Gone to Linux, thanks to Windows8

[belardo]

Yep... Vista made some people do it... others like myself stuck with WindowsXP and luckily, Windows7 was a worth replacement.

But with Windows8 and the direction of Microsoft as a lost and slowly sinking ship, its time to move on. I showed others Windows8 on one of my notebooks (ThinkPad) which ran flawlessly. Then I downloaded LinuxMint and from there - I murdered Windows8 and had Linux running in 15minutes with pretty much all the software I need to use.

This is not my main computer, I'll be using Windows7 for a few years at least. But I have a full time Linux system now which my computer novice Wife uses for her work and browsing. No complaints. I am able to share data between it and my Windows7 computer.

If you decide to give it a try, go for LinuxMint with the MATE desktop. You can change the skin for a more WinXP stylish look. Yes, the controls and settings are a bit different but geez, so is Win8.

Microsoft is down to about 24% of the computer market (tablets and Smartphones are counted as computes nowadays and people are using them over the traditional desktop/notebook computer). MS missed the mobile boat. They are late with MSOffice for Android & iOS, they have failed with Win8, WinRT, Surfaces and phones. They failed us with overpricing Office2013... they failed us with PC Gaming by making AAA tiles ONLY for their xbox console (Halo 3+ / Gears of War 2~3), the list goes on. I'm getting the PS4, why should I reward MS for killing desktop gaming? Windows8, its ugly, its badly designed, its over priced.

And with that... there is little reason I or many other people actually needs Microsoft anymore.

No more spending $100~150 for an OEM Windows or $200~300 for a Pro/retail versions. I have no plans to buy anything from Microsoft ever again.

 

[Tseg]

that's not easier than clicking start, and then my most commonly used programs, or start, programs and then search through the program I'm looking for. Or even just clicking on the shortcut on my desktop. Or clicking start, run and type what I want. All from the same interface. Win8 uses a counter-intuitive design for desktop computers. I went from using DOS 6.2 and Windows 3.1 to Win 95 with no trouble at all. That was a logical prgression that improved the UI. Win8 is a step backwards and is alienating a lot of people.

Certainly Win 8 is paradigm shifting and is counter-intuitive to those that have been trained on Win 7 and prior version methodology for decades, as was having to learn how to use pedals vs. stirrups a century ago. Hypothesize that Win 8 came first and Win 7 second, I could go on about how it takes me more than 1 click to see all my on-line and off-line photos in W7 (in fact, it takes many clicks flipping between folders and websites - even then, impossible to see them side-by-side to weed out duplicates), more than 1 click to see the weather or news or social conversations in W7... How inefficient and counter-intuitive. And if you have not seen the right-click "start button" functionality in Win 8.1, there is enormous efficiency coming our way once the masses train themselves to right-click the start button.

The Start search box was hailed as a great innovation.. with Win 8 I click the Windows button and generally with the typing of 1 to 2 letters I can locate the program I am looking for. My hands are already on the key board vs. "intuitively" mousing to the start button and click first. My point is clicking Start is easy, but not efficient in many cases... and it is easy because that is how you have been trained... of course it is easy. If we were trained for decades to push the windows button to locate search, mousing to a "Start" button is absolutely counter-intuitive.

Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of very minor inefficiencies and niggles that exist when moving to Win 8 which will continue to be minimized over time, but with Win 8 there are many step change efficiencies created that the Win 7 design will never be able to address.

Back to Linux... Linux is great for learning how a computer works, it can be a great hobby system, and invariably the user ends up compelled to Distro hop in search of the next big improvement, and certainly there is a lot of updating that occurs... and overall lack of polish throughout the system. But my personal experience is any efficiency that may exist in the base design, if that is what one truly seeks, is blown out of the water as one becomes fixated on:

• 
  Distro hops
  Update installs
  Bug fixes
  Application hops
  Version upgrades

Anyway, for all of us on these forums over about 25 years old, Microsoft likely does not see us as the target market, so our opinions matter little. This is because OS loyalty is like beer loyalty... established at a very young age.

 

[MidnightDistort]

that's not easier than clicking start, and then my most commonly used programs, or start, programs and then search through the program I'm looking for. Or even just clicking on the shortcut on my desktop. Or clicking start, run and type what I want. All from the same interface. Win8 uses a counter-intuitive design for desktop computers. I went from using DOS 6.2 and Windows 3.1 to Win 95 with no trouble at all. That was a logical prgression that improved the UI. Win8 is a step backwards and is alienating a lot of people.

