Consumer Reports: Just Stick with Windows 7 For Now

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Windows 8 is lower than whale PooP, and it will never be on my computers! CR If you are going to DO a computer servey, How about looking at computer OEMs to see which company has the best OEM system software, and which OEMs keep their OEM customized drivers updated, and which OEMs do not! I have a Toshiba latop that has never recieved any updated Intel HD graphics drivers, Toshiba customizied the Intel genaric HD graphics drivers, and The Intel HD gaphics driver website can not update OEM customized Intel HD graphics drivers! This is a serious problem OEMs and their lack of software support after the sale, How about this Consumer Reports, Their are many computer OEMs using lack of software updates as a forced planned obsolescence on the computers that they sale! Microsoft is trying to force a closed ecosystem on third party OEM computers with windows 8, Microsoft should be brought before the antitrust courts , and asked why they think that they have the right to take over third party computer manufacturers computers with their closed ecosystem app store Metro/Modern UI! Apple computer does not try to force its closed ecosystem on any third party OEM computers, why does the US government think that it is OK for Microsoft to take over and force third party computer manufacturers to use windows 8 on new computers, and their app store OS monopoly on consumers!
 
[citation][nom]Darkpriest667[/nom]CR has no idea what they're talking about. Hate to break the news to everyone that has no idea what's going on but the security and the memory management alone are reason enough for most users to upgrade to windows 8.[/citation]

You couldn't be more wrong. Only iDrones who have made the switch to PC should buy Windows 8.
 
[citation][nom]belardo[/nom]Microsoft owns only 20% of the total OS market share. (Desktops / tablets / phones)Windows itself *IS* becoming irrelevant, hence this new business model of their app store and crappy metro interface. Their goal is to replace the Windows desktop interface with the Metro one... but somehow call it "windows" (There are no Windows in metro, just full screens)[/citation]

Actually, this is backwards. As of November Microsoft Windows owns 81.75% of the total OS market (Desktops, Tablets, Phones, etc.). iOS is next with 6.36%, then Mac with 6.22%.

Of JUST the desktop market (no mobile/tablet), Windows owns 91.45% of that market. Of that (as of November 2012), Windows 8 owns 1.09%.

source: marketshare.hitslink.com
 
lol

Balmer is just a clueless boffin that did not drive the company correctly.
Hence the Windows 8 fiasco.
I expect he will be booted from the CEO position.

This means that a lot of people considering windows will just upgrade to a MAC.

 
LOL Bunch of Cry babies on this site.. Go hate on your MOM.. not our fault you're to stupid to figure out windows 8.. Nice fail.. You Angry bro? thumbs down this biatches it still doesn't change how stupid you are..
 
[citation][nom]ern88[/nom]I`ll just say Window 8 has Windows ME written all over it. What fail!!!!![/citation]

no just no. *shudders*

Anyone that tries to compare any other windows to ME, they need to revisit that OS.

Windows 8 issue is the fact that Microsoft is forcing change that doesn't feel right to most people (modern UI).

ME was far worse as it's primary issue was Stability. (there were many other issues with it as well)

Dont know about others but if I was force to pick between ME and 8, windows 8 would be my choice.

I would take stability over anything else. Who would care if it took me a few extra clicks and seconds to find something. I rather do that than have an OS that can restart or freeze without warning.

Like said, the fail for 8 is not the same as ME. ME is in a league all of it's own.
 
[citation][nom]bdcrlsn[/nom]There's a free program out there called ClassicShell that restores all Win7 functionality to Win8.[/citation]exactly, but according to some win8 hater, it makes perfect sense to buy the more expensive win7 now and have slightly slower boot time, than fixing this for free.

I can understand those who are already in win7 have no reason not upgrade, win8 is not for existing win7 user, it is to replace the decade old winXP, to vista.

So it doesnt make any sense to people who are just going to buy new PC & getting the new OS together.
 
[citation][nom]acadia11[/nom]So this is vista all over again, let me know when windows 9 is ready.[/citation]win8 can be fix with classic shell, but the performance problem in vista could not be fix. So vista is actually more fail than 8.
 
"There are small desktop interface changes that may throw many customers off – a lack of a Start menu being the largest hurdle – but eventually the new Windows will be unavoidable."

Pure poppycock. The Win7 Start menu saved time and energy and was the best implementation of a launcher/searcher to date, and Microsoft getting rid of it is just a "small desktop interface" change?

Did they also do aways with Explorer Libraries, simply because they wanted to? It's rubbish. Muck.

And to say it's unavoidable... Obviously you don't know what this word means, son. Dictionary.com should help you out.
 
If only Metro style supported multy-window. Otherwise it is useless even on tablet.
 
[citation][nom]LordConrad[/nom]The point is that you shouldn't have to fix something that you just bought.[citation]

[citation][nom]dimar[/nom]If that was true, everyone would be using Internet Explorer 🙂[/citation]
Wrong. It would be like having to hack Internet explorer to get your address bar back.
 
[citation][nom]bystander[/nom]Vista performance problems just took more RAM.[/citation]

there was a few more problems than just memory usage. another big problem was people confusing the 64 bit and 32 bit drivers and programs.
 
[citation][nom]siman0[/nom]there was a few more problems than just memory usage. another big problem was people confusing the 64 bit and 32 bit drivers and programs.[/citation]
User error is not exactly something I'd call a problem.
 
