Windows 8 - Deeper Impressions

[xpclient]

I *love* that parody, Andre. It highlights everything that's wrong with Microsoft. The UI guys just have no common sense. All of them should be fired for turning Windows into an unprofessional toy OS. "Windows 8 Pro" in the name is a joke. The two editions should be called "Windows for super-dumb people" and "Windows for slightly less dumb people".

[JorgeA]

Here's another good critique of the Metro UI that I found in my travels.

If for any reason you don't get sent to the intended post when clicking on the link above, it's the one by "psycros."

Metro on Windows is unpopular because its ugly, disorganzied and harder to use than the regular desktop. Its inarguable If you have even a sliver of objectivity. I cannot find one end user who wants to use it. Most of them say the same thing: "it looks like those stupid phones".

The mod's reply was pretty lame -- basically they're letting the tablet tail wag the desktop dog. And the comparison screenshots show how fugly the Metro-inspired alternative is, with those gaudy kindergarten blocks that moreover lack any textual indication of what they're meant for (what the heck is that "up" arrow??) . Bad, bad, bad.

I'll be sticking with current Norton versions for as long as they let me. Some Norton updates include a forced, automatic "upgrade" to the new version.

--JorgeA

[JorgeA]

I *love* that parody, Andre. It highlights everything that's wrong with Microsoft. The UI guys just have no common sense. All of them should be fired for turning Windows into an unprofessional toy OS. "Windows 8 Pro" in the name is a joke. The two editions should be called "Windows for super-dumb people" and "Windows for slightly less dumb people".

+1

If you treat all people like imbeciles who can't handle a feature-rich UX, over time more and more of them will start acting like imbeciles who can't handle a feature-rich UX.

--JorgeA

[CoffeeFiend]

New monthly stats and time for an update.

We've had Win8 betas since last September (DP, then the CP 4 months ago and the RP a month ago) so almost 10 months ago and its market share is still at 0.18% (or 0.09% according to w3counter)

The first Win7 beta was released in early January 2009.10 months later (Nov 2009) its market share was 4.06% which is a bit over 22 times higher.

Even if you're willing to give Win8 a 9 month advantage and count the release preview as the first and only beta (which is absurd in itself), then it still loses to Win7: Win 8 RP is a month old, and sits at 0.18%, whereas Win7 at 1 month old (Feb 2009) was at 0.22%...

By the time Win 7 RC1 was out (May 2009) i.e. 2 months before release, it was at 0.57%. Meanwhile, Win8 is at 0.18% and according to many sources (wzor, winunleaked.info, etc) it's mere days away from being RTM. it'll seemingly be annouced at MGX, which is May 17-20.

Meanwhile, the bad reviews just keep pouring in: Windows 8 tablet reviewers give thumbs-down to Windows 8 on PCs or 'No surprises' in Microsoft Surface tablet software Edit: also worth reading: Windows 8 Will Live or Die Based on The Start Screen

They've also made pirating significantly harder (no more shared keys like all pirates currently use) and they're also going to make licensing stricter for Technet subcribers. That's only going to slow down adoption of the OS further (not that it's worth using, even for free!)

Meanwhile, I keep seeing articles praising the new Apple stuff... especially about photography (and Photoshop CS6) on the new retina display (5.1 megapixel, LED-backlit IPS LCD, great color calibration and gamut, etc). I've wanted such a hi-res display for years and they finally made it true. Yes, they're expensive laptops, but not by a whole lot more vs the same class of "business" laptops (not that I need it), especially if you add to that the price of a similar display. I mean, even the $1400 Dell Ultrasharp 30" (and various other screens that cost up to $3000 like the HP MD301C4) only has 4 megapixels! That's good enough that I can carry it along with my Wacom tablet in a laptop bag and do serious photo work anywhere, without needing large LCDs screens sitting on a desk.

[Tripredacus]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/07/02/microsoft_research_pc_hardware_crashes/

Based on some Microsoft research, though, it seems you could be seeing more of the Windows 8 BSOD if you buy a PC from an OEM who's fiddled with the chip to make it go that little bit faster. Also, beware the temptation to buy a PC from an unrecognized PC maker.

What is this supposed to mean exactly?

Seems to me that this is just a jab at Windows 8 using previous OS data, but I wouldn't be surprised if Windows 8 would BSOD if you overclocked. What about underclocking?

