Windows 8
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Loppan Torkel
Deity
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I use it. It's like they're trying to rape you with their message.Adblock anyone?
Mr.WorldWide
Smugly Inferior
It looks like I'm going to get in some windows 8 screen time this holiday season. A family member is getting a new laptop and I'm going to have to wrastle with setting it up and whatnot, mostly trivial. 
My family is surprisingly computer illiterate. 
My family is surprisingly computer illiterate.
Terxpahseyton
Nobody
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- Sep 9, 2006
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I am now nearing the end of my second day with Windows 8 and it is exactly as I thought - metro is absolutely useless for efficient desktop use. It looks "stylish" and has a simple feel and is useful for touch screens etc. But if I have a traditional desktop and am more interested in efficient organizing rather than "uhh-- pretty" - and then metro is just superfluous.
Though don't get me wrong, I like pretty when it is not for the sake of efficiency. But there Windows 8 also fell out of my favor for abonding the neat aero-design of windows 7.
However, for the time being I will stay with 8 because of performance improvements and because so far it seems I never have to see metro again. (just as programs add the old start bar, they can also get you directly to the desktop after checking in). But it still leafs a quit sour taste in my mouth because windows 8 did little to improve the traditional desktop experience but some to the opposite - which in the light of metro uselessness is hardly pleasing.
Though don't get me wrong, I like pretty when it is not for the sake of efficiency. But there Windows 8 also fell out of my favor for abonding the neat aero-design of windows 7.
However, for the time being I will stay with 8 because of performance improvements and because so far it seems I never have to see metro again. (just as programs add the old start bar, they can also get you directly to the desktop after checking in). But it still leafs a quit sour taste in my mouth because windows 8 did little to improve the traditional desktop experience but some to the opposite - which in the light of metro uselessness is hardly pleasing.
Haven't been here in awhile, but I have a Win8 question. How the hell do you launch accessory programs like the calculator? I couldn't find it on my start screen, nor do I have a start bar for traditional launches of programs like these, so I ended up just searching the hard disk until I found calculator.exe and ran that.
There has to be an easier way to get that open.
There has to be an easier way to get that open.
Mr.WorldWide
Smugly Inferior
Typing anything on the metro start screen will start a search, took me awhile to figure out. 
The metro screen is like a bloated replacement of the start menu once you start looking at it. I personally don't like the fact that there are no folders in metro UI so if the program you installed has 5 shortcuts in the start menu you will have to thumb through them all instead of viewing them in a collapsed folder.
My biggest problem is using the cpanel. M$ rearranges the cpanel more often then most stores rearrange their inventory. Anyone have cpanel tips? I like the "legacy" cpanel view if at all possible.
The metro screen is like a bloated replacement of the start menu once you start looking at it. I personally don't like the fact that there are no folders in metro UI so if the program you installed has 5 shortcuts in the start menu you will have to thumb through them all instead of viewing them in a collapsed folder.
My biggest problem is using the cpanel. M$ rearranges the cpanel more often then most stores rearrange their inventory. Anyone have cpanel tips? I like the "legacy" cpanel view if at all possible.
I got Window 8 laptop for Christmas. I didn't exactly want Windows 8, but I'm not arguing about a free laptop.
I was also quite skeptical about the new start screen, but it's not that bad once you get used to it. It works out fine once I put short cuts I want on the start menu now got rid of all the app crap.
BTW, the old start menu structure is still there, you have to click all apps and it brings up the same file system of old.
I was also quite skeptical about the new start screen, but it's not that bad once you get used to it. It works out fine once I put short cuts I want on the start menu now got rid of all the app crap.
BTW, the old start menu structure is still there, you have to click all apps and it brings up the same file system of old.
Typing anything on the metro start screen will start a search, took me awhile to figure out.
The metro screen is like a bloated replacement of the start menu once you start looking at it. I personally don't like the fact that there are no folders in metro UI so if the program you installed has 5 shortcuts in the start menu you will have to thumb through them all instead of viewing them in a collapsed folder.
My biggest problem is using the cpanel. M$ rearranges the cpanel more often then most stores rearrange their inventory. Anyone have cpanel tips? I like the "legacy" cpanel view if at all possible.
Good programs should rapidly adapt to not dumping more than a single shortcut onto the start screen during their install process. IMO the biggest problem is simply that there isn't a smaller tile size. I expect they'll add a third, smaller tile size at some point, like they did for Windows Phone.