[citation][nom]besplatan[/nom]Wholeheartedly agree with Consumer Reports in this case. I've used every version since the Developer Preview and the entire concept of smartphone UI on a desktop is wrong in a way that can't be fixed.[/citation]
i cant stand it, 30 seconds of metro and i wanted to go back to the old desktop with a start menu, been playing around with it on a non touch screen laptop and frankly its just unusable for me even with a program that shows the start menu and gets rid of metro, its fundamentally wrong at its core
 
[citation][nom]killerb255[/nom]Like I said when commenting on the Ballmer article:The thing is, Microsoft was desperate for mobile share. They figured "What better way to get more mobile share than to shove the mobile interface on the product that we've penetrated the most: PCs?" I think they should have thought it through more because even Windows PHONE 7/8's interface is better than Windows 8's start screen! At least on WP7/WP8, installing an app doesn't automatically throw it on the main screen. Installing ANYTHING in Windows 8 results in it being thrown on the start screen, resulting in a big cluster****!To summarize, these are the issues with Windows 8:

1) It succeeds Windows 7. If it succeeded Vista, or even XP, it'd probably do better.
2) It's not intuitive. The hot corners don't exactly stick out to the Average Joe.
3) It's schizophrenic. Having two different interfaces confuses people. The Desktop is not good for touch screens and the Start screen is not as good for point-and-click (granted it's adaptable, but still, it's not intuitive).
4) The issue I mentioned before this list: putting everything on the Start screen makes it a cluster****.
5) Those that don't like Apple's walled-garden model don't take lightly to the Start screen.
6) Not enough new touch screened PCs with Windows 8. Often I walk into a Micro Center or Best Buy and see people poke at the screens only to complain that "it's not working!" Touch screens are expensive right now.
7) Windows RT vs Windows 8. Too much confusion. This didn't happen nearly as much with x86 vs x64, as the WOW6432 layer in x64 Windows is EXCELLENT! There is NO backward compatibility in Windows for ARM (I'm not sure if it's feasible, though, as they could end up with terrible compatibility a la Itanium).[/citation]

To summarize, these are the issues with Windows 8:

1) It 'succeeds' the Start Menu. If it succeeded DOS, or even Win3.1, it'd probably do better.
2) It's not intuitive. The Average Joes here need a tutorial built into the OS.
3) It's got more than one screen so is therefore 'schizophrenic'. Having two different interfaces confuses dumb people. The Desktop is not good for touch screens and people here are too lazy to figure out point-and-click (tutorial above would help).
4) The issue I mentioned before this list: putting everything on the Start screen makes it exactly the same as your start menu, but with added widgets called apps that have similar amounts of functionality as the sidebar apps had on Vista but can be bought on your phone too.
5) Those that don't like Apple's walled-garden model don't use the App Store. Recent game launches on that store have made devs less than three figures in sales so voters will vote with their money
6) Not enough new touch screened PCs with Windows 8. Often I walk into a Micro Center or Best Buy and see people poke at the screens only to complain that "it's not working!" Obviously you live in quite a low-IQ area, or just don't go to MC and BB as much as you would have us believe.
7) Windows RT vs Windows 8. Too much confusion if you are stupid or naive. It's nothing like x64 or WoW, not even IA64 is similar, because all of them have an "x86 mode" built into their CPU and therefore emulation so backwards compatibility is as simple as the OS telling them when to switch. ARM isn't made by Intel and is RISC (which is all about removing bells and whistles for low power usage) so they couldn't if they wanted to. Apple own the last company with the skills to make a native emulator and the other option is WINE recompiled for WinRT which would be a nightmare and break all their interfaces anyway.
 
And finally, #win8 is probably the best example of showing power users that they arent really power users: the shortcuts are all the same and nobody can work the thing.
 
The near-whole of Tom's Hardware poster base is damn retarded.

I guarantee non of you have used Windows 8 since it was finished, and the other half attempted to rip it off and failed so blame MS. I also guarantee none of you even use a legitimate copy of Windows 7 yet feel that your opinion matters! "Vote with your wallet"??? You cheap losers never buy anything so your misguided opinions are nothing.

With that said, I don't really care what consumer reports says, I have zero issues with Windows 8. In fact, I used it for a week and when I went to use my netbook that has Windows 7 it irritated the hell out of me having to use the start menu.

This isn't to mention that if any of you were actually interested in ease of use the lack of a start menu wouldn't matter because you would have taken advantage of pinning to the task bar, which Windows 8 has!

The sheer ignorance of you morons is just down right surprising. Tom's is honestly full off butt hurt children.

I'm out of here, have fun going down with XP you damn bums.
 


It's already getting difficult to buy a Windows computer retail. I would imagine copies of OEM W7 are going to dry up, too. If it's the only OS out there that runs windows apps that you can buy, then it is essentially unavoidable.
 
I was chatting with a friend at work and we were thinking this would be the perfect time for apple to release some under $500-1500 desktop options that a power user could actually enjoy (mac mini and imac do not fit that bill). Windows 8 is frustrating. If I have to learn new OS, why not Mac OS?

But honestly, there are no good Mac options under $3000 for desktop users. Why not something like a dell XPS but from Apple with Mac OS?

 
[citation][nom]genz[/nom]And finally, #win8 is probably the best example of showing power users that they arent really power users: the shortcuts are all the same and nobody can work the thing.[/citation]

Ha very true. I am a tech guru myself and also do tech support for people. I find Win8 enjoyable OS for me. It was no brainer for me. Its one thing not liking it because its a change its another that "its too difficult or unusable for me". I call that BS. Using Win8 on my AMD Turion laptop which had win7. Aint looking back. 7 now feels a bit dated to me.
 
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