[MagicAndre1981]

I *love* that parody, Andre. It highlights everything that's wrong with Microsoft. The UI guys just have no common sense.

yes, I watch this video daily it is SO great

Looks like MSFT has panic that nobady buys Windows 8. Becasue of this MSFT starts a Promo when Win8 is RTM. You can buy theWin8 Pro as an upgrade for 39.99$:

We set out to make it as easy as possible for everyone to upgrade to Windows 8. Starting at general availability, if your PC is running Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7 you will qualify to download an upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for just $39.99 in 131 markets.

http://windowsteamblog.com/windows/b/bloggingwindows/archive/2012/07/02/upgrade-to-windows-8-pro-for-39-99.aspx

[Fredledingue]

Seems to me that this is just a jab at Windows 8 using previous OS data, but I wouldn't be surprised if Windows 8 would BSOD if you overclocked. What about underclocking?

That would be consistant with the backtime machine which W8 is.

If you treat all people like imbeciles who can't handle a feature-rich UX, over time more and more of them will start acting like imbeciles who can't handle a feature-rich UX.

No, Jorge, the PC culture is too entrenched in poeple's way of life that it won't happen.

The basic user who will try W8 the first time when it will be commercialized will be very different from the geeks who tested it relatively successfuly.

The basic user will not take the time to read 20 articles, instructions and will not know before hand what Metro is realy.

Their first reaction will be "what's that???". Very quickely poeple asking how to reduce Metro to the taskbar. Because that's the logical way poeple use computers nowadays: Everything is reducable to the taskbar for acessing what's behind.

If Metro was a resizable and reducable window, it would still have a chance to be accepted. Not under its current form since it breaks the very efficent 3D layers of usual Windows.

Metro asks users to remove one dimension off their mindset, from 3D to 2D, and this is radical and stupid at the same time.

Especialy since the 3D concept remains behind Metro.

No no no, poeple won't move to a 2D world while they always enjoyed 3D.

[CoffeeFiend]

yes, I watch this video daily it is SO great

It totally is. Now try having a drink every time he says app

[CharlotteTheHarlot]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/07/02/microsoft_research_pc_hardware_crashes/

Based on some Microsoft research, though, it seems you could be seeing more of the Windows 8 BSOD if you buy a PC from an OEM who's fiddled with the chip to make it go that little bit faster. Also, beware the temptation to buy a PC from an unrecognized PC maker.

What is this supposed to mean exactly?

Seems to me that this is just a jab at Windows 8 using previous OS data, but I wouldn't be surprised if Windows 8 would BSOD if you overclocked. What about underclocking?

The article and comments do seem a bit rambling and unfocused. But I think one commenter there called GrumpyOldBloke has a good point ...

"May not be that simple. Remember the tilt bits and other DRM junk built into vista and above. What microsoft may be saying is that there are now so many checks, balances encryptions, decryptions and obfuscations built into their OS to keep everyone but the purchaser happy that it is now barely stable in the real world. One flipped bit somewhere and the whole thing comes crashing down."

I endorse this point myself. For all the talk of slimming down and less resources, the fact remains that there is a pile of newly added checks and balances starting in Windows 6.0, some of it a bone thrown to the Hollywood IP Mafia and little if anything targeting the end-users' benefit. Seriously, you cannot even count all the startup services and tasks on a fresh install (even before OEM crapware), perpetual disk indexing, and Restore Points created for every little Windows update (even a KB sized toolbar). The Event Log has never seen so much activity. Windows never rests anymore. By design, the CPU is essentially there to service Windows rather than the other way around. Having unexplained freezes or crashes or slow-downs is to be expected for those that (who unlike us) do not stay on top of everything and weed out all the garbage and non-essential processes. Throw in some dodgy video and/or printer driver and/or application suite that adds 75 new startup points and it's a miracle it runs at all.

One easy way to de-stabilize any Windows version is to blindly accept and install the Windows Live package of useless applications. Add this to a computer that is already operating in the margins with barely enough CPU cycles to spare, (e.g., Vista/7 on a single core), then you are right back to a dozen years ago when WinXP was taxing the less-than-capable (for WinXP, not Win9x or Win2k) current hardware.

It is illustrative to run a simple app like CALC.EXE on Win9x with no filtering under FileMon/RegMon (ProcMon does not work there) and then do the same on Win2K and then WinXP (with ProcMon). There is a dramatic increase in both dependencies and unrelated backround process activity between the two platforms. This does not improve from Windows 5.x to 6.x, it increases even further so that tens of thousands of events are recorded by ProcMon in a few seconds. And there are errors too. A few more iterations of the Windows platform and it will be untraceable and unmanageable for x86 software to run at all, at least reliably. Perhaps that is their plan anyway, to let it die, and then welcome us to their new walled garden of MicroApps (where they take a 30% cut and control the off switch). It's a brave new world.

