Windows 8 Features Slick Search from Start Screen

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Another Linux fanboy. Linux is either a tool for serious server computing or a toy for enthusiasts. Consumer computing and gaming is all on Windows. Windows is a much better OS for 90% of the consumers and I see why. Linux will NOT take over. And it does NOT have more support than Win2kX... unless you mean Win2000/Me. Most of Linux's "support" comes down to an advice to change distribution or reinstall the OS, while in Windows 95% of the errors are user-caused AND fixable. Especially on Windows 7. If Win8 fails, MS will simply do the same thing as with Vista - use it as a beta and roll out a real thing after a while. Win7 turned out GREAT with this approach and I actually love the idea of an average customer being exploited as a beta tester. I was one of them and I paid for my lack of knowledge at the time with my money and time. Everybody deserves the same.
 
[citation][nom]amk-aka-phantom[/nom]He's right, I don't want to switch to Start, either... It IS two clicks - one on the Start button, another on the Calculator icon. And 2 mouse clicks ARE faster than 5 keyboard presses.[/citation]

Wrong. It's 4 mouse clicks if calc isn't on your most used program list.
 
The Search function of Win7 is really handicaped when compared with WinXP. I hope it gets improved at least in the ability to narrowing results for some criteria, and the outcome is error free. But what always susprises me more from Microsoft is the "cheap" non-professional way of doing presentations or sneak peeps of future products, do not they have a budget for that, thay are using a cheap handhelp consumer camera on a portable PC and demoed by a young guy who looks like he ís in his dorm, and works as a seller in a department store, cannot Microsoft learn from other companies to do it with class adn professionality?
 
[citation][nom]aznshinobi[/nom]Just saying, Windows 7 can do that too.1. Windows key2. Type Calc.3. Enter button, or mouse click.[/citation]
Surely Calulator is a bad example, how about when you are searching for some random image or music file that you have amongst a distributed collection of tens of thousands?
Gravitating the search process to favour something that is pretty damn obvious to find already to the detriment of other things that aren't totally defeats the purpose of an advanced search facility.
Think big picture.
 
[citation][nom]amk-aka-Phantom[/nom]Another Linux fanboy. Linux is either a tool for serious server computing or a toy for enthusiasts. Consumer computing and gaming is all on Windows. Windows is a much better OS for 90% of the consumers and I see why. Linux will NOT take over.[/citation]
Windows is a much better solution for general computing and gaming because it has a larger industry of software houses backing it up.
[citation][nom]amk-aka-Phantom[/nom]And it does NOT have more support than Win2kX... unless you mean Win2000/Me. Most of Linux's "support" comes down to an advice to change distribution or reinstall the OS, while in Windows 95% of the errors are user-caused AND fixable. Especially on Windows 7.[/citation]
I hope you're joking, or you most likely never used any kind of linux support. I use a lot linux support forums to give support to users and sometimes also get help. I never gave said to anyone to change distro or reinstall the computer, nor did I ever witnessed anyone saying that. On the other hand windows re-installs are way more common. Fortunately microsoft improved a lot this aspect with the release of windows vista and windows 7 improved a lot.
 
Before I got my logitech keyboard (G510) I used keyboard shortcuts for launching my frequently used programs, eg Ctrl + Alt + 1 for firefox (2) skype (3) trillian (4) miro (7) Photoshop (8) Maya 2010 (9) adobe audition (0) Adobe aftereffects

For other programs which I use from time to time, I have them in my start menu fixed permanently until I decide to change them (the windows xp classic start menu allows you to do that). For those programs, they are placed for quick access since when I want to launch those programs I don't want to go looking for them.

The classic start menu further organizes it's self with the programs section listing only programs you used within a certain amount of time (that you opened from the start menu) and all others are in an additional mouse over menu.

This is essentially like caching, the shortcut keys, or in my case now, the 3 pages of 18 macro keys each is like my L1 cache, the main part of the start menu is the L2 cache, and the programs section is the L3 and the rest of the programs in the list along with the desktop is like the RAM.

Only difference is I know exactly whats in each section and most of my common programs are opened with a single button press.

The windows 8 start menu forces you to search for things, it replaces many of the different ways of access to just 1 which is searching.

Ubuntu tried this with the unity UI and it sucks as it assumes that you know what everything is called.

Think of it this way, there are many things where from looking at the name you know what it does but since there hundreds of possible names that can communicate the same understanding. Because of this, relying on search is not always efficient.

