only if there is some "Must Have" feature in the new platform. I've got a Windows XP Desktop to the left of me…

>what's the driving "Must Have" feature in Windows 8 for you?

The "8" part mainly. I'll probably buy it just for good measure in case its an advantage upgrade wise when win 9 rolls by (Assuming MS is still dominant then).

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