BTW, didn't Microsoft miss a perfect opportunity here to re-design the BSOD, into a PPSOD, Pastel Pink Screen Of Death?

[JorgeA]

No, Jorge, the PC culture is too entrenched in poeple's way of life that it won't happen.

Fredledingue,

I sure hope you're right!

Up above, xpclient described Win8 and Win8 Pro as,

"Windows for super-dumb people" and "Windows for slightly less dumb people".

I was using that as the starting point for my own comment.

--JorgeA

[CharlotteTheHarlot]

Team B&S managed to gather some media attention today ...

Microsoft will offer digital Windows 8 Pro upgrades for $39.99 - TechSpot

Microsoft Announces Windows 8 Pro Upgrade $39.99 Promo - Tom's Hardware

Windows 8 Upgrade Will Cost Just $39.99 - AnandTech

Windows 8 Pro upgrade to cost $39.99 until January 31, 2013 - NeoWin (Fanboy Central )

Windows 8 Pro Upgrade to Cost Just $40 During Special Promotion - Thurott (Fanboy in Chief )

(~yawn~)

Believe it or not ... that $39.99 price is for money you give to Microsoft ... not vice versa.

With this spectacular deal they are offering to wipe away your fully working Operating System, including the Start Menu, Aero Glass, colorful icons, custom Toolbars, QuickLaunch and Jump Lists and replace them with Windows 8 with Metro and expect payment for the downgrade. No really. What a deal.

And in keeping with the Microsoft tradition of clarity, if you read the articles, there is still some confusion between the various sites on whether Data/Files and/or Programs and/or Settings are in fact kept for XP/Vista users (also mentioned upthread). I just don't care enough to examine it further.

Microsoft Windows 8 : Fast and Fluid Experience! (like Diarrhea)

[Tripredacus]

Microsoft Windows 8 : Fast and Fluid Experience! (like Diarrhea)

[jaclaz]

BTW, didn't Microsoft miss a perfect opportunity here to re-design the BSOD, into a PPSOD, Pastel Pink Screen Of Death?

Don't tell me that you are still using BLUE?

I went GREEN a long time ago....

This should work since Windows 3.x and up to XP/2003:

http://www.kevinscrate.com/blog/2007/12/22/change-the-bsod-or-blue-screen-of-death-to-a-different-color/

http://www.petri.co.il/change_bsod_color.htm

Please do appreciate the high level technology used , nowadays the good MS guys would need at least ActveX, .NET, 1 zillion entries in the Registry, setting file written in a XML file , two interdependent running services, a performance monitor, an event log connection and a few digital signatures here and there (and to change the setting you would need to impersonate Super-Hyper-Mega-TrustedInstaller ).

JFYI, the good Mark Russinovich - after an intiial hiccup - came out with a nice thingy (with help from Alex Ionescu ):

http://blogs.technet.com/b/markrussinovich/archive/2010/12/14/3374820.aspx

http://blogs.technet.com/b/markrussinovich/archive/2011/01/11/3379158.aspx

So you can have your PPSOD even now .

jaclaz

[Fredledingue]

No, Jorge, the PC culture is too entrenched in poeple's way of life that it won't happen.

Fredledingue,

I sure hope you're right!

Up above, xpclient described Win8 and Win8 Pro as,

"Windows for super-dumb people" and "Windows for slightly less dumb people".

I was using that as the starting point for my own comment.

--JorgeA

I understand.

My point was that MS won't find so many dumb users for their Metro UI.

Even dumb users know what they want.

[JorgeA]

No, Jorge, the PC culture is too entrenched in poeple's way of life that it won't happen.

Fredledingue,

I sure hope you're right!

Up above, xpclient described Win8 and Win8 Pro as,

"Windows for super-dumb people" and "Windows for slightly less dumb people".

I was using that as the starting point for my own comment.

--JorgeA

I understand.

My point was that MS won't find so many dumb users for their Metro UI.

Even dumb users know what they want.

Fredledingue,

Good point.

I guess that what I'm worried about is that new Windows users (those who start using Windows with Win8) might never get to experience the richness of "real" Windows. Because MS is treating all of its Windows users like children who can't (or don't want to) handle a more complex UI, these new users will tend to stay in a childlike, simplistic approach to computing. And then as a result, over time the idea of bringing back the Start Menu and Button will become less and less likely, because every day more of these new users will know nothing other than the Metro screen.

In that case, we will have to pin our hopes on more experienced Windows users (those who remember "the good old days") showing these newbies what they're missing.

--JorgeA