Also searching being fast also implies that you are fast at using a keyboard (eg 80 wpm)

Many people that I have seen (mainly the ones I do repairs for), will generally type slowly and come to an almost halt when they need to use a letter that they don't commonly use and have to search for it. for a user that is not a fast typer, a start menu search is a major slowdown especially something like the metro crap which makes it harder to visually search through your programs because it displays so few on the screen at any time.
 
I prefer the windows 7 method of search, just left click the search icon and type in your search... it gives you all the results of the word you typed in. In windows 8 you must mouse over the to the far left of the start button, select search, select the type of file or program, then type it in... it's a lot more cumbersome...don't be fooled by this video... it's a downgrade from windows 7.
 
@razor
Thankyou! you saved me a post!
All of this nonsense about start menu/keycommands is silly in a world where you can pin to the superbar, or have a hot-key command!

What is of interest to me is that Win8 makes things much faster on the keyboard when it is designed for a touch screen interface which is slower on the keyboard and would be easier on a traditional start menu.

Also, if you grew up on a computer then you ought to be able to type at about 50+wpm if you know what it is that you are going to say. If you cant then you obviously need to spend more time in chat rooms trying to keep up with 100 conversations at a time (much more effective than mavis bacon... mmm bacon..... :)
 
[citation][nom]lp231[/nom]Windows 7 search is broken, Vista was slightly better because you still get Advanced search by hitting Windows+F and bringing up the search pane.Both Vista and 7 search takes a long time to complete and sometimes can't find a file, even though it exist.Let's hope Win8 isn't broken.[/citation]
Agree, OS X Spotlight is miles ahead of Windows.
 
I don't like this hybrid idea of microsoft at all. On windows 8,you go between the new windows 8 desktop os & the phone type of screen. I'll probably buy windows 8, but it does not mean that I like their concept of hybrid look at all. I just want to see how it goes. I one of those that have still held onto my retail box of windows xp.
 
[citation][nom]klavis[/nom]being able to quickly search by details of how a photo was taken is pretty cool, I would use that. One could say I am almost looking forward to being able to do that.[/citation]

Get a camera with a good image management suite (any camera that is worth using or caring about F-stops will come with one for free) and you can do this anyway. It might not be the natural-language "game changer" like Siri but it works if you really gave two ***** about that kind of feature anyway.
 
I tried Win 8 on my PC and it's the stupidest shit ever. I couldn't stand more than 30 minutes with it. I mean, fuck, it took me a good 2 minutes to figure out how to shut down my PC. Trying to find a specific program on that start page or whatever they want to call it was totally stupid, not to mention it's super ugly. They need to rewrite windows to make it a smarter system and not worry so much about presentation, IMO. Search function has been around for a loooonnnnggg time. What I'd like is more control over AppData, ProgramData, and where games for example store their save files (had to create a second Docs folder because it was too tedious to find my few folders and files amidst all the game folders.
 


That's true - I was outraged when I shifted from XP to 7 and found out that I, even with administrator rights, cannot access these folders. Found a good registry fix, though... full ownership of all C drive contents, no BS.
 
unless I download a file and it doesn't go to the default folder for some reason, I just re download it to know where it went.

Windows search is usually slow and gives you too many unrelated files (like temporary files and such)

Just another tool we don't really need
 
i dont consider myself an old fart, but yet older then most the editorial staff on this web site, and yet i approached win8 DP with an open mind and a bit of flexibility, and yes at first it was an infuriating system to get to grips with, but then i do enjoy a challenge, after the initial struggle of learning to change some old habits i found it to be not an inelegant solution, not perfect but not outrageously bad

Win + q or Win + w will give you access to the search command from the desktop, search algorithm is streamlined for items that reside in libraries, windows does not actively index your hard drive but will index your libraries and active portions of your hard drive more frequently

adding tags to frequently accessed items will make your life infinitely easier (think of them like star menu folders but infinitely more useful)

learn to use the quicklist, the Build blog indicates that Metro UI will have a souped up version of this (a contextually aware quicklist would be awesome)

ultimately it's like driving a new car, i dont complain that the indicator on a new Audi is not in the same place as my old Corolla, i just have to relearn where the indicator lever is

it could just be im older now and have been worn down by the system and more willing to accommodate them or younger folks are more inflexible expecting everything to be catered for them, i'll just get to my tapioca pudding i guess....
 
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