The Start search box was hailed as a great innovation.. with Win 8 I click the Windows button and generally with the typing of 1 to 2 letters I can locate the program I am looking for. My hands are already on the key board vs. "intuitively" mousing to the start button and click first. My point is clicking Start is easy, but not efficient in many cases... and it is easy because that is how you have been trained... of course it is easy. If we were trained for decades to push the windows button to locate search, mousing to a "Start" button is absolutely counter-intuitive.

Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of very minor inefficiencies and niggles that exist when moving to Win 8 which will continue to be minimized over time, but with Win 8 there are many step change efficiencies created that the Win 7 design will never be able to address.

Efficiency i think is subjective. While i have had people tell me that Windows 8 is a faster way of doing things other people do not think this way. First you have to get used to the new system in which turn might take awhile for some people. Even though i might know where to go in Windows 8 i will find myself clicking on things i shouldn't have and that becomes a problem because once you start using a new system faster than what your mind is capable of processing that's what i'm thinking when using Windows 8. So even if 8 is indeed more efficient, people that don't want to change to it or want to deal with the changes will simply either go to (or stay with) a different OS or they use a 3rd party start menu alternative to eliminate the new UI altogether because there is no bridge between going from the old one to the new one. Even with 8.1 in mind that MS wants to help users by a tutorial and walk people through the new UI.

Take having a non monetary system for an example. Without money and robots do everything for you. It's easy, you don't have to do anything you don't want to do. Some people call it laziness and you should have some kind of work to keep yourself active or busy. So some people don't want to give up the old system in favor for another one. I can say that with robots and machines to do all the hard work for you and even prepare your food for you so all you gotta do is eat you have plenty of time for other things. Social issues, better resource management, inventing something or being able to learn new things however you like. So basically i would be in favor for that new system because while it would take awhile to get used to doing things a different way i would go for that.

In this current system it is just a bit too hard right now to learn an entirely new OS when you simply don't have the time or the energy to do it with. It's just easier doing it the same way because you're used to it and it doesn't take much energy or thought into using say Windows 7. As for Linux, i do want to learn it more but again it's having to think about that when most of the time when i get off work i am emotionally and physically drained so instead of that i just go back to Windows 7. I want something familiar and not having to put much thought into it.

 

[Tseg]

I still remember some of my old bosses well into the late 1990' s responded to email with hand written notes after their secretaries printed out all their email for them.

 

[egilbe]

I still remember some of my old bosses well into the late 1990' s responded to email with hand written notes after their secretaries printed out all their email for them.

I always wondered why people printed out emails to read.

 

[iamthepieman]

I hated windows 8 until I downloaded stardocks enhancements to it. I got the whole suite but just their Start8, start button replacement solved like 90% of my gripes with it.

 

[heyitsmelol]

I think that in a year only 2 percent of the world will buy a new windows before testing it out or watching reviews.

 

[Guest]

Windows 8 is bad but, Linux is even worse not many program platforms support it..

Agreed. But still win8 suck bad. Too unstable OS.

 

[Tseg]

I hated windows 8 until I downloaded stardocks enhancements to it. I got the whole suite but just their Start8, start button replacement solved like 90% of my gripes with it.

Between some of the slick Star Dock add-ons and the WIN 8.1 coming enhancements like launching directly to the Desktop screen and right clicking the "start button" to access power tools quickly I find the new setup to be like Win 7 on steroids. As a desktop user, I never have to hop to the Start Screen... it has literally been weeks since I've been there.

 

[Dumex]

I actually liked the new Win 8 UI, it wasn't that hard for me to get used to (31 years old by the way ), but after I had a custom rig built with Win 8 pre-installed, I've had nothing but stability issues. Crashes, faukty boots, etc. I'm back to Win 7 now, which is the best OS I've ever worked with. Dang shame though, I prefer to go with innovation than be a grumpy UI-conservative

 

[Skyse]

You have to disable some services especially windows indexes and windows defender to make win 8 more stable. I'm using win 8 pro 64 bit and tbh it's faster than win 7. I don't care about UI but win 8 sucks without default startup options, messed up windows update, compatibility issues and you name it. Sadly, it's the only OS I have since both my win 7 and XP discs are broken. I don't want to waste money on other OS though, regret buying win 8.

 

[umarzuki]

i'm using debian and ubuntu for work and windows 8 for gaming purposes only.

whatever rocks your boat.

 

[egilbe]

You have to disable some services especially windows indexes and windows defender to make win 8 more stable. I'm using win 8 pro 64 bit and tbh it's faster than win 7. I don't care about UI but win 8 sucks without default startup options, messed up windows update, compatibility issues and you name it. Sadly, it's the only OS I have since both my win 7 and XP discs are broken. I don't want to waste money on other OS though, regret buying win 8.

Do you still have the license keys for the discs? Download an .iso from Digital River and create your own install discs