Best way to use the cpanel is to avoid it. Windows key + W, then type the setting you want to edit.
Mr.WorldWide
Smugly Inferior
Smaller tile sizes would be good but most older programs dump 3+ shortcuts in the start menu, many will be updated I suppose but there are several older programs I use which are no longer under active development.
innonimatu
the resident Cassandra
- Joined
- Dec 4, 2006
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Typing anything on the metro start screen will start a search, took me awhile to figure out.
The metro screen is like a bloated replacement of the start menu once you start looking at it.
No. Metro is a bloated GUI for a command shell, that's what it is! Leave it to Microsoft to create such a stupid contradiction: a GUI that you are to sue by writing commands like in a shell! But without even having a model with pipes and a applications and devices designed to easily input/output to/from others! Dump the baby, serve the bath water to the customers!
Well, considering the typical Windows user mostly uses his browser, a pdf-reader, a music player and Word/Excel/Powerpoint, there is relatively little use for all of this. The only thing I really miss in Windows is being able to use wildcards to copy/move/rename files efficiently.
Yes, a good shell is the most civilised way to interact with your computer and graphical doodads to mimic something far more elegant and powerful is bloated decadence at its worst.
Decadence can be enjoyable though, and I quite like the search-based interaction that doesn't expect users to know what they're doing. Don't fault Microsoft for the general direction (everyone else has been doing it too), I just don't think their implementation is one of the better ones.
OSX keeps it very unintrusive and makes it easy to use it well, even for barely computer-literate users.
Ubuntu with its Unity desktop does it in the most coherent way I have seen so far (with a few questionable excesses).
Decadence can be enjoyable though, and I quite like the search-based interaction that doesn't expect users to know what they're doing. Don't fault Microsoft for the general direction (everyone else has been doing it too), I just don't think their implementation is one of the better ones.
OSX keeps it very unintrusive and makes it easy to use it well, even for barely computer-literate users.
Ubuntu with its Unity desktop does it in the most coherent way I have seen so far (with a few questionable excesses).
GrandAdmiral
Deity
Right-click the Start menu and then choose All Programs from the Menu bar. From there you can pin anything to your Start menu and Task bar, or you can launch the applications. I think it works pretty well. The problem is bringing up the menu bar in the metro UI isn't obvious to new users. However, once you know about it, it works well.
I've been using it since August, and it took a while to get used to, but now I can't go back.
I don't think metro is useless on the desktop. It's just not a replacement for your desktop. I use it for utilities, widget style glance data, and apps where I only need basic functionality. For more robust applications, I use the desktop. The nice thing about this is it lets me keep only important things running on my taskbar and Windows shell, while less import metro task can be used without cluttering my UI.
The only real drawbacks I see the metro UI, is that the Start menu is full screen, which can make launching less frequently used apps distracting. The other being that the metro UI could use additional resources that you might not use when you're only running desktop apps. Lastly, I would love to have the option for smaller tiles.
Also, you think Aero on Windows 7 is neater than the Windows 8 shell? I don't get where you're coming from with that statement.
Mr.WorldWide
Smugly Inferior
3D translucent "aero" windows looked more stylish then the new "flat" windows.
Aesthetically, Windows 7 is much nicer. I don't get the new sold color look.
I got a new computer over the summer and so could upgrade to win8 for cheap. I was reluctant at first because I had the same issues everyone else here had about Metro and the Start Screen. But now I'm using it I don't think I could go back to 7.
There are a couple of reasons for this. First, it boots twice as fast as 7. That is something you don't really think about until you actually see it happen, and realize all of the time you are saving. As a power user I also like the new features in win8 Pro compared to win7 home premium.
As for dealing with Metro, you can use some complex registry stuff to go straight to the desktop, but I chose not to do that because sometimes I want to do stuff in the new area (not often though, it is far more suited for tablets). I did go and install a start menu replacement program, as I don't think I could live without that.
There are a couple of reasons for this. First, it boots twice as fast as 7. That is something you don't really think about until you actually see it happen, and realize all of the time you are saving. As a power user I also like the new features in win8 Pro compared to win7 home premium.
As for dealing with Metro, you can use some complex registry stuff to go straight to the desktop, but I chose not to do that because sometimes I want to do stuff in the new area (not often though, it is far more suited for tablets). I did go and install a start menu replacement program, as I don't think I could live without that.
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